Did erstwhile Chicago singer Peter Cetera once have a secret ambition to be a movie star? After all, he wrote and recorded two songs on this theme in the early ’80s.
The first, “Livin’ in the Limelight,” was a hard rocker featuring Toto’s Steve Lukather on guitar that Cetera put on his self-titled 1981 solo debut. (If you haven’t heard this album, check it out; Peter Cetera includes some likable pop songs.)
The second, co-written with Mark Goldenberg, was “Prima Donna” from 1984’s Chicago 17. Here, Cetera addresses a woman who wants “to be noticed, but they haven’t noticed yet.” She’s got ambition, but for now can only dream about being a movie queen and a familiar face who gets treated like a prima donna.
This power-pop track, one of my favorites from the 17th album, is pushed along by guitars, an obvious electronic beat, and what may or may not be synth horns. Like many mid-’80s Chicago tracks, it’s difficult to tell whether the horns or real or not – until the part between the two bridges. Not that synth horns are always bad (ask Huey Lewis), but it’s a shame to waste three of the best horn players in the business.
And about those bridges: With 20/20 hindsight, how interesting to hear Peter Cetera singing:
How will it feel being No. 1?
Hard to imagine, but I can’t blame you for tryin’
How will it feel havin’ so much fun?
Hard to imagine, but it’s so electrifying
He’d answer that question himself in 1986.
