If You Leave Me Now: Chicago's First Number One
If You Leave Me Now gave Chicago their first number one in October 1976.
Bass player Peter Cetera wrote it on guitar and sang it, a quiet ballad that opened a new chapter for the band.
It stayed on top for two weeks in the US and three weeks in the UK.
This page covers the writing, the recording, the charts, the two Grammys and the covers.
Chicago, in a Columbia Records photo from about 1973, three years before their first number one.
Image credit: Columbia Records, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Billboard, July 7, 1973).
If You Leave Me Now: How Peter Cetera Wrote It
Peter Cetera was Chicago's bass player, and he wrote and sang this one himself.
He composed it on guitar.
Wikipedia places the writing around the same time as Wishing You Were Here, from Chicago VII.
A Key and a Range
Sheet music listings give the key as B major.
They put Cetera's vocal range between F sharp 3 and D sharp 5.
Those two notes show how high he sings in a song about begging someone to stay.
For more of the decade's quiet side, start at Music of the 70s and follow the soft rock tags.
Where It Sat in Chicago's Story
The record landed on Chicago X, the band's 1976 album.
It was a first in one specific way: no earlier Chicago single had reached number one.
Their earlier hit stopped at number four in 1970, a story told in our 25 or 6 to 4 post.
Recording the Song: Acoustic Demo, Live Take, Strings
The band recorded it in March and April 1976.
James William Guercio produced, and the finished track runs 3:58.
Guercio played acoustic guitar on the demo.
He planned for Terry Kath to replace that part later.
The band liked the demo guitar and kept it.
A Basic Track Cut Live
Per Cetera's 1991 booklet notes for Group Portrait, the song was recorded live with the band.
His first vocal was later redone, and Kath added an electric guitar overdub.
| Player | Part |
|---|---|
| Peter Cetera | Lead vocal (redone later) |
| James William Guercio | Acoustic guitar |
| Terry Kath | Bass on the live take, electric guitar overdub |
| Robert Lamm | Piano |
| Danny Seraphine | Drums |
| Jimmie Haskell | String arrangement |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, citing Cetera's 1991 notes, checked October 21, 2026.
The Radio Test
Walter Parazaider remembered hearing the song on the radio while he cleaned his pool.
He thought it sounded like Paul McCartney.
That is a fair guess for a record built on acoustic guitar, strings and one clear voice.
Hear the 1976 Single
Press play and listen for the acoustic guitar Guercio played on the demo, then for the strings Jimmie Haskell arranged.
You can also find If You Leave Me Now on the Listen Now jukebox.
On the Charts: Number One in October 1976
Columbia Records released the single on July 30, 1976, with Together Again on the B-side.
It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart of October 23, 1976.
This site's weekly Hot 100 data confirms two weeks on top, the weeks of October 23 and October 30.
It was Chicago's first number one.
Number One in the US and the UK
- It also reached number one on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and the Cash Box Top 100.
- In the UK it spent three weeks at number one.
- Billboard counted it as one of five non-disco US number ones in a nine-month stretch of 1976.
- By August 1978 it had sold 1.4 million copies in the US.
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | No. 1 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening | No. 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | No. 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | No. 1 (three weeks) |
| Australia | No. 1 |
| Ireland | No. 1 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | No. 1 |
| Netherlands | No. 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok) | No. 1 |
| Belgium (Flanders) | No. 2 |
| New Zealand | No. 2 |
| Sweden | No. 2 |
| Austria | No. 3 |
| Germany | No. 3 |
| Italy | No. 3 |
| Switzerland | No. 3 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) | No. 4 |
| Norway | No. 4 |
| France | No. 5 |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, weekly charts section, checked October 21, 2026. The two weeks at number one on the Hot 100 match this site's weekly Hot 100 data.
Twelve of the song's 1976 chart peaks, drawn from the Wikipedia figures in the table above.
Year-End Standing
This site's Year-End Hot 100 data puts the song at No. 48 for 1976.
Wikipedia lists higher year-end finishes elsewhere: No. 6 in the UK, No. 9 in Canada, and No. 14 on the Cash Box list.
To see where it sits among the year's biggest records, check our top songs of 1976 post.
Certifications
- United States: Platinum.
- United Kingdom: Platinum.
- Spain: Platinum.
- New Zealand: Platinum.
