"Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" (sic), also known as "The Ballet" and "Make Me Smile Medley", is a nearly thirteen-minute mini- rock opera/ song cycle/suite from Chicago's 1970 album '' Chicago'' (also called ''Chicago II''). It was the group's first attempt at a long-format multi-part work. It was composed by James Pankow, who got the inspiration to write the "Ballet" from his love of long classical music song cycles. According to a May 2018 interview with the '' Charleston Gazette-Mail'', the songs were written in attempt to win back his ex-fiancee, Terrie Heisler,City celebrates 72nd birthday of Chicago’s legendary trombonist, Jimmy Pankow
/ref> who was at the time attending West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia. "Ballet" takes up three-quarters of side two of ''Chicago'' and consists of seven tracks, three of which are instrumentals: :# "

Make Me Smile "Make Me Smile" is a song written by James Pankow for the rock band Chicago with the band's guitarist, Terry Kath, on lead vocals. Part 1 of Pankow's 7-part "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" song cycle/suite, it was recorded for their second albu ...

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Lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

by Terry Kath) :# "So Much to Say, So Much to Give" (Lead vocals by Robert Lamm) :# "Anxiety's Moment" ( Instrumental) :# "West Virginia Fantasies" (Instrumental) :# " Colour My World" ( Vocals by Terry Kath) :# "To Be Free" (Instrumental) :# "Now More Than Ever" (Lead vocals by Terry Kath) The final track, "Now More Than Ever," is a single-verse reprise of the suite's opening song, "Make Me Smile." The vocal songs within the suite can be viewed as telling the story of a man searching for a far away lost love and attempting to rekindle the love they had shared. Two of these songs reached the top ten on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100: a single edit of "Make Me Smile (/Now More Than Ever)" (#9, 1970) and "Colour My World" (#7, 1971). The instrumental movement "West Virginia Fantasies" incorporates instrumental

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

extensively between the horns, guitar, and keyboards, exemplifying Chicago's skill at composing and arranging complex pieces. The suite was recorded as a single track, titled "The Ballet," on their album '' Chicago XXVI: Live in Concert'' in 1999. The version on the 2005 DVD '' Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire — Live at the Greek Theatre'' is called "Make Me Smile Medley," named after the suite's opening song. In some live concerts Chicago ended the first set with the "Ballet." The last long chord of "Now More Than Ever" often elicited a standing ovation from the audience.

References

{{authority control 1970 songs Chicago (band) songs Songs written by James Pankow Music medleys Song recordings produced by James William Guercio Rock operas