25 or 6 to 4
Chicago | Artist Essentials
First released: 1970 (year verified)
Original 1970 studio recording and mix; not the 1986 rerecording
MusicAtlas editorial note: The repeating bass-and-guitar pattern stays firm while the lead guitar pushes into increasingly wide phrases.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1970 (year verified)
The original studio recording was released in 1970 and belongs to the original Chicago program. Year precision does not assign an album day to a single or a later reissue.
Recording: Original 1970 studio recording and mix; not the 1986 rerecording
Credit: Chicago
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original album: Chicago
Original album association; the supported year is not an exact worldwide release day.
Chicago - official original album program
The band archive identifies the original 1970 album and its track program. Only original studio recordings are selected; modern remixes, bonus material, concert versions and subsequent rerecordings are excluded. The album day is not promoted to an earlier single day. Make Me Smile and Colour My World are separately named movements within Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon; the full suite is not also selected. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
In the yearly lists
These are listening-list appearances, separate from the first-release date.
The retained 1970 hit is the original studio performance identified by the band, distinct from the explicitly separate 1986 rerecording and 2017 remix.
Chicago - official original album program
The band archive identifies the original 1970 album and its track program. Only original studio recordings are selected; modern remixes, bonus material, concert versions and subsequent rerecordings are excluded. The album day is not promoted to an earlier single day. Make Me Smile and Colour My World are separately named movements within Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon; the full suite is not also selected. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
About Chicago
Chicago formed in its namesake city in 1967 with the aim of combining a rock rhythm section and a prominent horn section. The musicians brought backgrounds in jazz, R&B and other styles to that approach. Their first album, Chicago Transit Authority, appeared in 1969, featuring several songwriters and singers within the same ensemble. Long arrangements and instrumental passages were part of its early identity, alongside more compact songs that could reach radio audiences.
Artist background sources
A Chicago Story - official band history
1967 formation, rock-with-horns concept, jazz/R&B backgrounds, 1969 debut album and original writing, vocal and arrangement approach; individual member solo careers are not mapped. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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