Sheena Easton - Morning Train (Nine to Five) (1981)

Sheena Easton, The Gold Collection

"9 to 5" (or "Morning Train") is the title of a popular song written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded by Sheena Easton in 1980, becoming her biggest hit. It peaked at number three in the United Kingdom in August 1980 and was certified gold. It was released in the United States (under the title "Morning Train (9 to 5)" to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton's recent hit "9 to 5") in February 1981, where it reached number one, becoming Easton's only number one chart-topper.

Based on what you've told us so far, we're playing this track because it features easy listening qualities, a subtle use of vocal harmony, repetitive melodic phrasing, intricate melodic phrasing and major key tonality.

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Easton had released one single prior to "9 to 5": "Modern Girl". This had failed to chart highly, but after exposure on the BBC documentary, The Big Time, Pop Singer, both "9 to 5" and "Modern Girl" were propelled into the top ten at the same time, making her the second female artist (after Ruby Murray) to achieve this feat. "9 to 5" became a top three hit and was one of the best-selling singles of the year.

Early in 1981, EMI Records decided to launch Easton in the US and released "9 to 5" as her debut single. The title of the song was changed to "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" to avoid confusion with the Dolly Parton song of the same name, which charted nearly simultaneously with Easton's record. Easton's song went to #1 on both the U.S. pop and adult contemporary charts; it remained at the top for two weeks on Billboard's pop chart. On Billboard's 1981 year-end charts, it came in as the twelfth-biggest pop and thirteenth-biggest AC hit of the year 1981. It also topped the RPM magazine pop and AC charts in Canada, reigning over the former for two weeks in May 1981, while also reaching the summit in New Zealand, before being replaced by Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart".