In modern terms, four years in music is not a long time. Turn on a radio or listen to a playlist on Spotify and it is difficult to differentiate stylistically songs from 2015 and 2019. Much of this is a result of the highly formulaic nature of pop music these days, where the same four chords are utilized over and over. That gives popular music a very stale and predictable sound, while significantly slowing down the evolution of music.
However, in 1982 this was not the case. From January 1978 (when Chicago founder Terry Kath was tragically killed) to January 1982 (when the band entered the studio to record Chicago 16), the music scene dramatically shifted several times. Disco had come and gone, punk was becoming more mainstream, and rock was evolving into the period of the power ballad.
During that time, Chicago also recorded three albums, all of which were trying to make the band relevant in this rapidly changing environment. By the time sessions got underway for 16, however, sophistication was becoming en vogue, and Chicago was well positioned to benefit from this change.
The band hired producer David Foster, and he brought along a quiver of talented musicians to complement Chicago. It also coincided with an incredibly productive period of creativity for Foster, Peter Cetera, and the members of the band Toto who played extensively on Chicago 16. Foster and Cetera ended up collaborating on some of the most memorable songs of the 1980s, and Steve Lukather and David Paich of Toto were doing the same as they were recording Toto IV around the same time.
Written by Foster, Lukather and Paich, “Waiting for You to Decide” was never released as a single. Still, the song deftly blends the styles of the two bands together and with the flawless production of David Foster fits perfectly on the album. It is one of only two songs not written by a member of Chicago, something that would become more prevalent in later albums.
“Waiting for You to Decide” also introduces the world to the soulful voice of newest member Bill Champlin, who adds an incredible counter to the soaring tenor of Cetera and helped usher in a new period of vocal diversity for Chicago. The lyrics are a familiar reminder to many of unrequited love and the uncertainty of a relationship where one is unwilling to commit.
Chicago 16 as a whole is superb, and “Waiting for You to Decide” is an integral part of that. This song and many others from 16 became part of a personal mixtape I made for a girl I had been in an on-again, off-again relationship with for a few years. Much later she told me she understood what I was trying to tell her through music, further testament to the appeal and relevance of the songs.
Chicago had failed at trying to be disco or punk, but they succeeded by just being Chicago – and when that lined up perfectly with the world in 1982, it was a thing of beauty.
- Chicago, “90 Degrees and Freezing” from ‘Chicago XXX’ (2006): Saturdays in the Park - October 23, 2021
- Chicago, “Show Me a Sign” from ‘Heart of Chicago Vol. II’ (1998): Saturdays in the Park - August 14, 2021
- Chicago, “Sophisticated Lady” from ‘Night & Day: Big Band’ (1995): Saturdays in the Park - May 29, 2021
