5 Minutes (The Stranglers song)

"5 Minutes" is a 1978 single by English band the Stranglers. The song is sung by bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel. It gives an account of a rape that occurred at a shared flat in London he lived in during 1977. The lyrics, which are sung both in English and French, convey Burnel's frustrations over finding the five men who committed the attack.[1]

"5 Minutes"
Single by The Stranglers
B-side"Rok it to the Moon"
Released27 January 1978 (UK)
GenrePunk, post-punk
Length3:17
LabelUnited Artists
Songwriter(s)Hugh Cornwell
Jean-Jacques Burnel
Dave Greenfield
Jet Black
Producer(s)Martin Rushent
The Stranglers singles chronology
"No More Heroes"
(1977)		 "5 Minutes"
(1978)		 "Nice 'n' Sleazy"
(1978)

The song was recorded in between No More Heroes and Black and White. It reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]

Background

In 1977, Burnel was living in a London flat with Wilko Johnson, then the guitarist of the band Dr. Feelgood, as well as a female employee of the Sex Pistols. One night, while Burnel was playing a concert with The Stranglers, his flatmate was raped, an event so traumatizing that Burnel left the apartment soon after.[3]

The title of the song refers to Burnel's apartment being located in a dangerous area of London just five minutes away from The Bishops Avenue, one of the wealthiest streets in the world, and the juxtaposition of the two communities.[3]

The lyric "some say that I should hate them all," according to Burnel, refers to how people used the fact that the five rapists were black men as an excuse for racism.

"The main point, in the middle eight, was 'some say that I should hate them all' about all black people which was absolutely ridiculous and obscene. I just wanted to find those guys, I didn't use it as an excuse for hating all black people. How would you?"

— Jean-Jacques Burnel

Charts
Chart (1978) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[4] 11

References
  1. "Burning Up Times PDF" (PDF). Strangled.co.uk. 2005. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-13. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  2. "UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts". everyHit.com. 2000-03-16. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  3. "JJ Burnel of The Stranglers". www.songfacts.com. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  4. "The Stranglers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
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