The Night Chicago Died
Paper Lace
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Daddy was a cop on the east side of Chicago Back in the U.S.A. back in the bad old days In the heat of a summer night In the land of the dollar bill When the town of Chicago died And they talk about it still When a man named Al Capone Tried to make that town his own And he called his gang to war With the forces of the law I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night it really was Brother what a fight it really was Glory be! I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed! And the sound of the battle rang Through the streets of the old east side 'Til the last of the hoodlum gang Had surrendered up or died There was shouting in the street And the sound of running feet And I asked someone who said "'Bout a hundred cops are dead!" I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night it really was Brother what a fight it really was Glory be! I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed! And there was no sound at all But the clock upon the wall Then the door burst open wide And my daddy stepped inside And he kissed my mama's face And he brushed her tears away The night Chicago died (Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na) The night Chicago died Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed! The night Chicago died (Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na) The night Chicago died Brother what a night it really was Brother what a fight it really was Glory be! The night Chicago died (Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na) The night Chicago died Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed!
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Written by: MITCH MURRAY, PETER CALLANDER
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Chart Performance"The Night Chicago Died" is a song by the British group Paper Lace that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in 1974. It also hit number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
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Song's OriginWritten by Peter Callander and Mitch Murray, the song describes a fictional account of a shoot-out between the Chicago Police and gangsters tied to Al Capone.
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Song BackgroundThe song's narrative implies that the event — which resulted in the death of Al Capone — took place on the East Side of Chicago. Interesting to note, however, is the fact that there is no "East Side" in Chicago, as Lake Michigan is immediately east of the city.
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Album InclusionThis song was included in the band’s album, "Paper Lace and Other Bits of Material," a popular album released on the Philips Records label.
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InspirationsThe song was inspired by gangster movies set in the prohibition era that the songwriters watched when they were young.
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RecognitionDespite inaccuracies in its management of Chicago's geography, "The Night Chicago Died" is among the most memorable songs of the 70s and a significant hit in the career of Paper Lace, gaining a gold disc.
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Remarkable CoverThere have been many cover versions of "The Night Chicago Died." For instance, Puerto Rican singer Ñico Estrada did a Spanish version called "La noche que murió Chicago."
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AwardsThe song earned an Ivor Novello Award for the British songwriters Peter Callander and Mitch Murray.
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ControversyThe song received some controversy when some Chicago officials claimed that the event described in the song never took place. This prompted Callander and Murray to issue a statement clarifying the fictional nature of the song.
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Impact on Band’s PopularityFollowing the success of "The Night Chicago Died," Paper Lace became a household name in the United States and beyond, elevating the band to stardom.
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Citation
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"The Night Chicago Died Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Sep. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/8188693/Paper+Lace/The+Night+Chicago+Died>.
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