Songwriter: David Foster Robert Lamm Richard Marx

I helped my good friend's brother
Out of trouble when he was in jail
I was rushed 'cause I got lucky
Paid his lawyer and I paid his bail

Glad to be able just to pay the price
The price it took to set him free
I never heard a single "thank you" at all
You'd think by now I could see

All the good that I did was for nothing, aah
All the good that I did was for nothing
Why don't I just let it be?

I fought for two young lovers
New York artists they were on the run
Got them out to California
One was gifted and the other was fun

Merchants will always be merchants, of course
But an artist's is a fragile life
And it's something I have always believed
The memory cuts like a knife

All the good that I did was for nothing, aah
All the good that I did was for nothing, aah
All the good that I did was for nothing
All the good that I did
(All the good that I did)
Why can't I just let it be?

All the good that I did was for nothing, aah
All the good that I did
All the good that I did was for nothing
All the good I did
All the good I did
All the good I did was for nothing

Chicago

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.