Funny Honey Lyrics – Chicago

Song Overview

Personal Review

I remember the first time I heard Gwen Verdon perform "Funny Honey" – it was like watching a master class in emotional manipulation disguised as a love song. There's something deeply unsettling about how sweetly she croons about her husband's devotion while you can practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes. The song starts as saccharine praise for a devoted fool, but by the final verse, Verdon's mask slips completely, revealing the calculating woman underneath. It's Broadway at its most cynical and brilliant, a perfect example of how a performer can make you complicit in something morally questionable just by singing prettily enough. This isn't just another ditty about marital bliss. "Funny Honey" captures the essence of manipulation wrapped in melody, delivered by one of Broadway's greatest performers at the height of her powers. The lyrics paint Amos Hart as a lovable simpleton while simultaneously revealing Roxie's contempt for the very qualities she claims to adore. It's a song that makes you uncomfortable in the best possible way, forcing you to confront how easily charm can mask cruelty.

Song Meaning and Annotations

The genius of Fred Ebb and John Kander's composition lies in its deceptive simplicity. On the surface, "Funny Honey" sounds like a typical 1920s love ballad – upbeat, bouncy, with that vaudeville swing that Chicago embraces throughout. But beneath the jaunty melody lurks something much darker, a portrait of a marriage built on exploitation and mutual delusion. The song operates on multiple levels of dramatic irony. While Roxie sings Amos's praises to the audience, we're simultaneously watching him fumble through a police interrogation that will ultimately expose her crime. The musical structure mirrors this duality – cheerful verses punctuated by increasingly tense spoken dialogue between Amos and the police officer. Verdon's performance transforms what could have been a straightforward character song into something more complex. She sells Roxie's manipulation so convincingly that you almost find yourself nodding along, even as you're horrified by what she's doing. That's the mark of a truly great performer – the ability to make the audience complicit in their character's moral failings.

"Sometime's I'm right Sometime's I'm wrong But he doesn't care He'll string along He loves me so That funny honey of mine"

These opening lines establish the song's central theme – unconditional devotion as weakness rather than strength. Roxie presents Amos's loyalty as both endearing and pathetic, setting up the emotional manipulation that defines their relationship. The phrase "string along" works on multiple levels, suggesting both following blindly and being manipulated like a puppet. The historical context adds another layer of meaning. The story draws directly from real-life events – the 1924 murder case of Beulah Annan, whose husband Al tried to take the blame for her crime, just as Amos does for Roxie. The real Al Annan was indeed devoted, telling reporters after Beulah left him that he would "love Beulah with a love that cannot be destroyed."

"He ain't no sheik That's no great physique Lord knows, he ain't got the smarts But look at that soul I tell you, the whole Is a whole lot greater than The sum of his parts"

This verse perfectly captures Roxie's condescending affection. She acknowledges Amos's shortcomings – his lack of sex appeal, physical presence, and intelligence – while claiming to value his "soul." But her praise feels hollow, especially when delivered with Verdon's knowing wink to the audience. The mathematical metaphor ("greater than the sum of his parts") reduces Amos to a equation rather than a person. The reference to sheiks reflects 1920s slang for attractive, sophisticated men, popularized by silent film star Rudolph Valentino. By explicitly stating Amos "ain't no sheik," Roxie emphasizes his inadequacy while simultaneously suggesting she's noble for accepting less than she deserves.

"What if the world Slandered my name? Why he'd be right there Takin' the blame"

Here's where the song's dramatic irony becomes most pronounced. As Roxie sings about hypothetical slander, we're watching her actual crime unfold through Amos's bumbling confession. The foreshadowing is almost too perfect – within minutes, the world will indeed slander her name, and Amos will indeed try to take the blame.

Verse Highlights

Opening Verses

The early verses establish Roxie's manipulative sweetness, comparing Amos to a "droopy-eyed pup" – imagery that's both endearing and demeaning. The dog metaphor runs throughout the song, portraying Amos as a loyal pet rather than an equal partner.

The Turn

Everything changes when Officer Fogarty reveals the dead man's name: Fred Casely. Suddenly Amos realizes he knows the victim, and Roxie's carefully constructed narrative collapses. The music continues its cheerful progression even as the situation deteriorates, creating a darkly comic contrast.

The Revelation

As Amos pieces together his wife's deception, Roxie's lyrics shift from praise to contempt. The transformation is startling – the woman who just called him her "funny, sunny, honey hubby" now refers to him as a "scummy crummy dummy hubby." The rhyme scheme remains playful even as the sentiment turns vicious.

