Another Rainy Day in New York City - Chicago (1976) 10/11/22)

Today's "Great Song of 1976" was a victim of record company overreaction.

"Another Rainy Day in New York City" was the lead single from the "Chicago X" album, and it was a bit different--sort of a jazz/rock fusion with a bit of calypso thrown in. Lots of brass and a great vocal from Peter Cetera.

It reached #2 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart, and was slowly climbing the Hot 100 (at #32) when Columbia Records, hearing some positive buzz from radio stations about another track on the album, decided to release it right away.

"If You Leave Me Now" zipped past "Another Rainy Day" on its way to #1, effectively killing the song's momentum. Within two weeks, it was off the Hot 100 altogether.

And that's too bad. Given time, "Another Rainy Day in New York City" most likely would have been a Top 10 record (at least) on the Hot 100 as well. It was already a "Great Song of 1976," and still is!