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Hard to Say I'm Sorry
1982 single by Chicago

"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is a 1982 power ballad by American rock band Chicago. It was written by bassist Peter Cetera, who also sang the lead vocals on the track, and producer David Foster. It was released on May 17, 1982, as the lead single from the album Chicago 16. On September 11 of that year, it reached No. 1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's second No. 1 single. It was their first top 50 hit since "No Tell Lover" in 1978 and it spent twelve weeks in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in September of the same year. Songwriter Cetera, a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for the song in the category, Most Performed Songs.

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History

The song, as well as the album on which it is featured, was a marked departure from Chicago's traditional soft rock, horn-driven sound, taking on a polished and modern feel. With minimal horns, the track instead featured more layered synthesizers and heavier distorted guitar in a 1980s power ballad styling. A second movement of the song, "Get Away", prominently does feature the Chicago horns, and it was co-written by Robert Lamm.10

Deviating from Chicago's practice of having mostly band members playing on their albums, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" featured several session musicians. The song featured producer David Foster on the piano, Michael Landau and Chris Pinnick on guitars as well as two members of the American rock band Toto, including David Paich and Steve Porcaro both contributing synthesizers. The song's vocals were performed by Peter Cetera, who also plays acoustic guitar. The only other member of Chicago besides Cetera that played on the track was drummer Danny Seraphine.

Billboard called it a "stately pop ballad" with "even more of an orchestral sweep than usual."11

The song was also featured as the ending theme in the movie and soundtrack for Summer Lovers,12 a 1982 film written and directed by Randal Kleiser, starring Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah and Valerie Quennessen, and filmed on location on the island of Santorini, Greece.13

Music video

Chicago made a music video for the song. According to Cetera, the videos for "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" and "Love Me Tomorrow" were shot on the same day.14 The band appears in a black colored room with diamonds on the wall.

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Hard to Say I'm Sorry"
Chart (1982)Peakposition
Australia (Kent Music Report)154
Austrian Singles Chart165
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart1715
Canada RPM Top Singles181
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary191
German Singles Chart206
Ireland (IRMA)211
Italy (Musica e Dischi)221
New Zealand Singles Chart2313
South Africa (Springbok)2414
Swiss Singles Chart251
UK Singles Chart264
US Billboard Hot 100271
US Adult Contemporary281

Year-end charts

1982 year-end chart performance for "Hard to Say I'm Sorry"
Chart (1982)Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)293010
Canada Top Singles (RPM)319
Italy (FIMI)327
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)335
UK Singles (OCC)3427
US Billboard Hot 1003510

Certifications and sales

Certifications for "Hard to Say I'm Sorry"
RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)36Gold50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)37Gold50,000^
Japan (RIAJ)38Gold100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)39Gold15,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)40Gold30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)41Silver250,000^
United States (RIAA)42Gold1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Az Yet version

American R&B group Az Yet included a cover version of "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" on their 1996 self-titled debut album, which was produced by Babyface.43 A remix version by David Foster44 was released as a single on February 3, 1997, and features vocals from Peter Cetera.4546 Foster won a BMI Pop Award for this version.47 The song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.48 It reached platinum status49 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Performance by an R&B Group or Duo with Vocal.5051 Aside from the David Foster remix, the single includes the album version (without Cetera), an a cappella version, and an extended remix.

Track listing

CD-single

  1. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (David Foster Remix featuring Peter Cetera) 3:18
  2. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (Album Version) 3:14
  3. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (Acappella) 3:14
  4. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" (Chase Extended Mix) 5:14

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1997)Peakposition
Australia (ARIA)525
Canada Top Singles (RPM)5326
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)5427
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)5564
Germany (GfK)5672
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)573
Netherlands (Single Top 100)583
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)591
Scotland (OCC)6030
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)6159
UK Singles (OCC)627
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)633
US Billboard Hot 100648
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)6514
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)6620
US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)679

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)Position
Australia (ARIA)6831
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)6911
Netherlands (Single Top 100)7028
New Zealand (RIANZ)7113
US Billboard Hot 1007219
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)7360
US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)7420
US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard)7531

Certifications

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)76Platinum70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)77Platinum10,000*
United States (RIAA)78Platinum1,100,00079

* Sales figures based on certification alone.^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesJanuary 7, 1997 (1997-01-07)Rhythmic contemporary radio80
February 3, 1997 (1997-02-03)
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
United KingdomJune 9, 1997 (1997-06-09)81

Other versions

  • In 1983, Hong Kong singer Leslie Cheung released a Cantonese cover version with Chinese title "難以再說對不起" for his album 風繼續吹 [zh].
  • In 2002, German electronic dance music group Aquagen had a hit with their song of the same title, which sampled "Hard to Say I'm Sorry". This version reached No. 33 on the UK Singles Chart.82
  • In 2015, country music singer Tim McGraw released a "behind-the-scenes" video of him and his band performing "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" as a warm-up for his show in Chicago. At the end of the song he turns to the camera and says, "Hello, Chicago."83
  • In January 2017, Roger Federer tweeted a video of him singing the song with fellow professional tennis players Tommy Haas and Grigor Dimitrov, with David Foster at the piano, while at the Australian Open. Haas is the son-in-law of Foster.84

See also

References

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