Here's What the Lyrics "25 or 6 to 4" Means From the Chicago Song, "Dialogue"

Have you ever wondered what the lyrics "25 or 6 to 4" mean from the 1972 song "Dialogue" by the band Chicago? Many folks have wondered throughout the years, and we've got the answer — straight from the horse's mouth. The rock and roll band was a staple of the 1970s and '80s, and they are known for their unique sound of incorporating brass instruments into their rock music.

Chicago was often dubbed "the rock and roll band with horns." The band was formed in 1967 with saxophonist Walter Parazaider, guitarist Terry Kath, drummer Danny Seraphine, trombonist James Pankow, trumpet player Lee Loughnane, and keyboardist/singer Robert Lamm. Peter Cetera joined the band later that year, and the band changed names from The Big Thing to Chicago. Peter left the band in 1985 to pursue a solo career.

Singer and songwriter Robert Lamm, along with trumpeter Lee Loughnane, sat down for an interview with journalist Dan Rather back in 2023, and they gave the 411 on "25 or 6 to 4."

After the former CBS news anchor asked what the lyrics meant, Robert explained that the band was living in Los Angeles and performed at the famous Whisky a Go Go, a music venue on Sunset Boulevard. He said after going home one night, he was at the piano writing "Dialogue," but he wasn't yet sure what the song was about.

"I just I looked across the room," he recalled. "There was an old — it was an old grandmother's clock on the wall. I couldn't quite make out what the time was, but the the hands on the clock were somewhere around 25 or 26 to 4 a.m., and I just began to — just jot down what the hell I was doing there, and I, and I thought 'well, for now, I'm just going to describe the process of writing his song, and I'll, I'll figure out what the lyrics are going to be later."

Robert said that while he was playing around with the song, he had looked out the window and noticed the Hollywood lights. He saw lights from the buildings flashing against the sky before looking across the room and noticing the clock. He also joked that he never really had to figure out what the lyrics meant.

Lee said he didn't remember the first time he heard the song, but he does remember rehearsing the song at Whisky a Go Go.

"I remember rehearsing at the Whiskey a Go Go," he said. "That being, of course, one of the songs that we did, and amazingly enough, 50-plus years later, it's one of the many songs that we can't get out of a venue without playing."

Chicago is also known for their mega hits "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," "You're the Inspiration," "Look Away," "Hard Habit to Break," and "I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love." The band has was nominated for 10 Grammy Awards and won once for their hit, "If You Leave Me Now" at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards.

The band is still performing, and they were at the Fourth of July concert at the White House back in 2023, where they performed "Dialogue," or, as it's known to fans, "25 or 6 to 4."