"Old Days" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VIII (1975). It was the second single released from that album, with lead vocals by Peter Cetera.
Background
Pankow has said that the song is a nostalgic piece about his childhood:
"It touches on key phrases that, although they date me, are pretty right-on in terms of images of my childhood. 'The Howdy Doody Show' on television and collecting baseball cards and comic books."2Pankow told group biographer James William Ruhlmann that the group stopped performing the song live because Cetera refused to sing it, calling the lyrics "corny".3
Cash Box praised the "great horn work," "Danny Seraphine's fine drum parts," and Terry Kath's "great guitar licks."4 Record World said that Chicago's "wall-to-wall sound returns, this time abetted by Pat Williams strings, on a side that's destined to be this year's 'Saturday in the Park.'" "5
Chart performance
"Old Days" reached #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Easy Listening chart.6
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Personnel
- Peter Cetera - lead vocals, bass
- Robert Lamm - piano, Hammond organ, harpsichord, backing vocals
- Terry Kath - fuzzed wah-wah electric guitars, backing vocals
- Danny Seraphine - drums
- Laudir de Oliveira - percussion
- James Pankow - trombone, backing vocals
- Lee Loughnane - trumpet
- Walter Parazaider - tenor saxophone
- Patrick Williams - string orchestrations
Use in media
"Old Days" is featured on the soundtrack of the movie Starsky & Hutch (2004).12
References
Chicago VIII liner notes. ↩
"Chicago official website". Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2007-07-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20070609224219/http://www.chicagotheband.com/history09.htm ↩
Ruhlmann, James William (1991). "Group Portrait Essay". Album Liner Notes. p. 7. Retrieved April 27, 2019. http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_7.html ↩
"CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 12, 1975. p. 22. Retrieved 2021-12-11. https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1975/CB-1975-04-12.pdf ↩
"Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 12, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-10. https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/75/RW-1975-04-12.pdf ↩
"Chicago Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-08-17. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chicago-mn0000110161/awards ↩
"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-07-05. Retrieved 2018-03-10. https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3999a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3999a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3999a ↩
"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-06-21. Retrieved 2018-03-10. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3980&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3980.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3980 ↩
"NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1975-07-21. Retrieved 2016-10-10. https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/singles/1975-07-18 ↩
"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5173a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=enic7sdhqrbeuu9iiip880d0j4 ↩
Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X. 0-89820-142-X ↩
Spence D. (4 March 2004). "Starsky & Hutch: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". IGN. Retrieved 14 June 2025. https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/04/starsky-hutch-original-motion-picture-soundtrack ↩