Take Five

"Take Five" is a classic jazz piece first recorded by The Dave Brubeck Quartet and released on the 1959 album “Time Out”. It became the first million-selling jazz single on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1961, at a time when rock and roll was still in fashion. “Take Five” became Brubeck’s best known, and signature, tune. It was composed by Paul Desmond, the group's saxophonist and became famous for its distinctive, catchy saxophone melody and use of the unusual quintuple (5/4) time, from which its name is derived. While "Take Five" was not the first jazz composition to use this meter, it was the first of United States mainstream significance. The original single was recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studios in New York City on June 25, July 1 & August 18, 1959. The track features Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums. The song was recorded and broadcast many times by Brubeck’ Quartet, and has been recorded by scores of artists, from Swedish singer Monica Zetterlund in 1962 to a dub version by King Tubby in 2002. Some versions have included lyrics, including a 1961 recording with lyrics written by Dave Brubeck and his wife Iola and sung by Carmen McRae. The tune has also been included in countless movies and television soundtracks, and still receives significant radio play. The composer, Paul Desmond, died in 1977 and left his rights to royalties for performances and compositions, including "Take Five," to the American Red Cross. Since that time, the organization has received approximately $100,000 per year in combined royalties.

[Verse 1] I see the deepest greens I hear the darkest blues Might not be synesthesia Might be apartment fumes G-g-get up and dance G-g-get up and dance I w-w-wipe my son's ass And get shit on my hands He'd get in my car and be like "Daddy play some Busdriver" Why the fuck's it take two lines to do a one liner And why's it take three beats to do a two-step Sick days, I got two left So I take five, Dave Brubeck I make jazz jokes so I'm flat broke Mad at Lost and that black smoke Fuck you if you're a white man that assumes I speak for black folks Fuck you if you're a white man who thinks I can't speak for black folk Let that soak in your rap quotes And your head hurt, and your back broke I'm half black soap and half crack smoke I admit that it's an imperfect blend Hold up it's my turn again I'm playing thirteen games of Words With Friends Lift your hands Lift your head if your clothes are clean and your kids are fed Mine's potty trained, so when he pisses the bed Then he can tell I'm heated like infrared, yeah [Hook] We're the best, mostly Sometimes the freshest rhymers We the tightest kinda Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers We're the best, mostly Sometimes the freshest rhymers We the tightest kinda Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers [Verse 2] They say they're looking for me, but I don't wanna hear it You can find me in the park district, volunteering With my hair disheveled, and my sneakers scuffed Or use your gps and get your celly features up I went to Africa, they played me on the radio And did I weird the people out, yeah, maybe so Cause all they knew was jive And all I do is vibe And 'Bright Green Light' made the program director lose his mind He said "What type of rap is that? Ain't no bitches, hoes" And I ain't even being funny, homie didn't know Shoulda said it's whimsical Like Serengeti taught me My thoughts are very lofty Response time is very faulty I'm far too young to lead And way too old to die I ain't played Call of Dookie, smoke you in Golden Eye RPG, roll the die JPG Kobe Tai PG 13 Cobra Kai PPG Luc Robitaille [Hook] We're the best, mostly Sometimes the freshest rhymers We the tightest kinda Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers We're the best, mostly Sometimes the freshest rhymers We the tightest kinda Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers Respect my qualifiers [Outro] I didn't write the words you hear me singing I didn't sing a line before this one And you are not the one I was addressing That person took a train to Africa And simultaneous events don't happen We are isolated temporally And the part is never called the whole thing Though it bothers us to know it so