Five Minutes (Bonzo Goes to Washington song)
Encyclopedia
"Five Minutes" is a song by Jerry Harrison
, Bootsy Collins
and producer Daniel Lazerus, and credited to Bonzo Goes to Washington. It was released on the Sleeping Bag Records label in 1984.
The song begins with the recording made of then-President Ronald Reagan
's "We begin bombing in five minutes" joke speech, which is then sampled and looped throughout the remainder of the track.
Harrison had considered the joke to be in bad taste; as he later recalled to author Dave Bowman:
Before the record was released, most people had heard about the joke speech, but very few had actually heard the speech itself. It was only spoken by Reagan as a microphone test, which was then inadvertently recorded. Harrison was able to locate a copy of the speech from a college radio station and sampled it. Using, what would now be considered to be common hip-hop recording methods — despite the term only just being used at the time — Harrison mixed in Reagan's speech with synthesizers and drums; looping the phrases "I'm pleased", "outlaw Russia forever" and "five minutes" multiple times over.
The title of the band references the film Bedtime for Bonzo
, which starred Reagan, and which also inspired the Ramones song "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg
". Despite the character of Bonzo being a chimpanzee in the film, in both songs Bonzo is taken to mean Reagan himself.
When the song was completed, no major label could guarantee a release before the 1984 Presidential election
so Harrison chose to release it on a micro-label called Sleeping Bag Records.
Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison is an American songwriter, musician and producer...
, Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
and producer Daniel Lazerus, and credited to Bonzo Goes to Washington. It was released on the Sleeping Bag Records label in 1984.
The song begins with the recording made of then-President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's "We begin bombing in five minutes" joke speech, which is then sampled and looped throughout the remainder of the track.
Harrison had considered the joke to be in bad taste; as he later recalled to author Dave Bowman:
"Everyone has the right to kid around, but that was too public. I hated Reagan's gutting of people's civil rights I thought everything he stood for was awful."
Before the record was released, most people had heard about the joke speech, but very few had actually heard the speech itself. It was only spoken by Reagan as a microphone test, which was then inadvertently recorded. Harrison was able to locate a copy of the speech from a college radio station and sampled it. Using, what would now be considered to be common hip-hop recording methods — despite the term only just being used at the time — Harrison mixed in Reagan's speech with synthesizers and drums; looping the phrases "I'm pleased", "outlaw Russia forever" and "five minutes" multiple times over.
The title of the band references the film Bedtime for Bonzo
Bedtime for Bonzo
Bedtime for Bonzo is a 1951 comedy film directed by Fred de Cordova, starring future U.S. President Ronald Reagan. It revolves around the attempts of the central character, Professor Peter Boyd , to teach human morals to a chimpanzee, hoping to solve the "nature versus nurture" question...
, which starred Reagan, and which also inspired the Ramones song "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg
My Brain is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)
"Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" is a song by American punk rock band the Ramones. Initially issued as a single in Great Britain by Beggars Banquet Records in 1985, it did not receive an American single release. An emotionally charged protest of the visit by U.S. president Ronald Reagan to a German cemetery...
". Despite the character of Bonzo being a chimpanzee in the film, in both songs Bonzo is taken to mean Reagan himself.
When the song was completed, no major label could guarantee a release before the 1984 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 1984
The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
so Harrison chose to release it on a micro-label called Sleeping Bag Records.