Old Days

{{Infobox song

| name = Old Days

| cover = Old Days cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Chicago

| album = Chicago VIII

| B-side = Hideaway

| released = April 1975

| recorded = 1974

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Rock

| length = 3:31

| label = Columbia

| writer = James Pankow

| producer = James William Guercio

| prev_title = Harry Truman

| prev_year = 1975

| next_title = Brand New Love Affair

| next_year = 1975

}}

"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.Chicago VIII liner notes.

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."{{cite web | title = Chicago official website | url = http://www.chicagotheband.com/history09.htm | access-date = 2007-07-05 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070609224219/http://www.chicagotheband.com/history09.htm |archive-date = 2007-06-09}}

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".{{Cite web|url=http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/Chicago_Box_Set_-_Page_7.html|title=Group Portrait Essay|last=Ruhlmann|first=James William|date=1991|website=Album Liner Notes |page=7 |access-date=April 27, 2019}}

Cash Box praised the "great horn work," "Danny Seraphine's fine drum parts," and Terry Kath's "great guitar licks."{{cite news|title=CashBox Record Reviews|date=April 12, 1975|page=22|accessdate=2021-12-11|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1975/CB-1975-04-12.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}} 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.'" "{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=April 12, 1975|accessdate=2023-03-10|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/75/RW-1975-04-12.pdf}}

Chart performance

"Old Days" reached #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Easy Listening chart.{{cite web|title=Chicago Awards|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chicago-mn0000110161/awards|publisher=Allmusic|access-date=2012-08-17}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (1975) !Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report) \| style="text-align:center;"\|80
Canada RPM Top Singles{{cite web\|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3999a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3999a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3999a \|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada \|website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca \|date=1975-07-05 \|access-date=2018-03-10}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|6
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary{{cite web\|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3980&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3980.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3980 \|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada \|website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca \|date=1975-06-21 \|access-date=2018-03-10}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|6
New Zealand{{cite web\|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/singles/1975-07-18 \|title=NZ Top 40 Singles Chart \| The Official New Zealand Music Chart \|website=Nztop40.co.nz \|date=1975-07-21 \|access-date=2016-10-10}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|22
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 \| style="text-align:center;"\|5
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening \| style="text-align:center;"\|3
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 \| style="text-align:center;"\|6

class="wikitable sortable"

Chart (1975)

!Peak
position

Australia (Kent Music Report)

| style="text-align:center;"|80

Canada RPM Top Singles{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3999a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3999a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3999a |title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1975-07-05 |access-date=2018-03-10}}

| style="text-align:center;"|6

Canada RPM Adult Contemporary{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3980&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3980.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3980 |title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1975-06-21 |access-date=2018-03-10}}

| style="text-align:center;"|6

New Zealand{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/singles/1975-07-18 |title=NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart |website=Nztop40.co.nz |date=1975-07-21 |access-date=2016-10-10}}

| style="text-align:center;"|22

U.S. Billboard Hot 100

| style="text-align:center;"|5

U.S. Billboard Easy Listening

| style="text-align:center;"|3

U.S. Cash Box Top 100

| style="text-align:center;"|6

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable"
align="left"\|Chart (1975) ! style="text-align:center;"\|Rank
Canada {{cite web\|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5173a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=enic7sdhqrbeuu9iiip880d0j4\|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada\|work=collectionscanada.gc.ca}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|74
U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) {{cite book \|last=Whitburn \|first=Joel \|date=1999 \|title=Pop Annual \|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin \|publisher=Record Research Inc. \|isbn=0-89820-142-X}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|107

class="wikitable"

align="left"|Chart (1975)

! style="text-align:center;"|Rank

Canada {{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5173a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=enic7sdhqrbeuu9iiip880d0j4|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada|work=collectionscanada.gc.ca}}

| style="text-align:center;"|74

U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) {{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |date=1999 |title=Pop Annual |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |publisher=Record Research Inc. |isbn=0-89820-142-X}}

| style="text-align:center;"|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

Later uses in popular culture

"Old Days" is featured on the soundtrack of the movie Starsky & Hutch (2004).
The band also reworked the song in 2009 to serve as the theme for the "Monsters in the Morning" show airing on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
"Old Days" is used in an internet meme (introduced in 2018) in which a man reads the Wikipedia entry for cock and ball torture while a distorted recording of the song plays in the background.

References

Category:1974 songs

Category:1975 singles

Category:Chicago (band) songs

Category:Songs written by James Pankow

Category:Song recordings produced by James William Guercio

Category:Columbia Records singles

Category:List songs

Category:Songs about nostalgia

Category:Internet memes introduced in 2018