This Fourth of July falls on a Saturday — and that makes it the perfect occasion to revisit the origin story of one of summer's most enduring songs.
Chicago's "Saturday in the Park" was recorded in September 1971 and released on July 13, 1972. Keyboardist Robert Lamm wrote the song after being inspired by a lively, festive crowd he observed during a Fourth of July celebration in New York City's Central Park.
This will be the last time the Fourth of July falls on a Saturday until 2037.
Lamm told Billboard magazine in 2017 how the song came together.
"'Saturday in the Park' was written as I was looking at footage from a film I shot in Central Park, over a couple of years, back in the early '70s. I shot this film and somewhere down the line I edited it into some kind of a narrative, and as I watched the film I jotted down some ideas based on what I was seeing and had experienced. And it was really kind of that peace and love thing that happened in Central Park and in many parks all over the world, perhaps on a Saturday, where people just relax and enjoy each other's presence, and the activities we observe and the feelings we get from feeling a part of a day like that."
Related: Check out these 4th of July events in West Allis:
The federal holiday this year falls on Friday, July 3, with the Saturday celebration extending the holiday weekend.
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