It's a very nice song. It's not a hit single. As a general rule, a four minute single offering shouldn't already be a quarter of the way through before the song starts in earnest. The first minute is pleasant enough music but if you're trying to make an impact in the few minutes you may be afforded on national radio, you have to get straight to the point of what you've got to say. You can't hold back. This would have a far better chance of being a hit single if the first minute was totally absent from the single edit and the record started at around the 0:58 mark. You usually have to catch the public's attention immediately with something spectacular, if you're not going to start singing immediately. Cases in point from the same era: ABBA - "Money, Money, Money", "The Name Of The Game" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You"; Stevie Wonder - "I Wish" and "Sir Duke"; Queen - "We Are The Champions"; The intros to those songs, if they even have one, are all immediately recognisable, instantly memorable and unique at some level. Queen don't even bother with an intro - the first thing you hear is the vocal line. Stevie hits us with either one of the funkiest bass lines in pop history or the best brass line you could hope for and in either case it's only a matter of less than twenty seconds before he starts singing. ABBA's intro to "Money, Money, Money" is a hook in itself but in any case it's immediately identifiable and impactful within two seconds, at most. "Five O'Clock In The Morning"? There's no comparison. If you're a DJ who wants to attract listeners' attention, are you going to play the Godley & Creme track rather than ABBA or Stevie or Queen? This is a competitive business and there's no time waste on one minute-long noodling introductions if you want a hit!
It's a very nice song. It's not a hit single.
As a general rule, a four minute single offering shouldn't already be a quarter of the way through before the song starts in earnest. The first minute is pleasant enough music but if you're trying to make an impact in the few minutes you may be afforded on national radio, you have to get straight to the point of what you've got to say. You can't hold back.
This would have a far better chance of being a hit single if the first minute was totally absent from the single edit and the record started at around the 0:58 mark.
You usually have to catch the public's attention immediately with something spectacular, if you're not going to start singing immediately. Cases in point from the same era: ABBA - "Money, Money, Money", "The Name Of The Game" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You"; Stevie Wonder - "I Wish" and "Sir Duke"; Queen - "We Are The Champions";
The intros to those songs, if they even have one, are all immediately recognisable, instantly memorable and unique at some level.
Queen don't even bother with an intro - the first thing you hear is the vocal line.
Stevie hits us with either one of the funkiest bass lines in pop history or the best brass line you could hope for and in either case it's only a matter of less than twenty seconds before he starts singing.
ABBA's intro to "Money, Money, Money" is a hook in itself but in any case it's immediately identifiable and impactful within two seconds, at most.
"Five O'Clock In The Morning"?
There's no comparison. If you're a DJ who wants to attract listeners' attention, are you going to play the Godley & Creme track rather than ABBA or Stevie or Queen?
This is a competitive business and there's no time waste on one minute-long noodling introductions if you want a hit!