I had a strange feeling when 1984’s Chicago 17 was released, because I sort of liked the album while being totally disappointed by how the band’s musical goals and style had changed. If this album had been released by another artist, I may have liked it more because 17 was not what I wanted to hear from my favorite jazz-rock band.
The robotic, ’80s stiffness of these 10 songs had a lot to do with the drums. Don’t get me wrong. Danny Seraphine, Chicago’s extremely talented drummer who usually played as if he had 17 hands was present and worked hard, as always. But on this set of tunes, he played his drum kit less and relied more on the newly popular synth drums that gave the record a more rigid, machine-like personality than its predecessor had. He disappeared completely on this song, as Jeff Porcaro supplied the beat.
Despite it all, Chicago 17 was loaded with four hit singles that helped it become the band’s biggest-selling long player.
Once again, as was common in the ’80s, radio didn’t want anything with horns and “Stay the Night,”
the album’s leadoff track, followed that rule. The song is not a power ballad, because it rocks a little – and it most certainly doesn’t have the subject matter of most ballads.
The track’s lyrics could be considered controversial. Peter Cetera is chasing a sexy, young female and trying to convince her to engage in a night of casual sex with him. The official video amps up the suggestive lyrics several notches and it could be considered ahead of its time, as the female the protagonist he is chasing won the ensuing battle after he refuses take no for an answer.
The video scores a victory for the #MeToo movement more than 30 years before many people became more highly aware of the issue.
The No. 16 hit “Stay the Night,” which was was composed by Cetera and David Foster, is not awful but there are songs on Chicago 17 with better lyrics, better melodies, and better Peter Cetera vocals.
