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Chicago Songs - If You Leave Me Now Lyrics

Chicago - If You Leave Me Now

Chicago - If You Leave Me Now Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Chicago X
Released: 1976

If You Leave Me Now Lyrics

If You Leave Me Now, you'll take away the biggest part of me
No baby please don't go
If you leave me now, you'll take away the very heart of me
No baby please don't go

A love like ours is love that's hard to find
How could we let it slip away
We've come too far to leave it all behind
How could we end it all this way
When tomorrow comes we'll both regret
Things we said today

'Cause I need you more than you'll ever know

Writer/s: CETERA, PETER P.
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

If You Leave Me Now

Chicago's bass player Peter Cetera wrote this and sang lead. Cetera specialized in ballads, adding variety to the band's sound which featured many more rock-oriented songs, often written by Terry Kath or Robert Lamm.

Cetera's ballads quickly became the band's biggest hits, with "If You Leave Me Now" their most successful song to that point, topping the charts in the US and UK. Of course, their record company wanted more of where that came from and kept pushing the Cetera songs - the big hit from their next album was his tune "Baby What a Big Surprise." The group found a new audience and became much more successful, but they also got earmarked as a soft rock group, which took the focus away from their grittier, horn-heavy songs. This became a point of contention for Chicago's famed section, especially trombone player James Pankow , who recalls constant battles to get the horns higher in the mix from that point forward.

When Cetera left Chicago in 1985, his hits didn't stop: In 1986, "Glory Of Love" went to #1 US and his duet with Amy Grant, "The Next Time I Fall," made it to #4.

Lyrically, this is a surprisingly simple song, but it does have an unusual structure. Depending on how you look at it, there's either no chorus, or it's all chorus. The song opens with the title line, which is also the hook:
If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me

The next line gives Peter Cetera a chance to show off his vocal range, and makes it clear that he is full-on pleading:
Ooooh no, baby please don't go

The title then returns, but with another consequence:
If you leave me now, you'll take away the very heart of me

The rest of the song is Cetera making his case for why the girl shouldn't leave, in very histrionic fashion. He wrote the words around the melody, which he composed first. Cetera is very good at composing songs that push emotional extremes, and these songs are well suited to his voice, which can reach the notes to accentuate these feelings.

Considering their longevity and success, it's surprising how Chicago has been spurned by both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammys. The band's only Grammy award came for this song, when it won for Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus.

The song also won the award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), which went to James William Guercio and Jimmie Haskell.

This was the first Chicago single to feature an acoustic guitar lead. It was played by the band's manager, James William Guercio, who produced the track. Guercio is an accomplished musician who before working on this song had toured with The Beach Boys as a bass player. On "If You Leave Me Now," he played the acoustic guitar part as a demo, figuring their regular guitarist, Terry Kath, would put down the proper track when he was available. The band thought Guercio's part sounded great, so they left it on the record.

In the UK, this was Chicago's only #1 hit. In Britain, the group had nowhere near the success they had in America. They wouldn't make the Top 40 on the UK chart again until 1982 with "Hard to Say I'm Sorry."

Jimmie Haskell did the string arrangement on this song along with producer James William Guercio. Haskell had done a lot of work scoring films, and was able to bring a cinematic quality to the sound.

Chicago Songs - Colour My World Lyrics

Chicago - Colour My World

Chicago - Colour My World Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Chicago II
Released: 1970

Colour My World Lyrics

As time goes on
I realize
Just what you mean
To me
And now
Now that you're near
Promise your love
That I've waited to share
And dreams
Of our moments together
Color my world with hope of loving you

Writer/s: HATCH, TONY / TRENT, JACKIE
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Colour My World

This was written by Chicago's trombone player, James Pankow, and sung by Terry Kath. After Kath's death in 1978, the band did not play the song for several years, eventually bringing It back with Bill Champlin on vocals. The song remained a concert favorite, and was later sung live by Robert Lamm sings it now.

In our interview with James Pankow , he explained: "I titled it 'Colour My World' because it affected a lyric that again mirrors the emotion of love. In this case, I used the emotion of love and description as a technicolor movie that takes places in my heart. It colors, it gives color and vivid definition to my life, like bringing this emotion to it."

On The Chris Isaak Hour, Pankow explained: "It's a small segment of a multi-movement piece on our second album which is basically a tribute to my first love. I had been listening to Bach - the Brandenburg Concertos, and they had all those arpeggiated melodies. I sat at a piano and started messing around with these arpeggios. That cycle of arpeggios became the foundation of the song.

Frank Sinatra called our publicist and said, 'Ask that kid to write another verse for that song.' I thought about it, I called him back and said I can't do it - it's like sewing another arm on your kid, I can't do it."

Walter Parazaider, who was primarily a sax player in the band, played the flute on this track.

One of the band's most popular songs, "Colour My World" never charted because it wasn't released as a single. It was used as the B-side of the "Make Me Smile" in April 1970, and as the B-side of "Beginnings" in June 1971.

