"Chicago" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and published in 1922. The original sheet music had different spellings for the title, such as "Todd'ling" or "Toddling." Many artists have recorded the song, including Frank Sinatra, Ben Selvin, and Judy Garland. The song mentions Chicago's colorful past, including the line, "The surprise of my life / I saw a man dancing with his own wife." It also references evangelist Billy Sunday and notes that he could not "shut down" the city. The song mentions State Street, where "they do things they don't do on Broadway."

The song appeared on the U.S. pop charts, reaching #84 in the fall of 1957. It was the first of two songs about Chicago that reached the charts by Frank Sinatra. The second was "My Kind of Town," released in 1964, which reached #110 on the U.S. charts.

In 1996, the song was parodied as "Chicago (No Elmos Allowed)." This version was a humorous take on the widespread popularity of Elmo, which was at the height of its fame at that time, with many Elmo-themed products and Tickle-Me Elmo dolls being sold.

Lyrics

The lyrics of this song have changed over time. The original third verse included the lines, "More Colored people up in State Street you can see, / Than you'll see in Louisiana or Tennessee," and mentioned the Chicago Stockyards. In later recordings, these lines were replaced. Of all the versions, Judy Garland's 1961 concert recording at Carnegie Hall includes the most references: Marshall Field's department store, the Drake Hotel, the Chicago Loop, The Pump Room at the Ambassador East hotel, and even Mrs. O'Leary's Cow.

Film appearances

• 1937 – An instrumental version was played during the opening credits of the 1933 film Little Giant, starring Edward G. Robinson. The song was also played again later in the film.
• 1939 – The song appeared in H.C. Potter’s 1939 film The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, which featured Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
• 1942 – The song was used in the opening and closing credits of the 1942 movie Roxie Hart, starring Ginger Rogers and Adolphe Menjou.
• 1949 – The song was included in the fictionalized biography of Fred Fisher titled Oh, You Beautiful Doll.
• 1952 – The song was used in the 1952 film With a Song in My Heart.
• 1957 – Frank Sinatra performed the song in the 1957 movie The Joker Is Wild, in which he starred. A version that was recorded separately (not the one used in the film) is the only version that reached music charts.
• 1974 – The song appears in the film Harry and Tonto.

Live covers

• Green Day performed at Chicago's United Center on July 13, 2009.
• Sergio Franchi recorded this song in Italian during his concert in 1965 for RCA Victor, Live at The Coconut Grove.
• CM Punk appeared on the final episode of Monday Night Raw on June 27, 2011.