“I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love” is marginally better (albeit less commercially successful) than Chicago’s No. 1 hit “Look Away.” Both singles from 1988’s Chicago 19 involved then-ubiquitous composer Diane Warren and both sounded inherently generic — like they could just as easily have been recorded by Aerosmith, REO Speedwagon, Journey, Starship, Foreigner or Night Ranger.
What gives “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love” a slight edge over “Look Away” is the horns. While they are completely absent on “Look Away,” Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Walter Parazaider at least make a brief appearance in “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love.” Unfortunately, their appearance almost felt like a game of peek-a-boo: They came in and left as soon as they’d arrived.
This also marked the first Chicago single sung completely by Bill Champlin. Even as exceptional as Champlin’s vocals are, “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love” amounts to nothing more than a cookie-cutter, paint-by-numbers pop song. I’m a big fan of Champlin’s vocals but even as strong and distinct as he is, it didn’t feel like the rest of the band had any interest in putting their own stamp on things. Bill Champlin seemed to be merely recording a session for “Chicago,” or whichever studio musicians were filling in for the actual band.
The one good thing to come from the song is the music video. It’s serves as a trippy, weird, delightful reminder that many promo clips in the ’80s did not at all resemble the songs to which they were attached. Band members float through the air wearing tuxedos, while an actor and actress perform some director’s unique interpretation of the lyrics. It’s rather nonsensical but there’s a whimsy to it reminiscent of many videos of the peak years of MTV – back when they actually played music videos.
Unfortunately, there’s far more creativity and fun in the video than in the song itself. If one really feels compelled to listen to “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love,” the best way to actually enjoy it is by watching the music video. That strange whimsy elevates this song to a level that makes it not merely listenable but even, dare I say, mildly enjoyable.
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