"Now, he shot off his trap With just one more brain What a half-wit he'd be If they string me up I'll know who Brought the twine"

This section reveals Roxie's true feelings. She's not just disappointed in Amos – she's actively planning to blame him for her potential downfall. The hanging metaphor ("string me up" / "brought the twine") shows how quickly she can shift from victim to victim-blamer when her plans go awry. The spoken dialogue provides crucial context throughout, showing us exactly how Amos's devotion becomes his downfall. His attempt to protect Roxie by confessing to the crime only makes things worse, proving that good intentions can't overcome willful blindness.

Song Credits

• Featured: Barney Martin, Richard Korthaze
• Producer: Phil Ramone, Martin Richards, Joseph Harris, Ira Bernstein, Didier C. Deutsch
• Composer: John Kander
• Lyricist: Fred Ebb
• Release Date: June 3, 1975
• Genre: Broadway Musical, Vaudeville, Jazz
• Instruments: Piano, brass section, woodwinds, percussion, strings
• Label: Arista Records
• Mood: Deceptively cheerful, manipulative, sardonic
• Length: Approximately 4 minutes 15 seconds
• Track #: 3
• Language: English
• Album: Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville (Original Broadway Cast)
• Music style: Vaudeville ballad with jazz and ragtime influences
• Poetic meter: Mixed meters with internal rhymes
• Conductor: Stan Lebowsky
• Arranger: Peter Howard
• Orchestration: Ralph Burns
• Copyrights: © 1975 Kander & Ebb, Inc.

Songs Exploring Themes of Manipulation and False Devotion

The territory that "Funny Honey" explores – the dark underbelly of supposed devotion – has fascinated songwriters across genres and decades. While Roxie Hart sings sweetly about her husband's loyalty, other characters have found different ways to explore how love can become a weapon in the wrong hands. Dolly Parton's "Jolene" approaches manipulation from the opposite angle, where the narrator pleads with another woman not to take advantage of her husband's weakness. The difference in perspective is crucial – where Roxie exploits Amos's devotion, Dolly's protagonist recognizes vulnerability and tries to protect it. Both songs deal with the power dynamics of relationships, but Parton's character operates from a position of desperation rather than calculation. The country music framework gives voice to genuine fear that Roxie would never allow herself to feel. In a more contemporary context, Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" shares DNA with "Funny Honey" in its unflinching portrayal of a woman who knows she's destructive but can't help herself. Both Roxie and Amy's narrator manipulate through confession – admitting their flaws while somehow making it the listener's problem. The musical styles couldn't be more different – vaudeville versus neo-soul – yet both capture that particular kind of female anti-heroine who charms even as she destroys. Perhaps the most direct spiritual descendant of "Funny Honey" comes from Stephen Sondheim's "Getting Married Today" from Company. While the musical context is different, both songs feature women using performance to mask their true feelings about marriage. Barbara's frantic pre-wedding panic in Sondheim's piece mirrors Roxie's mounting desperation, though Barbara's honesty ultimately proves more sympathetic than Roxie's manipulation. Both songs demonstrate how musical theater can use rapid-fire lyrics and complex musical arrangements to reveal character psychology in ways straight dialogue never could.

Questions and Answers

What makes "Funny Honey" different from other love songs in musicals?

Unlike traditional love songs that express genuine affection, "Funny Honey" uses the language of love to manipulate and control. Roxie doesn't actually love Amos – she loves what he does for her. The song's brilliance lies in how it exposes this exploitation while maintaining the musical conventions of a sweet ballad. It's a love song sung by someone incapable of real love, which makes it both fascinating and deeply unsettling.

How did Gwen Verdon's performance shape the character of Roxie Hart?

Verdon brought a complexity to Roxie that could have easily been one-dimensional in lesser hands. Her background as a dancer informed every gesture and expression, making Roxie's manipulation feel like a carefully choreographed performance within the performance. Verdon never let the audience forget they were watching an actress playing a character who was also performing, creating layers of artifice that perfectly suited Chicago's themes about fame and deception.

What role does the song play in Chicago's overall narrative structure?

