"Five Long Years" is a song written and recorded by
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
vocalist and pianist
Eddie Boyd in 1952. Called one of the "few postwar
blues standards hat hasretained universal appeal",
[
] Boyd's "Five Long Years" reached number one on the ''
Billboard''
R&B chart
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
.
[
] Numerous blues and other artists have recorded interpretations of the song.
Original song
"Five Long Years" is a moderate-tempo twelve-bar blues notated in time in the key of C. It tells of "the history of the metal worker who, for five years, worked hard in a factory and who gave his check every Friday night to his girlfriend, who nevertheless dumped him".
[
] Backing Boyd on vocal and piano are Ernest Cotton on tenor sax,
L. C. McKinley on guitar, Alfred Elkins on bass, and Percy Walker on drums. "Five Long Years" was revisited by Boyd several times during his career, with additional studio and live recordings.
Recognition and legacy
In 2011, Eddie Boyd's original "Five Long Years" was inducted into the
Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, who called it "a true-to-life blues in 1952 that hit home with many a working man".
[
]
A variety of artists have recorded "Five Long Years", including
Junior Parker, whose version reached number 13 in the R&B chart in 1959.
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
recorded it first in 1964 as part of
The Yardbirds (on ''
Five Live Yardbirds'') and again 30 years later on ''
From the Cradle''. Likewise,
B. B. King recorded the song twice in the studio (released on ''The Jungle'' and ''
Guess Who'').
Buddy Guy also recorded it twice with
Junior Wells (on ''Coming At You'' and ''Buddy and the Juniors'') and later on
''Damn Right, I've Got The Blues''.
References
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1952 singles
Blues songs
1959 singles
Junior Parker songs
Ike & Tina Turner songs
1952 songs