It’s interesting to see how songs evolve: The Fixx had a song on 1991’s Ink called “Falling in Love” which was written by Bill Champlin and Bruce Gaitsch. Fast forward to 1993 and whaddya know? One thing leads to another, and “Falling In Love” morphed into the somewhat more autobiographical “The Show Must Go On” for Chicago’s Stone of Sisyphus.
The melody and arrangement of the two songs are nearly identical. But by the time “The Show Must Go On” finally saw official release, everything had changed.
The shelving of Stone of Sisyphus marked the beginning of the end for Chicago. They seemingly lost faith in themselves and their musical adventurousness. From that point on, with limited exceptions, Chicago seemed to just be going through the motions — chasing another hit that would never come.
That didn’t happen because they were chasing it. You can’t force a hit. Music has to be honest and music that is made for the sake of fortune and fame alone is generally emotionally dishonest. Diehard fans might not want to admit this failure, but a casual listener will always pick up on it.
Even when they were at their best after Stone of Sisyphus, Chicago remained a far cry from what they had once been — even at their worst. The band that recorded “The Show Must Go On” in 1994 deserved this song. It’s a great track. It’s a lot of fun and a declaration of a band rejuvenated and ready to take some chances. The band that released it in 2008? Not so much.
By the time Stone of Sisyphus finally arrived, “The Show Must Go On” was no longer a declaration of purpose from a rejuvenated group that was ready to take some chances and make music for the sake of music again. It had become a question of a band resting on their laurels, a band that had become caricatures of themselves.
“The Show Must Go On”? Really?! Must it?
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