Baby, What A Big Surprise – Chicago | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#4) & Adult Contemporary (#8); 1977
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
After seven years as one of America’s premier hit making outfits, smash singles were no surprise to Chicago. Starting with 1970’s Make Me Smile, the Windy City ensemble reeled off twelve Top 10 singles over the next seven years.
They charmed album buyers, too, releasing ten Top 10’s during that time, five of which held down the #1 spot for a total of 22 weeks. The album chart and sales pace began to slow with 1977’s Chicago XI, yet it still reached #6.
By then bassist Peter Cetera had emerged as a preeminent writer of smooth ballads, and, as he’d done with Wishing You Were Here and If You Leave Me Now, he again crafted an easy-on-the-ears song, Baby What A Big Surprise.
Not surprisingly it was a hit; surprisingly it was the last Top 10 Chicago would have for six long years before Hard To Say I’m Sorry, co-written by Cetera, put them back on top.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- James William Guercio
Lyrics Written by:
- Peter Cetera
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).