"Chicago" is a song written by Fred Fisher and published in 1922. The song has been recorded by many artists, but the best-known versions is by Frank Sinatra recording it on Aug. 13, 1957.

The song alludes to the city's colorful past, feigning "... the surprise of my life / I saw a man dancing with his own wife", mentioning evangelist Billy Sunday as having not been able to "shut down" the city, and State Street where "they do things they don't do on Broadway".

It has been used in a half dozen or so movies, but Sinatra's version from "The Joker Is Wild" made it a radio and record hit in 1957. Sinatra would continue to sing it throughout his career.

Not everybody liked the song. The Chicago Daily Tribune, as The Tribune was known then, railed against the song ''Chicago'' calling it ''a miserable thing bearing the city's name.”

The map included with the record is from a 1949 publication, The Chicago Book by Fred Korth.

Various Sources