"5 Minutes" is a 1978 single by English band The Stranglers. The song is sung by bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel. It gives an account of a rape that occurred at a shared flat in London he lived in during 1977. The lyrics, which are sung both in English and French, convey Burnel's frustrations over finding the five men who committed the attack. The song was recorded in between ''

No More Heroes No More Heroes may refer to: Music * ''No More Heroes'' (album), a 1977 album by The Stranglers ** "No More Heroes" (The Stranglers song), the title track * "No More Heroes", a song by Westlife from the album ''Where We Are'' Video games * ...

'' and ''

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''. It reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart.

Background

In 1977, Burnel was living in a London flat with Wilko Johnson, then the guitarist of the band Dr. Feelgood, as well as a female employee of the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

. One night, while Burnel was playing a concert with The Stranglers, his flatmate was raped, an event so traumatizing that Burnel left the apartment soon after. The title of the song refers to Burnel's apartment being located in a dangerous area of London just five minutes away from The Bishops Avenue, one of the wealthiest streets in the world, and the juxtaposition of the two communities. The lyric "some say that I should hate them all," according to Burnel, refers to how people used the fact that the five rapists were black men as an excuse for racism.

Charts

References

External links

* {{authority control The Stranglers songs 1978 singles Song recordings produced by Martin Rushent 1978 songs United Artists Records singles Songs about sexual assault Songs written by Hugh Cornwell Songs written by Jean-Jacques Burnel Songs written by Dave Greenfield Songs written by Jet Black