<P> An updated version of "25 or 6 to 4" was recorded for the 1986 album Chicago 18 with James Pankow listed as co-writer . With the new band member Jason Scheff on lead vocals, the single reached number 48 on the U.S. chart . This version was also used as the B - side for the band's next single in 1986, "Will You Still Love Me?". </P> <P> In the 2010s, "25 or 6 to 4" continues to be a staple in Chicago's live concert set list, and in Peter Cetera's solo concert set list . In 2016, former drummer, Danny Seraphine, reunited on stage with Chicago to perform "25 or 6 to 4" and two other songs at their induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . </P> <P> According to composer Robert Lamm, the song is about trying to write a song in the middle of the night . The song's title is the time at which the song is set: 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM . Because of the unique phrasing of the song's title, "25 or 6 to 4" has been incorrectly speculated to be a veiled reference to drug quantities, or a mystical allusion . The 1986 music video for the song references the correct meaning at its beginning . The song was banned in Singapore in 1970 and again in 1986 because of its "alleged allusions to drugs ." In 1993, the ban on this song was lifted, along with long - time bans on songs by other artists such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Creedence Clearwater Revival . </P> <P> In what may be a coincidence, the song's writer, Robert Lamm, had recently written and sung another Chicago hit, "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", for which this song's title can be seen to serve as an answer . </P>

What does chicago song 25 or 6 to 4 mean