One of the United Kingdom’s leading alternative choirs, London Contemporary Voices (LCV), covered Dolly Parton’s Working Woman anthem “9 to 5” in July 2018. With the song’s popularity in bookings, parties, and festivals, the choir made a clean and unique version of the classic. The unified voices combined by LCV’s diverse members translated into a vibrant and lively performance.
Country music stardom Dolly Parton released “9 to 5” on November 3, 1980, and featured it on her 23rd solo studio album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs. The track was released when Parton debuted as an actress in a comedy film of the same name, which then turned into Parton’s first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, charted at No. 47 on the United Kingdom (UK) Singles Chart in 1981, and became her biggest digital downloaded song in the UK. Its theme revolved around the struggles of women at the time and their fight for equal pay.
The classic hit explores the unfulfilling life of exploited workers, highlighting the inadequate compensation for their time and effort. The first verse stresses the daily struggle of repetitive routines of making a living, then proceeds to the first line of the chorus: “Working 9 to 5; What a way to make a living; Barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving.” This presents a firm criticism against the underappreciated hardworks of workers as their dream shatters because of climbing the ladder without sufficient support from the workforce. Workers gradually realize that their lives are spiraling into dissatisfaction with the blatant labor exploitation.
During the 80s, “9 to 5” was played in almost every office in the United States (US) and became an American anthem that united workers across generations. It received one Academy Award nomination and two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
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With LCV’s recreation of the single, the essence of the song was greatly highlighted in unison. The song opened with the male choir members, followed by the angelic voices of the female members singing the verses. The video for the acapella cover was released in black and white, but the choir’s radiant smiles throughout the song radiate through the screen.
Founded by talented artists such as Ila Kamalagharan and Didier Rochard, the worldwide contemporary group has collaborated for a wide range of music genres and has worked with more than 19 Grammy Award-winning artists, including Sam Smith, U2, Laura Mvula, Nicole Scherzinger, Joss Stone, and many more. Other than that, they also produced two UK Top Ten albums and a Grammy-nominated soundtrack. Their artistry and extensive repertoire are surely something you should check out!
Get ready to be amazed by the London Contemporary Voices’ acapella rendition of “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton.
