Today’s classic song of the day is Chicago’s “Make Me Smile.” This song was written by Chicago trombonist James Pankow’s seven-part “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” on 1970’s two-disc Chicago II album. It was part one of the suite, later reprised in part seven, “Now More Than Ever.” In fact, the single edit (what most of you know from listening to the radio) smooshes together the opening “Make Me Smile” with the ending verse of “Now More Than Ever” into a single unit. (Another big hit, “Colour My World,” was part five of the suite—and the B-side of the “Make Me Smile” single.)
The “Make Me Smile” single, with guitarist Terry Kath on lead vocals, was released March of 1970. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the Cash Box Top 100. The Chicago II album was also a huge hit, hitting #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart and being nominated (but not winning) Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Contemporary Vocal Group, and Best Album Cover. (Technically, the album was just titled Chicago, no “II,” as it was the group’s first album—but second overall—after changing their name from Chicago Transit Authority)
I like “Make Me Smile” not only for the song but also for Danny Seraphine’s distinctive drum breaks. The first one appears just before the first verse, after the long instrumental introduction. (That’s on the album cut; on the single edit, the drum break kicks off the whole thing.) The second break leads into the “Now More Than Ever” part (in the radio edit, right after Terry Kath’s guitar solo) and the last one is after that final verse leading into the instrumental outro. (And there are even more tasty little breaks in the full album version of “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon.”)
Danny Seraphine’s drumming was a huge influence on me and an entire generation of drummers, and most of us have those little breaks memorized. I actually copped those breaks for a solo exercise in my The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing Drums book, which I cleverly titled “Made Ya Smile.” (Don’t worry, I gave Danny proper credit in the book.)
(For all you drummers out there, here’s a transcription of my “Made Ya Smile” solo. Have fun with it!)
And here’s today’s very special daily bonus video of the day, a live performance of “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” (including “Make Me Smile” and “Colour My World”) by Chicago, live at Tanglewood on July 21, 1970. This is the group in their prime, complete with a blistering guitar solo (and vocals) by Terry Kath and some great drum work by Danny Seraphine. This is what jazz rock/horn rock was all about, fellow babies.
