Just You 'n' Me

"Just You 'n' Me" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their fifth studio album Chicago VI (1973). The lead vocals are sung by bassist Peter Cetera.

"Just You 'N' Me"
Single by Chicago
from the album Chicago VI
B-side"Critic's Choice"
ReleasedSeptember 1973
GenreRock, blue-eyed soul
Length3:42
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)James Pankow
Producer(s)James William Guercio
Chicago singles chronology
"Feelin' Stronger Every Day"
(1973)
"Just You 'N' Me"
(1973)
"(I've Been) Searchin' So Long"
(1974)

Background

The second single released from that album, it was more successful than the first single, "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", reaching #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] and #1 on the Cash Box Top 100.[2] Walter Parazaider plays a soprano saxophone solo during the instrumental section while guitarist Terry Kath uses a wah-wah pedal and phase shifter on his guitar."Just You 'n' Me" was written after a fight between Pankow and his future wife Karen:

"We had had a huge fight, it was a nasty lovers' quarrel, if you will. She locked herself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out...'Just You 'n' Me' poured out of me in its entirety. Usually when I write songs I come up with an idea for a chorus or a hook and fill in the blanks in stages. This was a moment of clarity I've never experienced before or after. It remains a special event in my songwriting experience".[3]

Billboard called it one of Chicago's "best singles ever," with a "heartfelt and mature" love lyric.[4] Record World called it a "James Pankow tune that's done in typical Chicago fashion."[5]

"Just You 'n' Me" was the final song played by Chicago AM radio station WLS before switching to a talk radio format in 1989.[6]

Personnel

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Chart (1973)Rank
Canada[9]49
US Cash Box[10]62

Certifications

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11]Gold1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References