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Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” the true story behind the anthem (bonus)

The brilliance of “9 to 5” is that it is catchy even though it’s also kinda depressing. You will be dancing along. You’re enjoying it. And, then when you really listen to the lyrics, you’re like, Wait, this is messed up. This is real. This is a problem we need to fix. Like, why does it have to be this way?

That is the spirit of the song, why it became an anthem, and the heart of the movie 9 to 5. 

There’s so much to say about Dolly Parton, about her music, acting career, her business savvy, not to mention Dollywood. Today though, we wanted to bring you the audacious true story of 9 to 5, the movie and the song. 

Between the 1960s and 1980s, there was a real sense that big workplace changes were just beyond the horizon. At the time, a very common job for women was clerical work. In 1973, a group of secretaries in Boston formed a women’s labor organization. They called themselves the “9to5.”

Today on the show, we revisit our 2021 episode where we meet the women behind the movement that inspired the movie. And a look at how far we have — or haven’t — come since then.

This is a special Sunday bonus episode. For our latest episode on inventing new tomatoes, scroll down the feed or click here. 

(Note: This episode originally ran in 2021.)

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Today’s episode was hosted by Sarah Gonzalez and Sonari Glinton. The original episode was produced by Nick Fountain and James Sneed and edited by Mitra Kaboli. The update was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, and engineered by Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.

Music: “9 to 5,” “5 to 9,” and “Fly on the Wall.” 

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Branded fruit: How produce got “Honeycrisp-ified”

The produce aisle is changing. You’ve noticed this, I’m sure. It is now full of superstar fruits and vegetables: The Honeycrisp apple, The Cotton Candy grape, The Cuties mandarin orange. They stand out. They cost more. They have branding and sometimes trademarks and patent-ish kinds of protections.

And now – it’s happening in the tomato bin too! Where once there were just plain old cherry or grape tomatoes, now there are Sugar Bombs, and Flavor Bombs, and Lolli Bombs and Sprinkles.

Today, we are partnering up with Dan Pashman – host of The Sporkful food podcast – and heading to New Jersey where we hope to taste an up-and-coming competitor: Rutgers University’s Scarlet Sunrise grape tomato. We talk to the inventors to understand why this explosion in branded fruits and veggies has happened and how you go about making a new piece of produce.

Plus, we talk to Cornell agricultural economist Miguel Gomez about whether or not the fruits and veggies spread in our produce aisle are, perhaps, reaching the point of market saturation.

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This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Dan Pashman. It was produced by James Sneed and edited by Keith Romer. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo & Jimmy Keely. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.

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National Lab 15

The ISS National Laboratory celebrates 15 years of advancing science in space as Patrick O’Neill reflects on its beginnings, accomplishments, and future. Episode 435 

The day the dinosaurs died

What happened in the days, even hours, after an asteroid set off the fifth extinction? A New Jersey quarry, and site of a new museum founded by paleontologist Ken Lacovara, sheds light on the mystery.

Original broadcast date: August 16, 2024

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The continent nobody owns & everyone benefits from (Summer School)

This episode is packed with your best economic ideas from around the world and a penguin interview. It all comes together in this final session of Summer School 2026.
Pack your parka, we’re headed to Antarctica. The continent nobody owns, but everyone benefits from and plenty of economic activity if you know where to look.
First, we’ll travel back in time to the late 1970s when NPR was a scrappy young network, with a synth soundtrack, and tons of heart. Science reporter Ira Flatow took a trip to the South Pole that put NPR on the news industry map. We’ll hear an excerpt where he brings us along through what life is like on the ice, including a memorable interview with the wildlife.

