from CHICAGO 18
Written by Robert Lamm & Bill Gable
Released in September of 1986, Chicago 18 was the first album that the veteran supergroup recorded without Peter Cetera who departed the previous year. Chicago 18 saw David Foster again in the producer’s seat and newcomer Jason Scheff making his debut as tenor lead singer and bassist. Chicago 18 brought the band more solid hit singles with the radio-friendly ballads “Will You Still Love Me” and “If She Would Have Been Faithful.” Reviews of both classic hits can be found in the archives. Chicago 18 also had a string of catchy album tracks including a Robert Lamm mid-tempo titled “Forever.”
The choice for this week’s song is “Forever.”
Lamm was Chicago’s long-time singer, composer and keyboardist. Lamm co-wrote “Forever” with singer/songwriter Bill Gable. “Forever” was quite interesting for its jazz-infused pop atmosphere that was well-delivered by Lamm’s vocals. The keyboard driven arrangement by Foster, Lamm and the album’s engineer, Humberto Gatica, was also of note and pretty close, sonically, to the Hitman’s high-tech stuff of his self-titled solo album released just a few months earlier. “Forever” presented nice key changes, great rhythm guitars by Mike Landau and powerful horn breaks courtesy of Jimmy Pankow.
A little-known fact about “Forever” was the great saxophone performance heard on this track. It wasn’t by the band’s original woodwinds player, Walt Parazaider. It was delivered by session ace David Boruff. Boruff also put his signature stamp on Foster’s instrumental hit, “Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire.”
Released in March of 1987 and the third single from Chicago 18, “Forever” eventually became the b-side of “If She Would Have Been Faithful.”
Listen
- Lead Vocals & Keyboards: Robert Lamm
- Drums & Drum Programming: Danny Seraphine
- Trombone: James Pankow
- Woodwinds: Walter Parazaider
- Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
- Keyboards: David Foster
- Saxophone solo: David Boruff
- Guitars: Michael Landau
- Synthesizer Programming: Michael Boddicker, David Boruff, Rhett Lawrence & Bo Tomlyn
- Arranged by Robert Lamm, David Foster & Humberto Gatica
- Brass Arrangement by James Pankow
- Produced by David Foster
Lyrics
Every day it seems we hear the same old story
Every day there’s lovers giving up on love
People say it’s just a fact of modern living
All around us, people fall in love and marry
Then we hear they’re breaking up, and wonder why?
Did they mean it when they said it was forever?
All I know is what I feel
Forever
Is a long, long time
Longer than we ever realize
Forever
Is a long, long time
I’m gonna love you the rest of my life
Forever
Every day I spend with you, I call it lucky
Every night we touch and speak the words of love
Did I mean it when I said it was forever?
All I know is what I feel
Forever
Is a long, long time
Longer than we ever realize
Forever
Is a long, long time
I’m gonna love you the rest of my life
Forever
I’m gonna love you the rest of my life
Forever