All That Jazz by Cast of Chicago

Album: Chicago (1975)

License This Song

lyrics

Songfacts®:

"All That Jazz" is the opening number from the musical Chicago; the phrase had of course become a cliché long before Kander and Ebb came up with their award winning show and film.

The song is performed principally by Velma Kelly in a well choreographed scene in a jazz club. At the time this was set - 1924 - jazz hadn't been around for long, and was regarded by the more Puritanical as a corrupting influence, not the least because this was the era of Prohibition. As Velma performs she is unaware that the police have arrived to arrest her for murder. Velma Kelly was based on Belva Gaertner, who like the other principal female character in Chicago (Roxie Hart) was tried for shooting her lover dead. Both women were acquitted in spite of rather than because of the evidence. >>>
Suggestion credit:
Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments: 1

Oscar Lanzi from Chicago, IlAfter the second set of four lines several sources have the piano player saying "Skidoo" (meaning "you need to leave"). But it sounds to me like he is actually aaying "Excuse me" (I do not hear the consonant "d" and faintly hear a syllable after thecstressed one with a consonant "m"), as if trying to get Velma's attention. Presumably he wants to know why Velma is performing solo when he has just announced otherwise — or, perhaps, he has spotted police entering the club and wants to warn her. What say you after listening closely?

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of)Lou Bega

The party tune "Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of)" was the theme song for the 2000 Democratic Convention (the party of Bill Clinton), until someone noticed the line, "A little bit of Monica in my life."

Bangla DeshGeorge Harrison

George Harrison's 1971 song "Bangla Desh" was the first major charity single. It was part of a concert held to bring relief to the people of Bangladesh, who were fighting for independence and suffering from a famine.

SailAwolnation

"Sail" by Awolnation was the first hit to mention ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) in the chorus ("Blame it on my ADD"). Lead singer Aaron Bruno put that line in because his parents and teachers often told him he had that condition, which explained his poor grades.

The Continuing Story of Bungalow BillThe Beatles

John Lennon wrote "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" about Richard Cooke, a hunter he met at the Maharishi's camp in India. Cooke hasn't shot anything since the camp, except with his camera - he became a freelance photographer for National Geographic.

Just The Way You AreBruno Mars

Before launching his career as a singer, Bruno Mars was a writer/producer. He and his co-writers pitched "Just The Way You Are" to Cee-Lo Green; when he turned it down, Bruno recorded it himself and released it in 2010 as his first single as a lead artist.

(Everything I Do) I Do It For YouBryan Adams

The Bryan Adams song "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" was almost rejected for the movie Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves because it didn't sound medieval enough.