Hard to Say I'm Sorry - 2009 Remaster

This song marked a resurgence for Chicago, who had been dropped from their longtime label, Columbia Records, and picked up by the Full Moon label, distributed by Warner Bros. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" was their first single on Full Moon, providing an instant return for the label when the song went to #1 in America and even became a rare UK hit for Chicago, reaching #4 (it also went to #1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart). To find this hit sound, the band turned to the same formula that brewed up their first #1 hit, "If You Leave Me Now": A ballad with lead vocals by Peter Cetera. Chicago was one of the first rock bands of the '60s and '70s to take on a softer, more keyboard-driven sound in the '80s, downplaying their famous horn section. They were followed by Yes ("Owner Of A Lonely Heart"), Van Halen ("Jump") and Heart ("These Dreams") onto the charts with this new sound.

Chicago vocalist Peter Cetera wrote this with David Foster, who also played piano on the track. The song finds Cetera trying desperately to hold on to a relationship that has fizzled out, promising to make up for his indiscretions and playing the "we've been through so much" card. Foster worked on a similarly themed song for Earth, Wind & Fire a few years earlier in "After The Love Has Gone ."

Steve Lukather (guitar), David Paich (synthesizer) and Steve Porcaro (synthesizer), all played on this track. These guys were top studio musicians as well as members of Toto. Bringing them in caused plenty of friction in the band, which didn't like the idea of other musicians playing their parts. But David Foster knew exactly what he wanted, and was willing to bring in the guys who could achieve it. Bill Champlin, who joined the band in 1981 and suggested they use Foster, explained in a Songfacts interview: "Foster would just as soon call the A players and bring them in, and I really don't blame him. Real major players that can get this stuff for you in a minute. They really eyeball with the producer once and give it to him on take one."