5 Years Time
2007 single by Noah and the Whale
"5 Years Time", also known as "5 Years Time (Sun Sun Sun)", is the debut single by English folk rock band Noah and the Whale. Originally released on 22 October 2007 as the lead single from their debut album Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down, it became the band's first top 40 hit upon re-release on 4 August 2008.
01Chart performance
"5 Years Time" did not chart upon its first release in 2007. After poor initial sales, the group chose to re-release the single, and the record made it onto the charts in a number of countries. In the UK, it debuted at number 24, and went on to become Noah and the Whale's first top-ten single, peaking at number 7. In Ireland, "5 Years Time" debuted at number 47 and peaked at number 10. It is the band's highest-charting song in both countries.
02Music video
The music video was directed by James Copeman. It features the band performing in a pub and dancing/playing in the park. During the video, Laura Marling, who provides backing vocals for the group, is seen playing a tin whistle and also giving the camera the two-fingers. The style of the video resembles a Wes Anderson film, using the same font the director uses in his films/music videos. Noah and the Whale are known to be fans of Anderson's work, and they named their band after the film The Squid and the Whale (2005), on which Anderson was a producer, as well as its director Noah Baumbach, a long term collaborator of Anderson's.
The music video was uploaded to YouTube on 13 June 2008, and as of July 2025 it has been viewed over 13 million times.
03Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 59 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 72 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 10 |
| Scottish Singles Sales (Official Charts) | 3 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts) | 7 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) | 78 |
04Personnel
Noah and the Whale
- Charlie Fink - Vocals, guitar
- Laura Marling - Vocals, Ukulele, Flute
- Tom Hobden, violin, Keyboard
- Matt Owens, Bass guitar
- John Hamson, drums, percussion
05Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
06In popular culture
The song was used in a 2008 SunChips commercial, in a 2008 Saturn commercial and also featured in a Volkswagen Golf commercial in 2015. It was featured in an episode of the BBC One school drama series Waterloo Road in 2009, as well as an episode in series 3 of that same broadcaster's popular show Gavin & Stacey.
"5 Years Time" is featured in the 2025 DC Universe film Superman; it is played during an action sequence in which Mister Terrific (portrayed by Edi Gathegi) battles Lex Luthor's mercenaries while infiltrating their base to rescue Superman. The song's streaming numbers saw a 1,000% increase following its inclusion in the film, going from 7,300 streams to 85,400 streams by July 12, the day after Superman released.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “5 Years Time”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Noah-whale-five-years-time-1-.jpg by Unknown author, Fair use
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