Chicago Songs - Saturday In The Park Lyrics

Chicago - Saturday In The Park

Chicago - Saturday In The Park Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Chicago 5
Released: 1972

Saturday In The Park Lyrics

Saturday In The Park, I think it was the Fourth of July
Saturday in the park, I think it was the Fourth of July
People dancing, people laughing, a man selling ice cream (sellin' ice cream)
Can you dig it (yes, I can) And I've been waiting such a long time
For Saturday

Saturday in the park
You'd think it was the Fourth of July
Saturday in the park
You'd think it was the Fourth of July
People talking, really smiling
A man playing guitar
Singing for us all
Will you help him change the world
Can you dig it (yes, I can)
And I've been waiting such a long time
For today

Slow motion riders fly the colors of the day
A bronze man still can tell stories his own way
Listen children all is not lost, all is not lost, oh no, no,

Funny days in the park, every day's the Fourth of July
Funny days in the park, every day's the Fourth of July
People reaching, people touching, A real celebration
Waiting for us all, If we want it, really want it
Can you dig it (yes, I can), And I've been waiting such a long time
For the day

Writer/s: LAMM, ROBERT
Publisher: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Saturday In The Park

Chicago's main songwriter, Robert Lamm, wrote this after a particularly exhilarating 4th of July spent in New York's Central Park, where there were steel drum players, singers, dancers and jugglers. Lamm and Peter Cetera sang lead on the track.

Robert Lamm based the melody of this song on "You Won't See Me" by The Beatles, something he openly admitted.

like most Chicago singles, this didn't chart in the UK. In America, however, it was their biggest chart hit to that point and also their first gold single, which at the time meant selling more than a million copies ("25 Or 6 To 4" somehow was never certified gold).

This song contains some of the most famous nonsense singing in rock: after Robert Lamm sings the line, "Singing Italian songs," he sings some made up words approximating the Italian language.

In the 2000 Adam Sandler film Little Nicky, this song was used for comedic effect when it was played backwards to show that it contains satanic messages.

Other movies to use the song include The Spirit of '76 (1990) and My Girl (1991). TV series to feature the song include The Sopranos (2002), My Name Is Earl (2005) and Fringe (2011).

Chicago and Robin Thicke performed part of this song at the 2014 Grammy Awards in a medley of Chicago's hits leading into Thicke's song "Blurred Lines." The occasion: Chicago's first album entering the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Chicago Songs - A Song For Richard And His Friends Lyrics

Chicago - A Song For Richard And His Friends

Chicago - A Song For Richard And His Friends Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Chicago At Carnegie Hall
Released: 1972

This did not receive much radio airplay, but is a notorious example of Chicago's political persuasions in the early years of the band. It is a nose-thumbing directed at President Richard Nixon. Nixon was at the apex of his political powers then. Watergate was just around the corner and the notorious burglary that led to his ruin occurred just weeks after the album was released. (thanks, Charles - Charlotte, NC)

Robert Lamm, who is one of the founding members of the band, wrote this song.

This was the only new song included on the Chicago At Carnegie Hall album, a 4-disc set comprised of songs recorded during a week of concerts at the venue in April 1971.

Chicago Songs - Love Lives On Lyrics

Chicago - Love Lives On

Chicago - Love Lives On Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Chicago XXXVI: Now
Released: 2014

Love Lives On Lyrics

Love Lives On Song Chart

As the album title suggests, Chicago XXXVI: Now is Chicago's 36th album. Astoundingly, four of the guys who were with the band from their inception were still with them. One of them was their trombone player James Pankow, who wrote this song with Chicago bass player Jason Scheff and the singer/songwriter Greg Barnhill.

In our interview with Pankow , he said the song is "An intimate approach to not really the actual relationship, but to the meaning behind what the relationship has become." He added: "The emotion of love goes far beyond this finite existence. After we pass to the next plane, if you will, this emotion continues and lives on."

Chicago Songs - Look Away Lyrics

Chicago - Look Away

Chicago - Look Away Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Chicago 19
Released: 1988

Look Away Lyrics

When you called me up this morning,
Told me 'bout the new love you found,
I'm said "I'm happy for you,
I'm really happy for you."
Found someone else,
I guess I won't be coming 'round.
I guess it's over, baby,
It's really over, baby, whoa,
And from what you said
I know you've gotten over me,
It'll never be the way it used to be.
So if it's gotta be this way,
Don't worry, baby, I can take the news okay.

But if you see me walking by,
And the tears are in my eyes,
Look Away, baby, look away.
If we meet on the streets someday,
And I don't know what to say,
Look away, baby, look away.
Don't look at me,
I don't want you to see me this way.

When we both agreed as lovers,
We were better off as friends,
That's how it had to be,
Yeah, that's how it had to be.
I tell you I'm fine
But sometimes I just pretend,
Wish you were holding me,
Wish you were still holding me, whoa,
I just never thought,
That I would be replaced so soon,
I wasn't prepared to hear those words from you.
I know I wanted to be free,
Yeah, baby, this is how we wanted it to be.

But if you see me walking by,
And the tears are in my eyes,
Look away, baby, look away.
If we meet on the streets someday,
And I don't know what to say,
Look away, baby, look away.
Don't look at me,
I don't want you to see me this way.

But if you see me walking by,
And the tears are in my eyes,
Look away, baby, look away.
If we meet on the streets someday,
And I don't know what to say,
Look away, baby, look away.
Don't look at me,
I don't want you to see me this way.

When you called me up this morning,
Told me 'bout the new love you found.
I said "I'm happy for you,
I'm really happy for you."

Writer/s: S. ADAMSON
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Realsongs
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

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