Old Days - Chicago (1975) 4/30/22

James Pankow of Chicago was in a nostalgic mood when he wrote today's "Great Song of 1975."

Jim was only 27 when he composed "Old Days," but it was an accurate and nostalgic look at all the things young boys were into back in the '50s: reading comic books, collecting baseball cards, going to the movies (especially the drive-in) and watching shows like "Howdy Doody" on the family's new black-and-white "television." Musically, the arrangement was interesting, switching back and forth between major and minor keys, while leaning on Chicago's famous brass section to give it some extra punch. "Old Days" was a perfect song to include on their nostalgia-flavored album, "Chicago VIII," and when radio stations started playing the single, fans and record buyers made it a hit in both Canada, where it went to #6 on both the Adult Contemporary and Top 40 Charts...and in the US, where it peaked at #3 on the AC Chart and #5 on the Hot 100. Trivia: Peter Cetera, who sang lead on the song, didn't like the "Howdy Doody" reference, saying it was too specific and seemed too far back to still be interesting to boys who were into "comic books, baseball cards, and drive-ins." For that reason, when the song finally faded from the charts, he refused to sing it in concert. (Note: "Howdy Doody" was on TV from 1947 to 1960.) To me, that seems like Peter was splitting hairs, or, at most, overreacting... because "Old Days" is well-written, well-produced, lighthearted and fun. In other words, It's a "Great Song of 1975," regardless of Peter Cetera's two-word problem. :-) "Old Days:"