Chris Janson Celebrates Workers in New Video for 'Waitin' on 5'

10/05/2020 12:36 pm EDT

Chris Janson's current single, "Waitin' On 5," is all about celebrating the everyday worker, and Janson made sure the song's music video followed suit. Released on Oct. 2, the Sam Siske-directed clip intersperses footage of Janson singing with hard-working people doing their jobs, including working at a restaurant, welding, farming and more. Janson's father, an auto body painter, and his father-in-law also appear in the video.

"Everybody watching that tick tock tick / The slower it goes, the closer it gets," Janson sings in the chorus. "We'll be cracking and popping and giving it a twist / Waitin' on 5 to start on 6." As the video continues, the scene transitions to after-hours, Janson now singing in front of an American flag as an outdoor party rages on.

"I have so much respect for the hardworking men and women in this country," Janson said in a statement. "I am proud to count members of my own family, like my dad and father-in-law, among them. This song and the video are my way of honoring what they and so many others do every day – and encouraging them to have a little fun when the job is done!"

Janson wrote "Waitin' On 5" with Craig Wiseman, Shy Carter and Tommy Cecil, and the song appears on Janson's 2019 album Real Friends. In September, Janson told PopCulture.com and other media that he wanted to release the song as a way to lift fans' spirits during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I think that's a great reason to release music," he said. "If you feel at all that people are down, give them something that lifts them up."

The 34-year-old added that he "wrote this for 9 to 5 people, which is the majority of the world." "I've been there. I've been that guy a time or two, so I know exactly what it's like," he explained. "I don't really think about anybody specifically when I'm writing songs... with 'Waitin' On 5' I didn't have anybody specifically in mind other than just people that I kind of know in general, my dad included, lots of friends of mine."

Janson shared that one of those friends, a "9 to 5 concrete guy," was at his house just that morning. "Those are my buddies," he said. "My buddies are working class, blue-collar heroes. I've always tried to just kind of make music for people that I know, the things that I know, people that I love and people that I'm around on a daily basis. So 'Waitin' On 5' was sort of an easy thing to write, it didn't take any time."

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