Summary
"Just You 'n' Me" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their fifth studio album Chicago VI (1973). The lead vocals are sung by bassist Peter Cetera.
| "Just You 'N' Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Chicago | ||||
| from the album Chicago VI | ||||
| B-side | "Critic's Choice" | |||
| Released | September 1973 | |||
| Genre | Rock, blue-eyed soul | |||
| Length | 3:42 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | James Pankow | |||
| Producer(s) | James William Guercio | |||
| Chicago singles chronology | ||||
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Background edit
The second single released from that album, it was more successful than the first single, "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", reaching #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] and #1 on the Cash Box Top 100.[2] Walter Parazaider plays a soprano saxophone solo during the instrumental section while guitarist Terry Kath uses a wah-wah pedal and phase shifter on his guitar. "Just You 'n' Me" was written after a fight between Pankow and his future wife Karen:
- "We had had a huge fight, it was a nasty lovers' quarrel, if you will. She locked herself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out...'Just You 'n' Me' poured out of me in its entirety. Usually when I write songs I come up with an idea for a chorus or a hook and fill in the blanks in stages. This was a moment of clarity I've never experienced before or after. It remains a special event in my songwriting experience".[3]
Billboard called it one of Chicago's "best singles ever," with a "heartfelt and mature" love lyric.[4] Record World called it a "James Pankow tune that's done in typical Chicago fashion."[5]
"Just You 'n' Me" was the final song played by Chicago AM radio station WLS before switching to a talk radio format in 1989.[6]
Personnel edit
- Peter Cetera — bass, lead vocals
- Robert Lamm — keyboards, backing vocals
- Terry Kath — guitar, backing vocals
- Danny Seraphine — drums
- James Pankow — trombone
- Lee Loughnane — trumpet
- Walter Parazaider — soprano saxophone
Chart performance edit
Weekly charts edit
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Year-end charts edit
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Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "Chicago Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ^ "Top 100 1973-12-15". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- ^ "Chicago's Jimmy Pankow on Band's 50th Anniversary & What's Next for Them". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
- ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. September 22, 1973. p. 54. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 15, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ "The History of WLS Radio: WLS AM 89 & FM 94.7 - The Rock of Chicago". www.wlshistory.com. Scott Childers and Munchkin Studios. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 49.
- ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 15, 1973
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 8, 2017). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1973". Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- ^ "American single certifications – Chicago – Just You". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 21, 2023.