Mr. Cellophane

Album: Chicago (1975)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is another song from the musical and film Chicago; sung by the disillusioned husband of accused murderess Roxie Hart to her lawyer Billy Flynn, it has the same credits as the rest of the songs in this award winning show: music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb.

    The cellophane reference is because Amos Hart feels people can walk right through him without knowing he is there. The real Amos had every right to feel that way. The character Roxie Hart was based on Beulah Annan, who shot her lover dead in April 1924. Then she sat drinking cocktails and playing the record "Hula Lou" again and again before phoning her husband, Al. Mechanic Albert Annan was Beulah's second husband; in spite of her cuckholding him he stood by her, funding her defense. The day after she was acquitted, she left him because he was "too slow" and filed for divorce claiming he had deserted her.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues

Justin Hayward of The Moody BluesSongwriter Interviews

Justin wrote the classic "Nights In White Satin," but his fondest musical memories are from a different decade.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.