The song serves as Chicago's first major revelation about its characters' true nature. While the opening number "All That Jazz" promises glamour and excitement, "Funny Honey" shows us the ugly reality beneath the surface. It establishes the pattern that will define the rest of the show – characters using performance to hide truth, only to have that truth eventually expose itself. The song also sets up Amos as the show's only genuinely sympathetic character, making his later rejection of Roxie more satisfying.

How does the song reflect 1920s gender dynamics?

The song perfectly captures the era's complex relationship with changing gender roles. Roxie presents herself as a traditional devoted wife while actually wielding considerable power over her husband. She uses conventional feminine language – calling him "honey" and praising his devotion – to mask thoroughly unconventional behavior. The song reflects how women in the Jazz Age found ways to exercise agency within restrictive social structures, though not always for admirable purposes.

Why has the song remained relevant across different productions and adaptations?

The dynamics "Funny Honey" explores – emotional manipulation, conditional love, and the gap between public and private selves – are timeless. Every generation recognizes the type of relationship Roxie and Amos represent, whether in personal experience or observation. The song's musical structure, with its deceptive cheerfulness masking darker themes, mirrors how manipulation actually works in real life. It's both entertaining and educational, showing audiences exactly how charm can be weaponized.

Awards and Chart Positions

While "Funny Honey" itself never charted as a single, its impact was felt through Chicago's overall success. Gwen Verdon won 4 Tony Awards throughout her lifetime and was nominated for 2 others, though ironically, she wasn't nominated for her work in Chicago despite delivering one of her most memorable performances. The original Chicago production received mixed reviews in 1975, with some critics finding it too cynical compared to the era's more optimistic musicals. However, the original Broadway production opened June 3, 1975 and ran for 936 performances, proving its lasting appeal despite initial critical reservations. The song gained renewed recognition through the 2002 film adaptation, where Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart brought her own interpretation to the role. The film won six Academy Awards and introduced the song to a new generation of audiences, cementing its place in the American musical theater canon.

How to Sing?

Performing "Funny Honey" successfully requires exceptional acting skills alongside vocal technique. The song sits in a comfortable mezzo-soprano range, typically spanning from middle C to high G, making it accessible to most female singers. However, the real challenge lies not in hitting the notes but in navigating the character's emotional journey. The tempo should feel conversational and slightly rushed, around 120-130 beats per minute, reflecting Roxie's need to convince both her audience and herself of her story. Breath control becomes crucial during the patter sections where words tumble over each other, particularly when Roxie's mask begins to slip. The key to the song lies in finding the balance between sincerity and manipulation. Beginning performers often play Roxie as purely evil, but that removes the song's dramatic tension. The audience needs to believe, at least initially, that Roxie genuinely cares for Amos, even if that care is ultimately selfish. Vocally, the performer must master quick emotional shifts – from loving to frustrated to vindictive – often within the same phrase. The final section requires particular skill, as Roxie's true feelings emerge through increasingly bitter lyrics that still maintain the song's upbeat rhythm.

Fan and Media Reactions

"Funny Honey" has consistently been recognized as one of Chicago's most complex character numbers, showcasing the musical's ability to find humanity in morally questionable characters. Critics have praised how the song advances plot while revealing character, a combination that many musical theater songs struggle to achieve. Verdon originated the role of murderess Roxie Hart opposite Chita Rivera's Velma Kelly in the original production, creating a dynamic that defined the show's success. Their contrasting approaches to manipulation – Roxie's sweet deception versus Velma's aggressive ambition – provided the tension that drives Chicago's narrative.

"Gwen Verdon makes you complicit in Roxie's manipulation. You find yourself rooting for her even as you're horrified by what she's doing." Original Broadway Review, 1975

"The song is a masterclass in dramatic irony. Every line Roxie sings becomes more painful as we watch Amos destroy himself trying to save her." Theater Critics Circle

The 2002 film adaptation brought new attention to the song's psychological complexity. The dark, Jazz music is timeless, which is one of the many reasons the movie Chicago is so iconic, with critics noting how the song's themes resonated with contemporary audiences.

"Renée Zellweger captures Roxie's desperation without losing her manipulative charm. It's a difficult balance that few performers manage." Film Review, Chicago 2002

"This song shows why Chicago endures. It's not just about the 1920s – it's about how people use love as a weapon, which happens in every era." Musical Theater Scholar

Contemporary audiences often connect the song to modern relationship dynamics, noting how social media has created new forms of public performance around private relationships. Online discussions frequently mention how Roxie's behavior mirrors contemporary manipulative tactics, proving the song's enduring relevance.