Five Days in July
| Five Days in July | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US CD cover art | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 26, 1993 (Canada) September 27, 1994 (United States) | |||
| Recorded | July 1993 | |||
| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Length | 59:09 | |||
| Label | WEA (Canada) Discovery (United States) | |||
| Producer | Blue Rodeo | |||
| Blue Rodeo chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Five Days in July | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Five Days in July is the fifth studio album by Canadian country-rock band Blue Rodeo. It was released by WEA on October 26, 1993, in Canada and Discovery Records on September 27, 1994, in the United States. The band's most commercially successful album, it has been certified six times platinum as of 2008.
The album was recorded on singer/guitarist Greg Keelor's farm in Southern Ontario in July 1993. While the band originally intended for the recordings to serve only as demos, they found that the songs had a warmth and spontaneity that warranted releasing the collection as an album. Guest musicians on the album include Sarah McLachlan, Colin Linden and Anne Bourne. This album was keyboardist James Gray's first album with the band.
The album is supposed to be a tribute to the Harvest-era Neil Young sound.[2] "5 Days in May", "Hasn't Hit Me Yet" and "Bad Timing" were notable hit singles for the band.
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "5 Days in May" | 7:12 | |
| 2. | "Hasn't Hit Me Yet" | 5:14 | |
| 3. | "Bad Timing" | 5:09 | |
| 4. | "Cynthia" | 4:40 | |
| 5. | "Photograph" | 4:10 | |
| 6. | "What Is This Love" | 6:16 | |
| 7. | "English Bay" | 3:20 | |
| 8. | "Head Over Heels" | 4:01 | |
| 9. | "'Til I Gain Control Again" | Rodney Crowell | 4:29 |
| 10. | "Dark Angel" | 5:16 | |
| 11. | "Know Where You Go/Tell Me Your Dream" | 9:22 | |
| Total length: | 59:09 | ||
Track trivia[edit]
- "What Is This Love," "Dark Angel" and "Tell Me Your Dream" feature Sarah McLachlan.
- Colin Linden appears on "Know Where You Go"
- Singer/guitarist Jim Cuddy has said that "5 Days in May" was inspired by his sound engineer's practice of writing his wife's name in the sand whenever he finds himself on a beach. Cuddy noticed the engineer doing so while the band was on tour in New Zealand, and was inspired to write lyrics combining this story with the story of how Cuddy met his own wife.
30th Anniversary Reiussue & Performances[edit]
The album was reissued on Vinyl for its 30th Anniversary on October 26, 2023.[3] The group also performed numerous two-set shows performing the album in its entirety to commemorate the anniversary.[4]
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Albums | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Top Albums | 8 |
Certifications[edit]
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[5] | 6× Platinum |
References[edit]
- ^ Mureika, Tomas. "Five Days in July – Blue Rodeo". AllMusic. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Barclay, Michael; Schneider, Jason; Jack, Ian (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance, 1985–1995. pp. 783–787. ISBN 1554909686.
- ^ "Blue Rodeo – Five Days in July, Reissue, Stereo, 30th Anniversary, Neon Orange Deluxe Edition". Discogs.
- ^ Star, Nick Krewen Special to the (2023-08-24). "A look back at Blue Rodeo's 'Five Days in July' — 'We had no idea that it would be as important as it ended up being'". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Blue Rodeo – 5 Days in July". Music Canada.
