Once upon a time, way back in the 1980s to be exact, it seemed as if every band that was worth a nickel was cranking out songs about impending doom.
Whether it be global famine, thermonuclear war, race relations or pollution, there was no shortage of anthems about how we needed to collectively get our act together to avoid catastrophe. It’s a notion not so out of touch with today’s reality.
Not wanting to be outdone by their contemporaries, Chicago recorded the song “One More Day” for 1986’s Chicago 18. Composed by founding member James Pankow, this musical plea to give children of the world “one more day” features all three of the band’s lead vocalists – something that was increasingly rare in the David Foster era of the group.
Chicago is to be commended for an attempt to harken back to their activist days, but the band works best when Robert Lamm writes the political and conscience pieces, while Pankow sticks to love songs. Overall, Pankow’s political songs come off as trite and cheesy. This is unfortunate as his love songs are some of the best ever written, while Lamm’s often leave something to desire.
The song does represent the members of Chicago well with a nice blend of vocals, a decent horn bridge, and a catchy melody. However, the lyrics make this song a horrible relic of ’80s virtue signaling and should be thrown into the waste basket next to White Lion’s “When the Children Cry.”
When the children’s chorus comes in at the end the journey to schmaltzville is complete, and so is Chicago 18. An appropriate ending to an album that, like the song, had some good, some bad, but overall represents a dated version of the band.
For good or bad, the David Foster era also came to an end, leaving Chicago almost in the same place it was at the beginning of the decade: Coming off a disappointing album, while looking for a way to stay relevant in an ever-changing music landscape.
- 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