Then we look inside McMurdo Station, the largest human settlement and research base on Antarctica to hear from a listener who managed the store at the base back in the 1980s. Normal retail rules do not apply. We’ll also speak with an economist who has estimated the continent’s monetary value, while asking questions like “why put a price tag on this uninhabitable land”? She makes the case we should consider the environmental benefit as a service.
But, we can’t let the episode and the series wrap without marking our achievements! You did it! As part of our graduation celebration, we hear from your fellow members of the summer school class of 2026. Listeners like you who have written in from around the globe with provocative economic ideas that could make life better for all of us if we just have the will to do it. Man did you all deliver on sending in ideas. We’ve curated our favorites. Way better than speeches.
And don’t forget your totally real, but not legal, diploma by taking our short online test. Don’t worry if you need a refresher, catch up on past seasons of Planet Money Summer School here.
Featured Episodes:

Featured Terms:

  • Ecosystem as a service 
  • Consórcios (a type of ROSCA, a Rotating Savings and Credit Association)
  • Social housing
  • Natural capital
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This episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Schuyler Swenson and Sophia Paliza-Carre and edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore and engineered by Annlie Huang.
Music: NPR Source Audio – “Caroldine”, “Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 Allegro con molto”, “Bismuth Bossa”, “Rumba Cotidiana”, Moons of Saturn”, “Column and Law”, “Our Son the Potter”, “Hutter”, “And So It Goes | 10penny Organ”.
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206: Somewhere in the Arabian Sea

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been in the news over an extra-long deployment that’s taking a toll on its crew. Back in 2002, we explored life aboard another aircraft carrier, the USS John C. Stennis, stationed in the Arabian Sea and supporting bombing missions over Afghanistan. Only a few dozen people on board actually fly jets. The rest of the crew — over 5,000 people — keeps them in the air. 

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(00:00:00) Prologue: Alex Blumberg talks with sailor Prevon Scott, who stocks vending machines on the Stennis.

(00:04:53) Act One: Aboard the USS Stennis, Ira Glass and Wendy Dorr talk with sailors about life on board. Off duty, people play video games, work out, or practice in one of the ship’s many garage bands. Ira and Wendy also talk with sailors about how rumors travel on the ship — conversations that get back to the top brass, who give the producers heat for chasing salacious stories. Ira interviews the captain, James McDonell, and learns the ship is facing a fresh water shortage.

(00:18:03) Act Two: As pilots head to their planes for a mission, they explain how hard it is to land on an aircraft carrier. Wendy talks with sailors Cynthia and David, waiting for the 8PM movie to start, and she and Alex talk with sailors in the mess hall.

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.

Who decides what big box sells? Our GAME got us answers

There’s a room where the fates of retail products are decided. Will they make it onto the shelves of the big box stores? Usually the rest of us can’t get inside the room where decisions are made – until now! Today on the show, we pitch the Planet Money game, Sell Me a Sasquatch, to big box retailers. We go behind the scenes to learn about how products end up on big box store shelves, what’s going on inside the minds of the deciders, and find out our board game’s fate. 

Learn more about the story of Pantone: The company that owns colors 

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This episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez and Jimmy Keeley. Planet Money’s executive producer is Alex Goldmark. 

Music: NPR Source Audio – “Silly Sevens,” “Adventure Time,” and “Virtual Machine”

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Artemis III Training

NASA Artemis III Chief Training Officer Debbie O’Connell discusses how the crew is preparing for one of NASA’s most challenging missions yet. Episode 434 

How the creator economy is making you talk like the internet

Online linguist Adam Aleksic explains how he goes viral decoding internet slang, plus why making a living online means working for ‘the algorithm.’ It’s part 2 of our creator economy series.

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Getting entrepreneurial in Korea (Summer School)

This week’s stop on our world tour – Korea. A country divided into two very different power structures since the end of WWII. Today South Korea is the maker of some of the world’s favorite exports – from Samsung TV’s to BTS. But 75 years ago it was a much different story. How the textile industry and a partnership with Bangladesh lifted the country out of poverty and paved the way for rapid economic growth.

Then later in this episode – how entrepreneurial endeavors look different on the other side of the 38th parallel. We’ll follow a woman who started her own small business selling goods in North Korea. How are the Donju, members of the affluent entrepreneurial class, faring and can capitalism exist in a highly restrictive socialist society?

Featured Episodes:

Featured Terms: 

  • Volatility
  • Inflation expectations
  • Capital controls
  • Austerity

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This episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Schuyler Swenson and Sophia Paliza-Carre and edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore and engineered by Annlie Huang.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. Planet Money’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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