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One Hit Wonders - "The Night Chicago Died" Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Sticks & SkaryShari: Had to pull all the, "One Hit Wonders" due to a prescribed burn in this section. Cacheapalooza 6 for Sticks & SkaryShari is now officially over... Bummer. See ya all in January.

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Hidden : 1/17/2012
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

"Paper Lace"





""The Night Chicago Died" is a song by the British group Paper Lace, written by Peter Callander and Mitch Murray. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in 1974, reached number 3 in the UK charts, and number 2 in Canada. It is about a fictional shoot-out in Chicago between gangsters tied to Al Capone and the Chicago Police. The narrator retells his mother's anguish while awaiting news of the fate of her husband, a Chicago policeman.

"The Night Chicago Died" is a work of fiction. Although it references the notorious Chicago mobster Al Capone and his gang by name, no such massive police shootout took place during Capone's reign as the head of the city's organized crime syndicate. In fact, police often worked with the gangsters, soliciting and accepting bribes, and sometimes even standing guard during liquor deliveries. Capone's criminal career ended quietly in 1931, when he was convicted of income-tax evasion and weapons possession.

The songwriters said in interviews—most notably on Beat Club shortly after the song's smash success—that they had never been to Chicago before that time, and that their knowledge of the city and that period of its history had been based on gangster films.

Paper Lace did send the song to Mayor Richard Daley, who was not impressed with the song and greatly disliked it.





Cache placement approved by Martin Morse, park service specialist. Obey all speed limits. Do not block gates. All wheels off the pavement.



Additional Hints (No hints available.)