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It may seem hard to believe, but when 1982 rolled around, the group Chicago hadn't had a hit in four years. In fact, nothing they had released even approached the Top 40 since "No Tell Lover" went to #5 1978.
It was time to shake things up a bit, so when they were compiling their album "Chicago 16," they decided to cut back on their signature horn-driven sound, and go with more synthesizers and heavy guitar.
They also decided to bring in some session musicians to help freshen things up---something they had rarely done before.
The change was immediately apparent on the first single from the album: "Hard to Say I'm Sorry:" a classic power ballad, featuring Peter Cetera on lead vocals, producer David Foster on piano, David Paich and Steve Porcaro from Toto on synthesizers, and a few others.
In fact, other than Cetera, the only member of Chicago who actually played on the track was drummer Danny Seraphine!
Chicago's new "sound" was a worldwide hit! "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" charted in 12 countries, reaching #1 in Switzerland, Italy, Ireland,
Canada and the US!
The fact that it was used as the closing theme in a film called "Summer Lovers" probably gave it a tiny boost, but by any measure, it was a "Great Song of 1982."
In 1997, a remix version by Foster and Cetera was released featuring the group Az Yet, and it was also a big hit, reaching the Top 10 in 9 countries, including #1 in New Zealand and #8 on Billboard's Hot 100!
So in addition to the original being a "Great Song of 1982, the remix was a "Great Song of 1996!
Chicago was back, and the hits kept on coming for the rest of the '80s...and it's Hard to Say You're Sorry about that! :-)
Chicago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A0MPWseJIE
Az Yet Remix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7PtO23a1OU
Tomorrow: Answer--Greg Kihn. So what's the question?
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