5:15

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Originally Performed By	The Who
Original Album	Quadrophenia (1973)
Appears On
Music/Lyrics	Pete Townsend
Vocals	Trey
Historian	Craig DeLucia
Last Update	2023-11-20

History

Phish's interpretation of one of the more popular Quadrophenia songs, complete with horns, left many fans wishing that the band would not let this song be a one-time cover. Trey’s searing solo at the end reinforces this desire for many fans every time they listen to their copy of Halloween 1995. 

Phish “5:15” 10/31/95, Chicago, IL. Video by Phish

The song opens and closes with a brief reprise of “Cut My Hair,” but the force of the song is housed in a fast-moving train that is carrying Jimmy, the narrator, to the beach for a self-indulgent vacation. Jimmy, influenced by both the uppers he has taken and his desire for a good time, is “going out of [his] brain on the train.” It is his arrival at the beach that sets the tone for the rest of the story, and it was this song that set the tone for the rest of the Halloween show.

The Who “5:15” Video by The Who

Perhaps “5:15's" dependence on the horn section has condemned it, though, to being shelved: without horns, it would sound flat and incomplete, and guest horn appearances have been rare since the mid-nineties. So “5:15” remains on the shelf after its one and only appearance. The performance is available on more than just Live Phish, though: Phish contributed their Halloween version of “5:15” to the 2001 tribute album Substitute: The Songs of The Who that also featured David Bowie, Pearl Jam, and Sheryl Crow.

 

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