Sunday, March 13, 2022

"You're Not Alone" by Chicago

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  3776
Date:  01/21/1989
Debut:  65
Peak:  10
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary, Soft Rock


Pop Bits:  After trying to find their footing and faltering a bit following Peter Cetera's departure with 1986's Chicago 18, the band pushed out a more focused effort with '88's Chicago 19. By this point in time, the LP had spawned a pair of power ballad hits including the #3 "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" and the #1 "Look Away." To follow them up, the band picked up the tempo, but just slightly, with this next single. That seemed agreeable to fans and radio listeners with the song getting to #9 AC while becoming the band's nineteenth Pop Top 10 hit. Just a month after this song was released, the album would go platinum, which was an improvement over the gold level sales of Chicago 18.

ReduxReview:  In general, this was a solid pop song written by Jim Scott, yet it is one that I probably wouldn't have gravitated to regardless of the artist. However, since it ended up with Chicago and I wasn't necessarily diggin' their power ballad phase, I quietly ignored this tune. It is one of those songs that could have been a potential hit for most any popular artist. Actually, hearing it now it sounds like something Starship might have recorded if it had been offered to them. Although it turned into a hit for Chicago, I'm not sure it did them any big favors in regards to their career. It might have even pushed them further into the power ballad trap they entered. By the time the 90s started, they couldn't escape the trap and it effectively ended the band's second wind heydays that began in 1982 with the #1 "Hard to Say I'm Sorry."

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  After the tour for the Chicago 19 album wrapped, the band's co-founder and original drummer Danny Seraphine was fired. Stories vary as to what happend, but it seems Seraphine got to tell his side of things in his 2010 autobiography Street Player: My Chicago Story. Following his ousting from the band, it seems that Seraphine basically quit music for nearly fifteen years. After a lengthy time off, Seraphine felt the urge to begin drumming again and picked it back up. By 2006, he had started his own band titled California Transit Authority (obviously a play on Chicago's original name). They would tour and issue out a couple of self-released albums. Then in 2016, Chicago was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As an original, long term member, Seraphim was to be included in the induction as part of the band. Chicago was asked to perform at the ceremony and Seraphim was given the chance to take his seat back at the drums for the show. All went well for the rehearsal and performance, but after he was the last member to make a speech at the induction, the rest of the members basically ostracized him one again.

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