Along Comes a Woman

"Along Comes a Woman"
Single by Chicago
from the album Chicago 17
B-side"We Can Stop the Hurtin'"[2]
ReleasedFebruary 11, 1985[1]
GenrePop rock
Length
  • 4:14 (album version)[3]
  • 3:47 (single version)[4]
LabelFull Moon/Warner Bros.[4]
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David Foster[4]
Chicago singles chronology
"You're the Inspiration"
(1984) 		"Along Comes a Woman"
(1985) 		"25 or 6 to 4"
(1986)

"Along Comes a Woman" is a song written by Peter Cetera and Mark Goldenberg[5] for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 17 (1984), with Cetera singing lead vocals. The fourth single released from that album,[6] it is the last Chicago single released with original singer/bassist Cetera, who left the band in the summer of 1985.[7][8]

Upon its release in 1985, Billboard magazine highlighted the single in its "Singles: Pop: Picks" section, as a "new release with the greatest chart potential," and called it a "hard rocker."[4] At the end of the year, Billboard magazine music critic, Linda Moleski, listed the single among her top ten highlights of the year as, “An excellent funk-pop sound that’s reflective of 1985.”[9]

The original album version was 4:14 in length.[3] It was remixed to a more high-tech mid-80's sound for the single release which runs 3:47 in length.[4]

Music video

The music video, shot in black and white, combined themes from the films Raiders of the Lost Ark and Casablanca[10][11] and featured Peter Cetera, the lead vocalist on the song, in the Indiana Jones/Rick Blaine-type role.[7] It was produced by Jon Small of Picture Vision, Inc., and was directed by Jay Dubin,[10] who also directed the syndicated TV series The Wombles in the 1980s.[12][13] The video was released in 1985, during what some call the "golden era" of MTV.[14]

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[15] 17
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 96
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 14
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[18] 25

References

  1. ^ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 26.
  2. ^ "Chicago - Along Comes A Woman". 45cat. 45cat website. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Chicago (1984). Chicago 17 (vinyl LP record). U.S.A.: Warner Bros. Records, Inc. 25060-1.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Singles: Pop: Picks". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 9. USA: Billboard Publications, Inc. March 2, 1985. p. 75. Retrieved July 27, 2017 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Pollock, Bruce (1986). Popular music: an annotated index of American popular songs, Volume 10. Gale Research Co. p. 24. ISBN 9781810308494. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  6. ^ Grein, Paul (February 23, 1985). "Chart Beat: Fast Facts". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 8. USA: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 6. Retrieved July 27, 2017 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Pell, Nicholas (December 8, 2015). "Unpopular Opinion: Chicago, the Kings of Soft Rock, Are Awesome". L.A. Weekly. LA Weekly, LP. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  8. ^ Wink, Roger (June 8, 2017). "Review: "The Very Best of Peter Cetera"". VVN Music. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  9. ^ "The Critics' Choice: Top 10 Disks, Videos, Shows". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. USA: Billboard Publications, Inc. December 28, 1985. p. T34, T48. Retrieved July 27, 2017 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b Dupler, Steven (April 6, 1985). "Video Track: New York". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 14. USA: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 40. Retrieved July 27, 2017 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Burns, Gary (1994-12-01). "Formula and distinctiveness in movie‐based music videos". Popular Music and Society. 18 (4): 7–17. doi:10.1080/03007769408591569. ISSN 0300-7766.
  12. ^ Zuckerman, Faye (January 26, 1985). "Video Track: New York". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 4. USA: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 40. Retrieved July 27, 2017 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Dupler, Steve (December 21, 1985). "Dubin Speaks His Mind on Industry Woes". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 51. USA: Billboard Publications, Inc. pp. 23, 24. Retrieved July 27, 2017 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ Chiu, David (May 2, 2013). "MTV's original VJs reminisce about the network's golden era". CBS News. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0515." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 1985-04-27. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  16. ^ "Chicago: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  17. ^ "April 20, 1985". Billboard Hot 100. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  18. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 11, 1985". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-09-01.


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