| Chicago | |
| Cover: | Chicago_-_Frank_Sinatra.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Frank Sinatra |
| A-Side: | All the Way |
| Released: | October 1957 |
| Recorded: | 1957 |
| Genre: | Vocal jazz, swing, traditional pop |
| Length: | 2:10 |
| Label: | Capitol Records |
| Producer: | Nelson Riddle |
| Prev Title: | You're Cheatin' Yourself (If You're Cheatin' on Me) |
| Prev Year: | 1957 |
| Next Title: | Witchcraft |
| Next Year: | 1958 |
| Chicago | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Sergio Franchi |
| Label: | RCA Victor |
| Misc: | RCA Victor release number 47-8315 |
"Chicago" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and published in 1922. The original sheet music variously spelled the title "Todd'ling" or "Toddling." The song has been recorded by many artists, but the best-known versions are by Frank Sinatra, Ben Selvin and Judy Garland.The song alludes to the city's colorful past, feigning "... the surprise of my life / I saw a man dancing with his own wife", mentioning evangelist Billy Sunday as having not been able to "shut down" the city, and State Street where "they do things they don't do on Broadway".
The song made a minor appearance on the U.S. pop charts, reaching #84 in the fall of 1957.[1] It was the first of two charting songs about Chicago recorded by Sinatra. The other was "My Kind of Town" from 1964, which reached U.S. #110.
As with many similar songs, the lyrics have undergone a number of reworkings. The original third verse included the lines, "More Colored people up in State Street you can see,/ Than you'll see in Louisiana or Tennessee" and makes reference to the Chicago Stockyards. Later recordings have a number of replacements: Of all versions, Judy Garland's 1961 Judy at Carnegie Hall concert recording contains more references than most: Marshall Field's department store, the Drake Hotel, the Chicago Loop, The Pump Room at the Ambassador East hotel, and even Mrs O'Leary's Cow.
| Chart (1957) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart (OCC) | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 84 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [3] | 45 |