"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 | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe second single released from that album, it was more successful than the first single, "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", reaching No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1][2] and No. 1 on the Cash Box Top 100.[3] [4] 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.[citation needed] "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".[5]
Billboard called it one of Chicago's "best singles ever," with a "heartfelt and mature" love lyric.[6] Record World called it a "James Pankow tune that's done in typical Chicago fashion."[7] In 2019, Bobby Olivier, writing for Billboard, judged the song to be the group's "greatest love song, hard stop."[2]
"Just You 'n' Me" was the final song played by Chicago AM radio station WLS before switching to a talk radio format in 1989.[8]
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 chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[13] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of December 22, 1973". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Olivier, Bobby (April 25, 2019). "The 50 Best Chicago Songs: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "Top 100 1973-12-15". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Cash Box Top 100/Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. December 15, 1973. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via World Radio HIstory.
- ^ Applefeld Olson, Cathy (June 7, 2017). "Chicago's Jimmy Pankow on Band's 50th Anniversary & What's Next for Them". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. September 22, 1973. p. 54. Retrieved 2020-07-25 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 15, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-22 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "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.
