Class Lyrics – Chicago

Song Overview

“Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag” is the film-finale medley from Chicago (2002) - the screen adaptation directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall - and it doubles as a victory lap for Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. On the official soundtrack, it’s credited to Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones with bandleader lines by Taye Diggs, and produced for the album by Randy Spendlove and Ric Wake. Release date for the album: November 19, 2002.

Review and Highlights

As a closer, the medley is sly. “Nowadays” sings with rueful charm, a showgirl’s shrug at time’s churn. Then the band kicks into “Hot Honey Rag” and the floor turns into lacquered wood - precision kicks, Charleston accents, brass stabs, reeds chattering like camera shutters. The MC’s carnival-barker patter frames Roxie and Velma not as redeemed, but repackaged - scandal minted into saleable glamour. It’s a curtain-call that winks at how fame gets laundered by spectacle.

Creation History

Kander and Ebb wrote “Nowadays” for the 1975 stage musical Chicago; “Hot Honey Rag” is the instrumental dance that seals the deal in the finale. The 1996 Broadway revival and 1997 London cast recordings keep the one-two punch intact. For the 2002 film, Rob Marshall staged and choreographed the sequence, with musical supervision and conducting by Paul Bogaev and orchestrations led by Doug Besterman. Album production was overseen by Randy Spendlove and Ric Wake.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

After courtroom theatrics and tabloid churn, Roxie and Velma re-emerge as a two-woman vaudeville act. “Nowadays” states the thesis - life changes, attention fades - then “Hot Honey Rag” cashes it out with a brisk, syncopated dance that cements their partnership. What used to be evidence becomes entertainment.

Song Meaning

The finale isn’t sentimental. It’s transactional. In this world, image beats innocence, and survival requires style. Kander and Ebb’s writing treats cynicism like a spotlight: it doesn’t fix anyone, but it shows you the angles. Marshall’s film leans into that - the camera edits like a tap dancer, and the band plays like a press room.

Annotations

“Not only one little lady, but two”

The MC’s setup tells you Roxie finally accepted Velma’s offer from “I Can’t Do It Alone” - on her terms. Duo, not understudy.

“Scintillating”

The adjective flashes like a marquee - literally “sparkly,” born from scintilla, a spark - and perfectly on-brand for a number where shine is the point.

“In fifty years or so”

A sly meta-joke: the story is set in the 1920s, while the stage musical opened in 1975 - about “fifty years or so” later - and the film arrived in 2002, refracting both eras.

“Let’s all go to hell”

The MC sells a party with no moral hangover. If the heroines are already damned, why not enjoy the ride - a neat summary of Chicago’s tabloid ethics.

Part 2: Hot Honey Rag

“Rag” nods to ragtime’s syncopation - a jaunty, uneven feel that fit the 1920s vibe and, here, works like a spoof and a celebration at once.

Style and rhythm

The band is a period pit - reeds doubling to clarinet, trumpet punches, banjo or guitar for that vaudeville bite, piano laying the grid, rhythm section snapping the Charleston sway. Besterman’s film orchestrations give it a crisp studio sheen without losing the speakeasy bite.

Cultural touchpoints

The finale’s DNA runs from Fosse’s 1975 staging through the long-running 1996 revival to Marshall’s film grammar - a lineage of flinty glamour that turns crime, press, and showbiz into one continuous step-ball-change.

Key Facts

• Artist: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, with Taye Diggs (MC)
• Composers/Lyricists: John Kander - music; Fred Ebb - lyrics
• Producers (soundtrack): Randy Spendlove, Ric Wake
• Release Date: November 19, 2002
• Album: Chicago - Music from the Miramax Motion Picture
• Label: Epic Records / Sony Music
• Length: ~3:27-3:29 (album index varies by edition)
• Orchestrations: Doug Besterman - film songs
• Conductor/Music Supervisor: Paul Bogaev
• Style: vaudeville-pop with ragtime snap; dance finale
• Core instruments: reeds/clarinet, brass, piano, guitar/banjo, bass, drums

Questions and Answers

Who produced “Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag” by Renée Zellweger?

Randy Spendlove and Ric Wake produced the soundtrack recording.

When did Renée Zellweger release “Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag”?

It appeared on the Chicago film soundtrack released November 19, 2002.

Who wrote “Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag”?

Music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Is there a notable cover?

Yes - Glee released “Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag” featuring Gwyneth Paltrow in 2010.

Was the soundtrack successful?

Very - it peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 and later won the 2004 Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Visual Media.

Awards and Chart Positions

The Chicago soundtrack - which includes this medley - peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 and won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Visual Media for producers Randy Spendlove and Ric Wake, with engineers Dan Hetzel and Joel Moss cited. The film itself won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

How to Sing Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag

Vocal layout: “Nowadays” is a close-harmony duet - light mix, crisp diction, and conversational phrasing. The film and published arrangements circulate in several keys depending on edition and transposition, so set it where the blend sits easy rather than where the belt shows off.

Feel & tempo: Keep “Nowadays” relaxed and a touch behind the beat - a seasoned-vaudeville smile. When the “Hot Honey Rag” hits, the groove tightens and the articulation turns percussive. Dance sections need breath discipline - plan quick “sips” on downbeats and release consonants fast so the band can bite.

Blend & style: Think matched vowels on “isn’t it?” and a unified shimmer on sustained chords. Let the ragtime lilt come from clean eighths and buoyant accents, not volume. If you stage it, prioritize precision over power - the choreography sells the triumph.

Additional Info

Beyond the film, the finale pairing appears on the 1996-97 revival recordings - Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking on Broadway, Ute Lemper and Ruthie Henshall in London - proof that the medley’s architecture works on stage and on camera. And if you’re tracking pop-culture echoes, Glee brought the duet to TV in 2010 with Gwyneth Paltrow and Lea Michele.