- Canada: Gold.
- Denmark: Gold.
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, certifications section.
If a slow love song suits your mood, the Mood Song Matcher can find more like it.
Two Grammys and a Chocolate Kiss
The song won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for Record of the Year.
The first win was Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus, the group's first Grammy.
The second was Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), for the strings.
What the Critics Said
- Cash Box called it an excellent ballad.
- Record World called it a good single choice.
- The Guardian ranked it No. 73 on its 2020 list of the greatest UK number ones.
- Writing in 2016, Troy L. Smith said Cetera gives the best vocal performance of any Chicago song.
Chicago Transit Authority, from a feature in the January 1970 issue of Hit Parader magazine.
Image credit: Hit Parader magazine, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
A Kiss in a Cash Box Ad
The single was promoted with a full-page Cash Box ad.
The ad showed it as a chocolate kiss, echoing the chocolate bar on the album cover.
For the whole run of the band's decade, browse the Chicago band songs list.
A Song That Raised Money
In 2010 Chicago partnered with the American Cancer Society on a fundraiser.
Fans could bid for the chance to sing the song with the band.
The effort continued in later years.
Covers, Samples and Screen Appearances
SecondHandSongs lists more than 130 covers of the song from 1976 to 2020.
Wikipedia names several of them.
Notable Covers
- Brotherhood of Man, 1980.
- Elkie Brooks, 1981, on the album Pearls, which reached No. 2 in the UK.
- Viola Wills, 1981, a disco version.
- Upside Down, 1996, which reached No. 27 in the UK.
- Peter Cetera, 1997, a solo version.
- The Isley Brothers, 2001.
- 3T with T-Rio, 2004.
- Suzy Bogguss and John Barrowman, 2007.
- Boyz II Men, 2009.
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, cover versions section.
Samples, a Dance Remake and a Live Guest
- Daft Punk sampled the song on Teachers and Fresh, from the 1997 album Homework.
- The German group Chess released an uptempo dance version on February 1, 1993, which reached No. 67 on the German chart.
- Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind and Fire sang it on joint tours with Chicago from 2004 to 2006.
On Screen and in Ads
- Television: South Park, Modern Family, Sex and the City and The Regime.
- Film: Shaun of the Dead, Three Kings, The Flash in 2023 and The Secret Agent in 2025.
- Video games: Grand Theft Auto V.
- Commercials: Pets.com in the early 2000s and Canadian Tire in 2024.
A ballad written on guitar by a bass player now turns up in films, ads and dance records.
To hear what else the decade has in store, let the Random 70s Song Generator pick your next song.
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 21, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote If You Leave Me Now by Chicago?
Peter Cetera, Chicago's bass player, wrote If You Leave Me Now and sang the lead vocal.
He composed it on guitar around the same time as Wishing You Were Here.
James William Guercio produced the 1976 recording, which appears on the album Chicago X.
Did If You Leave Me Now reach number one?
The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks starting October 23, 1976.
It was Chicago's first number one single.
It also topped the Cash Box Top 100 and the Billboard Easy Listening chart, and it spent three weeks at number one in the UK.
Who played on If You Leave Me Now?
Per Peter Cetera's 1991 Group Portrait notes, the basic track was recorded live with Cetera singing, Guercio on acoustic guitar, Terry Kath on bass, Robert Lamm on piano and Danny Seraphine on drums.
Cetera's vocal was later redone, Kath added electric guitar, and Jimmie Haskell arranged the strings.
What album is If You Leave Me Now on?
If You Leave Me Now is on Chicago X, the band's 1976 album.
Columbia Records released it as a single on July 30, 1976, with Together Again on the B-side.
The recording took place in March and April 1976 and runs 3:58.
Did If You Leave Me Now win a Grammy?
If You Leave Me Now won two Grammy Awards, and it was nominated for Record of the Year.
One was Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus, the group's first Grammy.
The other was Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), awarded to arranger Jimmie Haskell and producer Guercio.
Sources
- If You Leave Me Now, Wikipedia, for the writing, the recording, the single release, chart peaks, certifications, awards, reception and covers.
- Chicago (band), Wikipedia, for background on the artist.
- Chicago X, Wikipedia, for the album the song appeared on.
- The Year-End rank and the two weeks at number one come from this site's own Billboard Year-End Hot 100 and weekly Hot 100 data.
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