Top 10 Peter Cetera Songs From His Solo Career

Photo: Sven Mandel, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Peter Cetera Songs From His Solo Career list looks at the music Peter Cetera released outside of the albums he recorded with the band Chicago. As a solo performer, Peter Cetera scored six Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including two number-one hits. While there have been many hits and music awards, Peter Cetera’s catalog is also filled with deep album tracks from an artist who could rock just as hard as he could sing those teary-eyed ballads. Cetera eventually stepped away from live performance and announced his retirement from performing in 2020, but the solo catalog he built from the early 1980s through the 2000s remains a major part of his legacy.

# 10 – Livin’ in the Limelight

We open up with something nice and heavy on our Peter Cetera solo songs list. The heaviness is due in large part to Toto’s lead guitarist, Steve Lukather, who plays lead guitar and lays down a spectacular solo in the middle of the track. The song “Livin’ In The Limelight” was released on Peter Cetera’s first solo album, Peter Cetera, in 1981. The album was not a commercial success, peaking at number 143 on the Billboard 200. Because Cetera remained a member of Chicago, he did not immediately follow it with another solo record. After leaving Chicago in 1985, he returned to solo recording and hit it big with “Glory of Love” in 1986.

# 9 – It’s Only Love

The Beatles are probably the most covered band in classic rock history. How could they not be? They released almost three hundred perfect songs in just seven years of work. I have heard great Beatles covers and some not-so-great ones. Peter Cetera’s cover of The Beatles’ “It’s Only Love” falls into the great category. The ex-Chicago lead singer and bassist doesn’t change much about the song regarding melody or lyrics. What he does do is add a nice contemporary, soulful groove that surrounds his gorgeous voice, making this one quite an excellent listen. Cetera recorded the Lennon-McCartney song for his 2001 album Another Perfect World.

# 8 – Deck The Halls

We don’t often place songs from Christmas albums on best-of lists, but we are making an exception for this one. In 2004, Peter Cetera released his one and only Christmas album, You Just Gotta Love Christmas. The album was filled mostly with Christmas classics along with a few original holiday songs written by Cetera. One of the album’s standout tracks was a Celtic-flavored version of the standard “Deck the Halls.” The inclusion of the wonderful Alison Krauss on backing vocals made for an exceptional recording.

# 7 – Save Me

When one thinks of Peter Cetera’s solo career, one probably thinks of a catalog filled with ballads. However, if you paid attention to the first song we presented on this list and now this cranking tune, you will discover that Peter Cetera has always been a rocker at heart. “Save Me” appeared on Cetera’s 1988 album One More Story and was co-written by Cetera and David Foster. The track features some remarkable guest musicians, including Bonnie Raitt, who contributed guitar and backing vocals. The song later served as the original opening theme for Baywatch during the show’s initial NBC run. If you have never heard this one, make sure to press play below.

# 6 – After All

“After All” brought together the legendary vocal talents of Cher and Peter Cetera. Released in 1989, the song was written by Tom Snow and Dean Pitchford for the film Chances Are. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 62nd Academy Awards, where it lost to “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid. “After All” also appeared on Cher’s album Heart of Stone and later on Peter Cetera compilations including You’re The Inspiration – A Collection and The Very Best of Peter Cetera.

Chart-wise, “After All” climbed to number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. It became one of the defining duet ballads of both artists’ late-1980s careers.

# 5 – Restless Heart

At the halfway point on our Peter Cetera solo songs list, we turn to another mid-tempo rocker. With a heavy snare drum and cranking bass line fueling the groove, Peter Cetera’s vocals soar above the mix, making for a standout track that echoes a bit of the work he did with Chicago minus the horn section. “Restless Heart” was released on Peter Cetera’s 1992 album World Falling Down. The song was composed by Peter Cetera and Andy Hill. It marked Cetera’s fifth and final number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, where it remained at the top for two weeks. It also became his final Top 40 appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 35.

# 4 – One Good Woman

Peter Cetera turned to some heavy hitters for his One More Story album. The record was produced by Patrick Leonard, who was responsible for some of Madonna’s biggest hits of the 1980s. One can easily hear Leonard’s touch on the song, especially in the keyboard work. Also on board were guitarist Dann Huff and drummer John Robinson. Of course, in the end, it all comes down to Peter Cetera’s golden voice, which stands front and center. “One Good Woman,” written by Cetera and Leonard, became another major solo hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. This is a really special one.

# 3 – Glory Of Love

If there was ever any doubt that Peter Cetera could make it on his own as a solo artist, that doubt was erased with the success of “Glory of Love.” The song defines the sound of 1980s soundtracks. Peter Cetera’s “Glory of Love” was released in 1986. Co-written by Cetera, Diane Nini, and David Foster, the track was featured in The Karate Kid Part II and soared to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a key song on Cetera’s Solitude/Solitaire album, produced by Michael Omartian.

“Glory of Love” spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and five weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, while Cetera’s performance also earned a Grammy nomination. The record became the breakthrough that fully established his post-Chicago solo career.

# 2 – The Next Time I Fall

Well, this was a big one. If you grew up in the 1980s, this is a song you heard at least a thousand times. It’s a perfect ballad that became a massive hit for both Peter Cetera and Amy Grant. Written by Bobby Caldwell and Paul Gordon, “The Next Time I Fall” was recorded for Cetera’s 1986 album Solitude/Solitaire. The song reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. It also earned Cetera and Grant a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Even though it’s a duet, the music video spends its time cutting back and forth between Grant and Cetera rather than staging them together. Still, the video is worth a watch as Amy Grant is simply mesmerizing.

# 1 – You Never Listen To Me

Peter Cetera has some pretty big hits in his solo career, like the previous two songs we just listed, so it may come as a surprise to see this one placed in the number-one spot. Nonetheless, we are a rock and roll site, and to us, this one just hits the mark. Those haunting guitar parts sprinkled through the song should sound familiar to classic rock fans because Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour plays guitar on the track. Guy Pratt, another musician with deep Pink Floyd connections, handles bass. “You Never Listen To Me” appeared on Cetera’s 1988 album One More Story.

The song was also featured in the fifth-season Miami Vice episode “Redemption in Blood,” where its dark atmosphere fit the scene perfectly. It never became one of Cetera’s major pop singles, but as a deep album cut it reveals a tougher, moodier side of his solo work that deserves far more attention.