Five Per Cent For Nothing by Yes

Album: Fragile (1971)

License This Song

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

The liner notes for the Fragile album describe this song as "a 16-bar tune by Bill Bruford, played twice by the group, and taken directly from the percussion line."

Bruford is the drummer in the group, and this 35-second piece was his individual contribution to the album. Each of the five members had free rein over one track; the other four were more complex, with lead singer Jon Anderson layering vocals for "We Have Heaven," Chris Squire using only his bass guitar on "The Fish," Steve Howe doing a Flamenco guitar instrumental on "Mood For A Day," and Rick Wakeman reworking a classical piece for "Cans And Brahms." Bruford had never composed a song before, so he was finding his way.
The title was originally "Suddenly It's Wednesday," but changed to become a dig on their management, who got 5% for essentially doing nothing.

Comments: 8

AnonymousWhat do you mean he never composed before? He wrote a lot of material. Harold Land? Yours Is No Disgrace?
Billy from Palm Harbor, FlI had always assumed that the song was "filler", as in the song consumes 5% of the overall time of the album.

(I just realized while typing this that an Upper Case 5 on the keyboard is the % symbol. Something else to ponder...).
Max from Sydney, AustraliaThis song was originally going to be called "Suddenly Its Wednesdey"
Max from Sydney, AustraliaA truly crazy song.....short but good!
Jessica from Oxford, EnglandI wonder if Yes can rememeber writing these words when presenting Roy Flynn with a gold Dunhill lighter in 1969:-
'To Roy Flynn,who has done more for us than anybody else in the business. We hope this small gift will enlighten you as much as you have enlightened us'
...six months later he was dumped.
If the real truth were known, Yes would be a NO NO! I wonder if they realise how lucky they have been?
Kent Lyle from Palo Alto, CaBill had Steve, Chris, and Rick play their instruments as if they were percussion instruments, thus turning the band into one percussion ensemble. You can hear glimmers of his future jazz fusion arrangement style here.
Kent Lyle from Palo Alto, CaThe story behind the title is that Yes's original manager, Roy Flynn, was dumped from the band shortly after "Time and a Word" was released in 1970. Flynn was a good nightclub manager, but the band needed someone who really knew the business, like Brian Lane. They eventually worked out a contract where Flynn would receive 5% of their earnings for his early efforts. According to Flynn, he never saw a single cent of it.
Jonathan from Ann Arbor, MiMy friends and I always joke about this song. If we have nothing to play, we'll go "hey lets play five per cent for nothing!" and we'll all just start doing a bunch of random stuff. I have grown to like this though. Although it may be strange, it is certaintly interesting and can really give you ideas. Keep it up Bill!

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Brass In PocketPretenders

Chrissie Hynde got the phrase "Brass In Pocket" from a Northern England slang term meaning you had some money, "brass" meaning coins.

TemptedSqueeze

The Squeeze song "Tempted" is one of their few with lead vocals by Paul Carrack, who sang the Ace song "How Long" and was in Mike + The Mechanics.

God Bless AmericaKate Smith

Irving Berlin said "God Bless America" was "not a patriotic song, but rather an expression of gratitude."

Radar LoveGolden Earring

At the end of "Radar Love," the driver dies in a crash but maintains a psychic bond with the woman he was racing to see. The song's lyricist was inspired by stories of extrasensory perception (ESP).