Old Days

"Old Days"
"Old Days"
Single by Chicago
from the album Chicago VIII
B-side	"Hideaway"
Released	April 1975
Recorded	1974
Genre	Rock
Length	3:31
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	James Pankow
Producer(s)	James William Guercio
Chicago singles chronology

"Old Days" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VIII (1975). It was the second single released from that album, with lead vocals by Peter Cetera.^[1]

Background

Pankow has said that the song is a nostalgic piece about his childhood:

"It touches on key phrases that, although they date me, are pretty right-on in terms of images of my childhood. 'The Howdy Doody Show' on television and collecting baseball cards and comic books."^[2]

Pankow told group biographer James William Ruhlmann that the group stopped performing the song live because Cetera refused to sing it, calling the lyrics "corny".^[3]

Cash Box praised the "great horn work," "Danny Seraphine's fine drum parts," and Terry Kath's "great guitar licks."^[4] Record World said that Chicago's "wall-to-wall sound returns, this time abetted by Pat Williams strings, on a side that's destined to be this year's 'Saturday in the Park.'" "^[5]

Chart performance

"Old Days" reached #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary and #6 on the US Cash Box Top 100 . ^[6] ^[7] ^[8]

Weekly charts

Chart (1975)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	80
Canada RPM Top Singles^[9]	6
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[10]	6
New Zealand^[11]	22
US Billboard Hot 100 ^[12]	5
US Billboard Adult Contemporary ^[13]	3
US Cash Box Top 100^[14]	6

Year-end charts

Chart (1975)	Rank
Canada ^[15]	74
U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) ^[16]	107

Personnel

Peter Cetera - lead vocals, bass
Robert Lamm - piano, Hammond organ, harpsichord, backing vocals
Terry Kath - fuzzed wah-wah electric guitars, backing vocals
Danny Seraphine - drums
Laudir de Oliveira - percussion
James Pankow - trombone, backing vocals
Lee Loughnane - trumpet
Walter Parazaider - tenor saxophone

Additional Personnel

Patrick Williams - string orchestrations

Use in media

"Old Days" is featured on the soundtrack of the movie Starsky & Hutch (2004).^[17]

References

^ Chicago VIII liner notes.
^ "Chicago official website". Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
^ Ruhlmann, James William (1991). "Group Portrait Essay". Album Liner Notes. p. 7. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 12, 1975. p. 22. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 12, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955-2010. Record Research.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Adult Songs:1961–2006. Record Research.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits: 1952-1996. Record Research.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-07-05. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-06-21. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1975-07-21. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955-2010. Record Research.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Adult Songs:1961–2006. Record Research.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits: 1952-1996. Record Research.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
^ Spence D. (4 March 2004). "Starsky & Hutch: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". IGN. Retrieved 14 June 2025.

This 1970s rock song–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Chicago VIII liner notes.

[2] "Chicago official website". Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2007-07-05.

[3] Ruhlmann, James William (1991). "Group Portrait Essay". Album Liner Notes. p. 7. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2019.

[cb-4] "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 12, 1975. p. 22. Retrieved 2021-12-11.

[rw-5] "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 12, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-10.

[6] Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955-2010. Record Research.

[7] Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Adult Songs:1961–2006. Record Research.

[8] Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits: 1952-1996. Record Research.

[9] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-07-05. Retrieved 2018-03-10.

[10] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-06-21. Retrieved 2018-03-10.

[11] "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1975-07-21. Retrieved 2016-10-10.

[12] Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955-2010. Record Research.

[13] Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Adult Songs:1961–2006. Record Research.

[14] Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits: 1952-1996. Record Research.

[15] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.

[16] Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

[17] Spence D. (4 March 2004). "Starsky & Hutch: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". IGN. Retrieved 14 June 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

v t e Chicago
Robert Lamm Lee Loughnane James Pankow Walfredo Reyes Jr. Ray Herrmann Neil Donell Ramon Yslas Tony Obrohta Loren Gold Eric Baines Carlos Murguia Walter Parazaider Danny Seraphine Terry Kath Peter Cetera Laudir de Oliveira Donnie Dacus Chris Pinnick Bill Champlin Jason Scheff Dawayne Bailey Tris Imboden Bruce Gaitsch Keith Howland Drew Hester Lou Pardini Daniel De Los Reyes Jeff Coffey Brett Simons
Studio albums	Chicago Transit Authority Chicago Chicago III Chicago V Chicago VI Chicago VII Chicago VIII Chicago X Chicago XI Hot Streets Chicago 13 Chicago XIV Chicago 16 Chicago 17 Chicago 18 Chicago 19 Twenty 1 Night & Day: Big Band Chicago XXX Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus Chicago XXXV: The Nashville Sessions Chicago XXXVI: Now Chicago XXXVIII: Born for This Moment
Christmas albums	Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three Chicago XXXVII: Chicago Christmas
Live albums	Chicago at Carnegie Hall Live in Japan Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert Chicago XXXIV: Live in '75
Compilations	Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits Greatest Hits, Volume II If You Leave Me Now Take Me Back to Chicago Greatest Hits 1982–1989 Group Portrait The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997 The Heart of Chicago 1967–1998 Volume II The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning The Box Love Songs The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition
Singles	"Questions 67 and 68" "Beginnings" "Make Me Smile" "25 or 6 to 4" "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" "Free" "Lowdown" "Saturday in the Park" "Dialogue (Part I & II)" "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" "Just You 'n' Me" "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long" "Call on Me" "Wishing You Were Here" "Harry Truman" "Old Days" "Brand New Love Affair" "Another Rainy Day in New York City" "If You Leave Me Now" "Baby, What a Big Surprise" "Take Me Back to Chicago" "Alive Again" "No Tell Lover" "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" "Love Me Tomorrow" "Stay the Night" "Hard Habit to Break" "You're the Inspiration" "Along Comes a Woman" "Will You Still Love Me?" "If She Would Have Been Faithful..." "Niagara Falls" "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" "Look Away" "You're Not Alone" "We Can Last Forever" "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" "Chasin' the Wind" "Here in My Heart"
Related articles	Discography Members Leonid and Friends

Old Days

Hub talks

Old Days

Old Days

Hub rules

Old Days

Hub overview

Add your contribution

Inside this hub

Media Collections

Timelines

Articles

Notes collections

Notes

Days in Chronicle

Root Wikipedia Article

Old Days

Background

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

Use in media

References

Add your contribution

Related Hubs