Me and My Baby Lyrics – Chicago

Song Overview

Review & Highlights

“Me and My Baby” flips a scandal into showbiz. Ann Reinking sells the bit with a grin that cuts - Roxie’s sham pregnancy becomes a tap-ready alibi, and the lyrics turn shamelessness into charm. The number breezes by on patter, bounce, and brassy wink, the kind of vaudeville that makes gossip feel like gospel.

One-sentence snapshot: Roxie declares herself unstoppable now that she’s “a we,” using sing-along cheer to launder a lie.

Verse 1

Roxie coos to the camera - “Look at my baby and me” - and the room tilts. Reinking’s phrasing rides the offbeats, keeping it light while planting the con.

Chorus

The hook is a charm bracelet: simple rhymes, quick images, and a smile that won’t blink. It’s catchy because it’s conversational, built to fly in front of shutters and headlines.

Exchange/Bridge

Spoken quips crash the melody - Billy’s spin, Amos’s protest, Mary Sunshine’s pearl-clutching. The bustle keeps the story moving while the lie fattens in public.

Final Build

By the last stanza, optimism turns aggressive. “Get out of our way, folks.” The showgirl becomes a press secretary with jazz hands.

Song Meaning and Annotations

This number is Roxie’s media strategy set to a two-step swing. The message is straight: if the crowd wants a story, give them one they can hum.

“Me and my baby, my baby and me...”

That circular lyric becomes a mantra, a brand slogan with jazz fringe. The repetition is intentional - like a headline cycle that refuses to die.

The groove blends vaudeville patter with a pit-band clip: reeds chatter, trumpets peal, banjo ticks the backbeat, piano locks the feet. It’s dance-floor PR.

“We’re ’bout as happy as babies can be.”

Happiness here is weaponized. The sugar covers the scheme, and the crowd buys it because the tune feels like a parade.

The emotional arc starts sunny, almost coy, then sharpens as the chorus turns into a dare. Optimism becomes armor; denial becomes rhythm.

“Tell old man, worry, to go climb a tree.”

That line reads like a mug shot with lipstick. Worry is dismissed, loudly, because attention is the real currency.

Context matters. Chicago is a Jazz Age tabloid carnival where crime meets choreography. This song sits at the hinge of plot and publicity, right where Roxie learns attention trumps truth.

“Why keep it mum when there’s nothing to hide?”

Irony does the heavy lifting - everything is hidden, and the razzle is the point. The audience is made complicit by how catchy it all is.

Across productions, the staging often nods to 1920s showroom acts - Eddie Cantor shimmer, grins that never slip. The 2002 film cut the full number, leaving only instrumental traces while the montage sells Roxie’s fake baby bump to the papers.

“Life was a prison, but we got the key.”

That metaphor is the thesis. Fame unlocks the cell, not innocence; rhythm does the persuasion.

Message

Public sympathy is a costume change. Roxie uses lullaby-soft words to turn scandal into status.

Emotional tone

Bright on the surface, sly underneath - a grin with an angle.

Production and instrumentation

Masterworks lists the pit in lean colors: woodwinds, trumpets, trombones, piano, accordion, banjo, bass/tuba, violin, drums - all sculpted for snap and swing.

Language and devices

Patter, reduplication, and kid-friendly images make the lie feel harmless. Idioms like “old man, worry” keep the tone colloquial while the subtext stays flinty.

About metaphors and symbols

Baby-as-prop is the central symbol. It’s innocence rented by the hour, and the song milks that double edge without shame.

Creation history

Score by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb. The Broadway revival opened in 1996; the New Broadway Cast Recording landed on January 28, 1997 via RCA Victor, with Ann Reinking as Roxie on “Me and My Baby.” Sessions were logged at The Hit Factory in New York in November 1996.

Key Facts

• Featured: Roxie Hart - vocal by Ann Reinking.
• Producer: Jay David Saks.
• Composer: John Kander; Lyricist: Fred Ebb.
• Release Date: January 28, 1997.
• Genre: Broadway with jazz-vaudeville patter.
• Instruments: woodwinds, trumpets, trombones, piano, accordion, banjo, bass, tuba, violin, drums.
• Label: RCA Victor Broadway.
• Mood: buoyant, cheeky, press-savvy.
• Length: 3:16.
• Track #: 15 on Chicago The Musical (New Broadway Cast Recording (1997)).
• Language: English.
• Album: Chicago The Musical (New Broadway Cast Recording (1997)).
• Music style: patter song over two-step swing - built for dance breaks.
• Poetic meter: mixed patter cadence with conversational stresses; internal rhyme for propulsion.
• © Copyrights: 1997 BMG Music - cast recording.

Questions and Answers

Who produced “Me and My Baby” by Ann Reinking?

Jay David Saks produced the New Broadway Cast Recording featuring Ann Reinking.

When was the track released?

It appeared with the revival’s cast album on January 28, 1997 via RCA Victor.

Who wrote the song?

Music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Is “Me and My Baby” in the 2002 Chicago film?

The full number was cut; an instrumental snippet underscores a fame montage instead.

Any notable recordings beyond the Broadway revival?

Yes - the 1997 London cast with Ruthie Henshall, and many stage clips, including Ashlee Simpson’s turn in the role.

Awards and Chart Positions

The New Broadway Cast Recording of Chicago - which includes “Me and My Baby” - won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Beyond awards, the song lives many lives: Ruthie Henshall’s London cast take, plus televised and tour performances that keep the number in circulation.

How to Sing Me and My Baby?

Vocal placement & range: Roxie Hart sits in a mezzo lane - commonly notated around F3 to B4 - with chest-mix clarity rather than diva belt. Keep vowels bright and forward for the patter bite.

Breath & tempo: The groove is a perky two-step with patter lines that need steady airflow. Think quick sips before each phrase; ride the consonants without choking the swing.

Issues to watch: The spoken interjections and ensemble chatter can tempt you to rush. Anchor to the piano’s left hand; land the rhyme on the downbeat.

Character: Smile in the tone even when the truth is crooked. The audience should hear the wink before they see it.

Notable recordings include the London cast cut with Ruthie Henshall as Roxie. The 2002 film kept only an instrumental nod to this number while streamlining the score for screen logic.