What 9 to 5 means to me…
I recently wrote a post about my travels to the Oz Museum in Wamego, KS and because my brain likes to go on side missions, I chat briefly about the movie 9 to 5. Well the series… and yes there is a connection between the two I promise. But what the entire process of drafting that post made me realize, was that I had not yet added this song to the Soundtrack of my Life, which I still find impossible to believe! I mean… it is my theme song! So I am righting the wrong here that I first pointed out in my Defying Gravity post and giving you my thoughts on both versions of 9 to 5 sung by the incomparable, Dolly Parton.
I just love her! I mean… what hasn’t this woman done?!? Just look at her website! Much along the line of the post I just finished about L. Frank Baum, she had a vision for her life from the beginning and she has worked every minute of every day toward it. The difference between her and Baum is that she has had much more success seeing her vision come to life, and has had longer to do so. It might also be that because she is a woman, she has had to work doubly hard at everything so made a choice early on to have her career be her focus. Maybe kept her head down and her eyes on her work type thing. Yes, we can do it all, but I believe to excel at the dream there are choices that need to be made which sometimes include sacrifices. Only Dolly will know what those are for her and my bet is she is too focused on the future and her legacy to pay them any mind.
When 9 to 5 came out in 1980, I wasn’t in the full-time workforce. Honestly, I’m not sure I saw it in the theatres since it was competing directly with the Star Wars franchise, and the love of my life, Han Solo aka Harrison Ford. I did, however, enter the Administrative world right after High School at age 17, and haven’t stopped since. Most likely I found this movie years after its release on TV or as a VHS rental at Blockbuster (yes, I am dating myself here), most likely both. By the time I watched it, I had already naively entered a co-ed workplace, was paid less as a woman while expected to do more, and seen first hand how creepy some men could really be. This movie made me laugh at the absurd situation I was in, still in if I’m being honest, and gave me hope that things could change for the better with a little help from my friends.
I’m still laughing at some pretty absurd situations and I still have a TON of help from my friends navigating the surreal nature of it all. This movie, even after all this time, is sadly still relatable even as I look toward retirement. The issues the women in the movie go through with their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” of a boss, are mirrored in any number of stories that woman in my life have shared over drinks, during a children playdate, or while taking a walk with friends.
At one time or another over the 40+ years I’ve worked, and in the countless 9 to 5 positions I have had, I have personally related to each one of the ladies and the issues they present in the movie. While how they handle things with Dabney Coleman (who we lost in 2024) may not be the way to go when it comes to fixing a bad situation, it does provide some comic relief. It also lets you know that you aren’t the only one being overlooked for any number of things you may be striving for.
9 to 5 pops into my head every so often, mostly when dealing with a particularly stressful or irritating item. Although I must admit, it isn’t always the day job that triggers the tune, especially now that Dolly updated her song to include being a working entrepreneur. The lyrics are spot on!
I have to remind myself sometimes that working for myself and where I choose to spend my energy is a labor of love, and not everyone will recognize its value enough to toss money my way, although that is the dream. My checkered entrepreneurial past has been much like L. Frank Baum’s in that the dreams are big, and I believe I have the imagination to pull it off, but it always stays just out of reach. Here is the thing though, I don’t want to wait until I’m gone like Baum to see the fruits of my labor, nor did I make the choice early on like Dolly to go all in on myself and bust my fanny with a singular goal in mind. Nope, I took the long and winding path to where I am… and I’m learning that I’m okay with that because it has made me who I am. I am a multi-passionate creative, and have the colorful past to show for it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still busting fanny. I currently work a full-time job, have a family I want to spend time with, friends I love to travel with, and a book business where I do everything from writing the stories, ordering the proofs, to marketing on a website I maintain. At the end of the day it’s exhausting, but I’m learning to set boundaries now where I need to and trim back on things that aren’t a priority or feed my creative soul. Being selective on where I spend my effort has been key for me.
So the line “Gonna change your life, do something that gives it meaning” is the key take away in this song, in my mind. That is the focus, and the place where my effort is being concentrated. If it feeds my passion, it gets prioritized. If it makes me happy, I say yes. The rest of it is auto-pilot until I don’t need to do it anymore. Some of it has already gone by way of the Dodo, although those who are most affected may not realize it yet. You see, I know I’m largely ignored by most folks who are “above” me, and until now it was the most irritating thing ever. But with age comes wisdom, and I’m looking at it through a different lens now.
I’m becoming one with being under the radar. People who are ignored have a super-power in my opinion. Generally speaking, the unappreciated can embrace being under-estimated and go about their business building something that they find value in. At the end of the day, it is the quiet ones that plan for the rainy day, then pull out a full-blown storm shelter when everyone else is fighting over the last broken umbrella.
Other than 9 to 5, there are a couple of movies that come to mind that are up there for me, one older than the other, but both really good examples of employees who were under-estimated and became the stars of their own story. First Milton…
For those who maybe haven’t seen it… this GIF is from the movie “Office Space” and well worth the watch if you like office satire. It has a young Jennifer Anniston in it, which is super fun. This is another fav which is much more recent:
Sort of an updated version of 9 to 5, but with one woman and a whole lot darker… like really dark. Well worth the watch if you like revenge plots and jerky bosses getting what is coming to them. This will be another re-watch for me after I get through the first draft of my WIP. There were a lot of great lines, but one stuck with me… “Strategy and planning.” I guarantee you will never look at Rachel McAdams the same way again.
I would like to thank Dolly for her creative genius, and for coming up with such an iconic song for women who are all working the 9 to 5 grind. I’ve included a snippet about how the song came to be, which is worth the watch, and I get a kick out of the fact that the three of them are all still friends. I think that is the biggest take-away… if you have good friends, there is nothing you can’t do! They will always get you through the worst of it and get you back on track. A huge thank you to mine for doing that time and again for me… I love you!
The songs:
The 9 to 5 TV Series!
Interviews:
As always, thank you for sharing this journey with me, and for taking the time out of your day to read my thoughts. It means a lot. For anyone interested in my writing please feel free to stay awhile and poke around on my website. I have a ton of content I’ve been developing over the years and I would love to get your thoughts on it.
For my Power of Four series, the best link is:
For my Goddesses in Love series, the best link is:
And for more Soundtrack of my Life posts:
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