You're the Inspiration

"You're the Inspiration"
Single by Chicago
from the album Chicago 17
B-side	"Once In a Lifetime"
Released	November 29, 1984 (1984-11-29)
Format	7"
Recorded	1984
Genre	Rock, soft rock
Length	3:51
Label	Full Moon/Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Peter Cetera, David Foster
Producer(s)	David Foster
Chicago singles chronology
Hard Habit to Break (1984) You're the Inspiration (1984) Along Comes a Woman (1985)

"You're the Inspiration" is a song written by Peter Cetera and David Foster for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 17 (1984), with Cetera singing lead vocals. The third single released from that album, it reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1985, and also climbed to the top position on the adult contemporary chart at the same time.^[1]

History

Cetera stated in a 2004 interview that "Inspiration" started out as a song for Kenny Rogers. David Foster was working in the studio with Rogers and called Cetera to tell him that Kenny wanted him to write a song for him. Cetera said in the interview, "David Foster called me up and he said, ‘I’m in the studio with Kenny Rogers, and he would like you to write a song for him.’ And I said, ‘That’s great! As a matter of fact, I’m leaving for Italy...’ I was going to Europe for something; I don’t remember [why]...and this was like nine o’clock in the morning...I said, ‘I’m leaving for Italy tonight around five o’clock. I’ll be there about two weeks, and I’ll call you when I come back.’ And he goes, ‘No, no, no, he means, like, now.’ (....) And so David was in the studio, and of course, you know, last minute; and so I said, ‘Alright, well you come over here right now, and we’ll see what we can do.’ So in the midst of packing, David drove out to where I was then living, and we basically, in about three hours, came up with a little chordal structure for “You’re the Inspiration,” which it wasn’t called that at the time. And we sort of made this little tape of this chord structure; I took it on the plane, [and] went to Italy. And, of course, lying in these beautiful baroque and marble rooms, and singing out the window...I was writing things about, ‘Michelangelo you should know, Michelangelo.’ And I came up with, oh...you’re the inspiration! [So, I] came back with the words, worked on this melody, and came back and presented the song. And [Kenny] basically didn’t have the time or didn’t want to do it. Good for me!"^[2] He then changed some of the words and recorded it with Chicago for their Chicago 17 album.

Music video

The video depicted the band performing intercut with scenes of embracing couples of varying ages ranging to young kids to a couple resembling Billy Idol and Madonna at the time.

Charts

Peter Cetera feat. Az Yet version

Track listings

1. "You're the Inspiration" 4:07
2. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" 3:13

Charts

Cover versions

• Covered by UK singer Elkie Brooks on her 1989 album, Inspiration.
• Covered by David Foster as an instrumental-piano version on his 1991 album, Rechordings.
• Covered by pop singer Stevie Brock on his 2003 debut self-titled album.
• Peter Cetera re-recorded the song for his 1997 solo album You're the Inspiration: A Collection.
• Covered by Julian Miranda for the 2006 Nintendo DS game Elite Beat Agents.
• Covered by Relient K for inclusion on their 2011 EP, Is for Karaoke.
• Covered by Jamaican Reggae group L.U.S.T. in 2009

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1985 (U.S.)

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics