The final song on Chicago’s 1978 release Hot Streets is the perfect uneven ending to an uneven album.
Written by drummer Danny Seraphine and Rufus keyboardist David “Hawk” Wolinski, and sung by Robert Lamm, “Show Me the Way” begins with an odd little march played on the keyboard before transitioning to a more traditional arrangement featuring Lamm’s vocals. The song has a very lounge-act quality to its arrangement. Musically, “Show Me the Way” doesn’t stand out and very much lacks some of the energy of other songs on this Chicago project.
Despite these shortcomings, the melody and Robert Lamm’s voice work perfectly. His voice soars in parts and he turns in an adequate vocal performance on a rather vanilla track. While Lamm turns out a respectable performance, the rest of the composition is bland and uninspiring.
It is possible to imagine that “Show Me the Way” could be serviceable with a different arrangement. Play the chords on the piano without the Lounge Singer Larry arrangement and production, and one can truly see what the song is capable of.
Unfortunately, that isn’t what is on Hot Streets, and when the monsters come in at the end chanting “marching into your heart,” we are ready to close out the album – and with it, our final reminder that the soul of the band is no longer with us.
- 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
