Nowadays Lyrics – Chicago

Song Overview

Review & Highlights

“Nowadays” is the slow burn that closes the case. Ann Reinking shades Roxie’s last stand with velvet phrasing while the band keeps a nightclub hush, and the lyrics rub cynicism until it shines. The duet with Velma turns acceptance into spectacle, soft-selling a hard truth about fame and forgetting.

One-sentence snapshot: two headliners toast the city’s appetite for reinvention, then sell it back to us with a bow.

Verse 1

Roxie inventories the city like a shopper on payday - men, jazz, booze - and the list builds a glittering front for a bare cupboard. Reinking sits right in the pocket, smiling on the beat.

Chorus

The refrain stacks five little adjectives like champagne flutes. It sounds cheerful; it reads like an alibi. That tension is the hook.

Exchange/Bridge

The emcee’s bark pivots the scene into a two-woman act. When Velma joins, the harmonies feel like a handshake and a dare.

Final Build

The kicker is time. “Nothing stays.” The lights flare, the orchestra swells, and impermanence gets a curtain call. It lands sweet and slightly sour, like the city it loves.

Song Meaning and Annotations

The song is a glamorized shrug. It shrugs at the past, at guilt, at the churn of headlines, and finds comfort in the next number. Roxie starts alone, savoring the city’s distractions, then fuses with Velma for a finale that treats survival as choreography.

Musically it’s late-night swing with pit-band polish. The tempo hangs back just enough for a wink. Brass and reeds lean forward while the piano ties phrases with tight, conversational cadences. The groove is slow but sly, built for sharp silhouettes and precise hands.

The mood evolves from wistful to triumphant. First we hear a woman selling herself a story. Then we watch two pros sell it to everyone else. The shift is small and crucial: private coping becomes public packaging.

Historically, “Nowadays” wasn’t always the closer. In the 1975 production, Bob Fosse replaced an earlier finale to chase something sleeker and more glamorous. The choice stuck, and the number welded itself to “Hot Honey Rag” as a single farewell wave.

In the 1996 revival, Ann Reinking’s Roxie sharpened the song’s deadpan. Bebe Neuwirth’s Velma slides in for the sister act, and the cast album preserves the chemistry that turned a minimalist staging into an evergreen.

The number’s cultural touchstone is the 2002 film. Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones split “Nowadays” and the “Hot Honey Rag” coda, polishing the idea that showbiz swallows scandal and calls it dessert. The movie’s haul of awards hardens the irony.

Message

Fame runs on forgetting. The song turns that cynicism into a lullaby and asks us to hum along.

Emotional tone

Cool, then warm. Detached, then conspiratorial. It smiles without promising anything.

Production and instrumentation

RCA Victor’s revival band goes lean and brassy: woodwinds, trumpets, trombones, piano, accordion, banjo, bass and tuba, violin, drums. The palette snaps, never clutters.

Language and devices

Lists, light irony, and a plainspoken refrain make the satire friendly. The text is spare so the subtext can grin.

Creation history

Score by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb. “Nowadays” became the show’s polished final tableau in 1975, later revived in 1996 and fixed as the setup to “Hot Honey Rag.” The London revival echoed that architecture with Ruthie Henshall and Ute Lemper taking the parts.

Key Facts

• Featured: Ann Reinking with Bebe Neuwirth, David Sabella, John Borstelmann.
• Producer: Jay David Saks.
• Composer: John Kander; Lyricist: Fred Ebb.
• Release Date: January 27, 1997.
• Genre: Broadway with jazz-vaudeville swing.
• Instruments: woodwinds, trumpets, trombones, piano, accordion, banjo, bass, tuba, violin, drums.
• Label: RCA Victor Broadway.
• Mood: rueful, urbane, stage-bright.
• Length: 4:48 on the revival cast album.
• Track #: 20 on Chicago The Musical (New Broadway Cast Recording (1997)).
• Language: English.
• Album: Chicago The Musical (New Broadway Cast Recording (1997)).
• Music style: slow-swing patter with duet close-harmony; finale paired with “Hot Honey Rag.”
• Poetic meter: conversational stresses over 4-beat bar, refrain built from clipped anaphora.
• © Copyrights: 1997 BMG Music - cast recording.

Questions and Answers

Who produced “Nowadays” by Ann Reinking?

Jay David Saks produced the 1997 revival cast recording that includes “Nowadays.”

When was this track released?

It was issued with the cast album on January 27, 1997, with a U.S. release listing on January 28, 1997.

Who wrote “Nowadays”?

Music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Is “Nowadays” in the 2002 film?

Yes. Roxie performs “Nowadays,” then joins Velma for “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag” in the finale.

Any standout alternate recordings or performances?

Check the 1997 London cast with Ruthie Henshall and Ute Lemper, and Reinking’s live duets with Chita Rivera at Kander and Ebb tributes.

Awards and Chart Positions

The 1996 Broadway revival cast album featuring Ann Reinking and Bebe Neuwirth won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Screen legacy note: the 2002 film adaptation that showcases “Nowadays” won Best Picture among six Oscars at the 75th Academy Awards.

How to Sing Nowadays?

Vocal range and placement: Commonly sits around E3 to G4 for Roxie in many charts, living in a speech-like mezzo pocket. Keep vowels forward and unforced to preserve the sly silhouette.

Tempo and feel: Aim for an easy late-night swing around 95 to 105 BPM depending on production. Let consonants articulate the groove while the legato line stays relaxed.

Breath strategy: Phrase the adjective runs in one thought, then release. Save a quiet tank for the closing lines so the dynamic arc broadens without pushing.

Duet blend tips: When Velma enters, prioritize blend over bite. Match vibrato width and cut on sibilants. Think close-harmony microphones, not brass section.

Character choices: Play the smile as armor. It reads truer if the optimism has a hairline crack. In other words, sell the city and keep the receipt.

Other notable spins: Ruthie Henshall and Ute Lemper on the 1997 London cast album, and Ann Reinking trading lines with Chita Rivera in tribute performances.