Solitude/Solitaire

Solitude/Solitaire is the second solo album by former Chicago bassist and vocalist Peter Cetera, and his first album after leaving the band in 1985. The album was released in June 1986. It includes the hits "Glory of Love" and "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant). Both reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Produced by Michael Omartian (who later co-produced Cetera's 2001 album, Another Perfect World), the album was Cetera's greatest solo success, peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

Cetera cowrote eight of the nine songs on the album, "The Next Time I Fall" being the exception. Because Cetera had been a prominent songwriter for Chicago, many of the songs on Solitude/Solitaire were rumored to originally have been slated for Chicago 18, especially "Big Mistake" and "Daddy's Girl".

While "Big Mistake" was due to be the first single from the album, "Glory of Love", cowritten by Cetera, David Foster, and Diane Nini, was released instead. That song, from the film The Karate Kid Part II, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and helped Solitude/Solitaire to eventually go platinum. The follow-up single, "The Next Time I Fall", was also a major success and topped the charts. Later singles released from the album included "Big Mistake" and "Only Love Knows Why". The song, "Daddy's Girl," is part of the soundtrack for the 1987 American comedy film, Three Men and a Baby.

Solitude/Solitaire, a slickly recorded and produced album, marked a high point in Cetera's career, where he achieved success for the first time on his own. It sold more copies than Chicago 18, Chicago's first album without Cetera, which peaked at No. 35.

Track listing

 * 1) "Big Mistake" (Peter Cetera, Amos Galpin) - 5:39
 * 2) "They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" (Cetera, Erich Bulling) - 4:04
 * 3) "Glory of Love" (Cetera, David Foster, Diane Nini) - 4:24
 * 4) "Queen of the Masquerade Ball" (Cetera, Michael Omartian) - 3:50
 * 5) "Daddy's Girl" (Cetera, Mark Goldenberg) - 3:46
 * 6) "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant) (Bobby Caldwell, Paul Gordon ) - 3:43
 * 7) "Wake Up to Love" (Cetera, David Wolinski, Omartian) - 4:29
 * 8) "Solitude/Solitaire" (Cetera, Omartian) - 4:58
 * 9) "Only Love Knows Why" (Cetera, George Bitzer, Omartian) - 4:29

Personnel
Modified from AllMusic and album liner notes
 * Peter Cetera – vocals
 * Dann Huff – electric guitars
 * Ray Parker, Jr. – electric guitars on "Wake Up to Love"
 * Paul Leim – drums on "Glory of Love" and "Only Love Knows Why"
 * Chester Thompson – drums on "The Next Time I Fall"
 * Kenny Cetera – percussion, additional backing vocals
 * Jeff Porcaro – percussion
 * Michael Omartian – keyboards, producer
 * Willie Alexander – Fairlight programming
 * Steve Azbill – PPG Waveterm synthesizer programming
 * Erich Bulling – synthesizers, drum programming
 * Amy Grant – vocals on "The Next Time I Fall"
 * Britt Bacon – engineer
 * Terry Christian – engineer, mixing
 * Khaliq Glover – engineer
 * John Guess – engineer, mixing
 * Ray Pyle – engineer
 * Laura Livingston – engineer
 * Lion Share Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California – recording and mixing location
 * Lighthouse Studios, Studio City, California – recording location
 * Skyline Studios, New York, New York – recording location
 * Steve Hall – mastering
 * Future Disc, Hollywood, California – mastering location
 * Herb Ritts – photography
 * Jeri McManus – art direction and design