Dialogue Parts I & II - Chicago (1972) 2/2/21

I've said a version of this several times since the beginning of my “Great Songs of the '70s blog in 2019: A song doesn't have to be a chart topper to be “GREAT!”

Today is another case in point.

“Dialogue Parts I & II” by Chicago was written by Robert Lamm for 1972's “Chicago V” album. It was cleverly designed as a conversation between two friends with different viewpoints. The first person, sung by the late Terry Kath, is very concerned about the problems of the era (war, repression and hunger), while the second person, sung by Peter Cetera, believes that everything is just fine.

Before Part I is over, they find a middle ground of sorts, and in Part II, the rest of the band joins the dialogue, optimistically suggesting the problems can be solved with a group effort.

Without getting too preachy, I think there's a lesson here that still applies to the world today.

The album version of the song is over 7 minutes long, and was cut into 2 parts for the single and radio airplay. Most AM Top 40 stations only played Part I, while FM Album Rock stations played the whole thing.

Unfortunately, even though the song was quite popular, that split translated into modest chart success: #24 on Billboard's Hot 100, and #26 on Canada's Top 40.

The link I'm posting is for the whole thing. It's worth listening to. :)

“Dialogue Parts I & II:” A Great Song of 1972!”