Beginnings
Chicago
1971
Annual listening list: initial release cycle, with recent carryovers; not an original-release-date field. Release chronology remains partly unverified.
Release year not established
Release year not establishedDate review open
A first-release date was not established in the available metadata.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
About Chicago
Song-specific inspiration or recording background is not established for this entry. This sourced artist profile provides career context.
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.
Retained annual-list context
Beginnings by Chicago appears at number 56 in the reviewed U.S. year-end table for 1971. The source rank is shared with another side of the single; it is not a separate rank invented for this song. No reliable song-specific account of its inspiration was established in this review.
Annual-list context only; songwriting inspiration remains unestablished
Billboard year-end 1971 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata. Rank shared by a double-sided single.
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Original release date and exact pressing/version are not independently established.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Editorial artist-repertoire classification
Billboard year-end 1971 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata. Rank shared by a double-sided single.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.