jamesg1213
I suspect it's one of only two tunes in 5/4 time to become a 'hit', the other being Tull's Living in The Past.

Not sure about that. Rush has done a slew of tunes in odd meters. Sting's album, Ten Summoner's Tales, is also almost entirely in odd meters, though the tunes sound so natural, you'd probably not guess it. The tune, "Seven Days", is in either 5/8 or 5/4. Vinnie Colaiuta is amazing on that.
 

bitflipper
There's also the Mission Impossible theme, although I guess it'd be a stretch to call it a "hit".

Mission Impossible is actually in 10/8 (3+3+2+2) or 10/4.

outland144k

jamesg1213
I suspect it's one of only two tunes in 5/4 time to become a 'hit', the other being Tull's Living in The Past.

Not sure about that. Rush has done a slew of tunes in odd meters. Sting's album, Ten Summoner's Tales, is also almost entirely in odd meters, though the tunes sound so natural, you'd probably not guess it. The tune, "Seven Days", is in either 5/8 or 5/4. Vinnie Colaiuta is amazing on that.
 

bitflipper
There's also the Mission Impossible theme, although I guess it'd be a stretch to call it a "hit".

Mission Impossible is actually in 10/8 (3+3+2+2) or 10/4.

The original TV soundtrack for Mission Impossible is in 5/4 at about 180 bpm.  I've never seen published sheet music to the contrary and the composer, Lalo Schifrin has even stated that the song is in 5/4 ... and as a drummer, I would not subdivide it any other way.
 
Certainly you can reinterpret anything in 5/4 as 10/8 if it made it easier for you to personally count it but, imagine a conductor standing in front of an orchestra trying to count to 10 or even 1231231212 at 180 bpm.
 

 

quantumeffect

outland144k

jamesg1213
I suspect it's one of only two tunes in 5/4 time to become a 'hit', the other being Tull's Living in The Past.

Not sure about that. Rush has done a slew of tunes in odd meters. Sting's album, Ten Summoner's Tales, is also almost entirely in odd meters, though the tunes sound so natural, you'd probably not guess it. The tune, "Seven Days", is in either 5/8 or 5/4. Vinnie Colaiuta is amazing on that.
 

bitflipper
There's also the Mission Impossible theme, although I guess it'd be a stretch to call it a "hit".

Mission Impossible is actually in 10/8 (3+3+2+2) or 10/4.

The original TV soundtrack for Mission Impossible is in 5/4 at about 180 bpm.  I've never seen published sheet music to the contrary and the composer, Lalo Schifrin has even stated that the song is in 5/4 ... and as a drummer, I would not subdivide it any other way.
 
Certainly you can reinterpret anything in 5/4 as 10/8 if it made it easier for you to personally count it but, imagine a conductor standing in front of an orchestra trying to count to 10 or even 1231231212 at 180 bpm.
 

 

I'll concede the point. Conducting in 10, however, would be an uneven four pattern; not difficult at all. One simply conducts the pulse (like conducting 6/8 either subdivided by 2 groups of three eighth notes or or 3 groups of 2 eighth notes). For what it's worth, I've seen it written out a couple of times as well, both in 10, not 5, but I realize that I can't say where these came from, being many years ago. Checking the internet, however, I can't find an arrangement in 10, so you're surely correct about it being in 5/4. This, I found in abundance.    

I prefer to only use natural time signatures and compose in e/π.
 
(But only if I can be perfectly in time.)

outland144k
 



Not sure about that. Rush has done a slew of tunes in odd meters. Sting's album, Ten Summoner's Tales, is also almost entirely in odd meters, though the tunes sound so natural, you'd probably not guess it. The tune, "Seven Days", is in either 5/8 or 5/4. Vinnie Colaiuta is amazing on that.
 
 

Yes, of course, not to get all pedantic and nitpicky but I was talking about chart 'hits'. The 2 hit singles from Ten Summoners Tales were both in 4/4 -  'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You' and 'Fields of Gold'
 
I saw Bruce Springsteen do a cover of Sting's 'I Hung My Head' from the Mercury Falling album and he changed it from 9/8 to 4/4 which ruined the tension of the song completely. Johnny Cash did the same, but I'll give him a pass on that