Category: Music

Over the last year between the 50th anniversary of Chicago’s forming and its first album, “Chicago Transit Authority,” various music publications have come out with their definition of the top songs in Chicago history.

Between that and Chicago’s upcoming appearances in Madison May 12 and Appleton May 14, I figured I’d create my own list, based only on my own musical preferences (so note the paucity of ballads, even though some people mistakenly believe Chicago does nothing but ballads) and nothing else. (Which, you might notice, are generally based on how the song sounds, not the words or whatever message the song is intended to have.)

First, the less-than-top-10, not necessarily in order of enjoyment:

Number 10 is arguably Chicago’s first song — the first track from their first album:

Number nine is from the ’80s:

Number eight is from their first album, CTA for short:

Number seven is the first Chicago song I remember being a Chicago song:

Number six is from “Hot Streets”:

Number five comes from “Chicago III”:

Number four …

… and number three come from CTA:

Number two, from “Chicago II,” is a song about writing a song:

And number one …

… and, well, number 1A …

… since “Make Me Smile” and “Now More Than Ever” are the first and last movements of “Ballet for a Girl from Buchannon.” (“Colour My World” was in our wedding.)

The number one album today in 1975 was “Chicago VIII”:

The number one single that day:

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