Make Me Smile (Single Version) - 2002 Remaster

This song was written by James Pankow, a founding member of Chicago whose primary instrument is the trombone. What made him smile was the thought of a beautiful relationship. In a Songfacts interview with Pankow, he explained: "Relationships, if they're good, put a big smile on our faces. Love songs have always been a powerful ingredient in the song's process - the songwriting process has often taken writers to that place."

This is the first section from the 13-minute musical suite "Ballet for a Girl from Buchannon" on the group's second album ("Colour My World" is also part of this suite). Without the band's knowledge, their record company excerpted the "Make Me Smile" section and pushed it to AM radio stations, which had thus far ignored the band. The band had mixed emotions upon hearing their musical masterpiece chopped down for radio play, but were thrilled when the song became their first hit. Having learned the alchemy for turning Chicago songs into hits, the record company went back to the group's first album and edited down three more songs, which they released as singles: "Questions 67 And 68," "Beginnings," and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?."

Chicago's original guitar player/vocalist Terry Kath sang lead on this track. After Kath died in 1978, other members of the band, including Bill Champlin and Robert Lamm, would handle the vocals when they performed the song live.