Chicago

Released: July 10, 1972

Songwriter: Robert Lamm

Producer: James William Guercio

[Verse 1]
I was talking about the state of the union
How there's no one now in power who's thinking of me
I was thinking how we ought to try to fix it
Find a leader who is not afraid to be

[Chorus]
Then a voice called out in the darkness
Saying, "Tear the system down"
Oh, tear it down

[Verse 2]
I was thinking about how that was very crazy
And I tried to find a way to tell him so
But when I did, I used a word that was quite nasty
How the policeman heard me, man, I'll never know

[Chorus]
Then a voice called from out in the darkness
Saying, "Tear the system down"
Oh, tear it down
Down to the ground

[Verse 3]
I was wrestled off to one side of the theater
And they said I'd have to go right to the jail
They don't permit coarse language in their city
But they did accept a large amount of bail

[Chorus]
Then a voice called from out in the darkness
Saying, "Tear the system down"
Oh, tear it down
Down to the ground
Tear it down, down, down, down, down

[Outro]
Oh
We ain't gonna
Let you tear it down
Oh
Oh, yeah
Don't tear it down
Don't you tear it
Don't tear it down
Don't tear it down
Ahh, don't tear it down
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Tear it down
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Yeah
Don't tear it down
Don't tear
Don't tear it down, build it up
Build it up

Chicago is a rock band hailing from the Illinois city of the same name. With its multitude of certified gold and platinum hits, the band has had enough longevity to last for over fifty years.

Chicago was formed on February 15, 1967, between keyboardist/singer Robert Lamm, trumpeter Lee Loughnane, saxophonist Walter Parazaider, drummer Danny Seraphine, guitarist Terry Kath, and trombonist James Pankow. The group called themselves “The Big Thing,” and played Top 40 hits in nightclubs in Chicago. In 1968, the band relocated to Los Angles, and changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority. They gained massive amounts of exposure to famous musicians of the time by regularly playing at the Whiskey A Go Go nightclub. In 1969, they released a self-titled album which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. The next year, the band shortened their name to “Chicago” to avoid a lawsuit from the actual company of the same name.

The band has released a plethora of albums, most of them titled Chicago enumerated with Roman numerals. The band changed its sound in the late 70s and 80s following the death of Terry Kath. Since then, the band has still carried on a legacy for the decades following, but has slowed the release of original music to a trickle.

more tracks from the album

Chicago V

From the album

Chicago V (1972)

Chicago popular songs

State of the UnionChicago

Chicago

Chicago V