We Both Reached for the Gun Lyrics – Chicago

Song Overview

On track six of Chicago – Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, “We Both Reached For The Gun” carts out a full-tilt press conference rag. Richard Gere, disguised as suave attorney Billy Flynn, turns ventriloquist: Roxie Hart becomes his lacquer-smiled dummy while a chorus of reporters squawk like wind-up cuckoos. The song text marries ragtime bounce with carnival patter, delivering Lyrics that gleam with rapid-fire rhyme and sly misdirection. Blink and you’ll miss another layer of winking deceit—but the band never drops a beat.

Song Credits

• Featured: Richard Gere (Billy Flynn), Renée Zellweger (Roxie Hart), Taye Diggs (Bandleader/MC), Christine Baranski (Mary Sunshine) plus ensemble reporters
• Producers: Randy Spendlove, Ric Wake
• Writer: Fred Ebb (words), John Kander (music)
• Album: Chicago – Music from the Miramax Motion Picture
• Release Date: November 19, 2002
• Genre: Rag-influenced Show-Tune / Jazz Fusion
• Length: 2 min 46 sec (album version)
• Instrumentation: Honky-tonk piano, banjo, upright bass, muted brass, snare-drum press rolls, clarinet trills
• Label: Epic / Sony Music Soundtrax
• Orchestration: Doug Besterman – with Perry Cavari arranging rhythmic stings
• Recording & Mix Engineers: Joel Moss, Jim Annunziato, Dan Hetzel
• Conducted & Vocal-arranged by Paul Bogaev
• Copyright © 2002 Miramax Film Corp. & Paramount Pictures Corp.

Song Meaning and Annotations

If “Razzle Dazzle” is pure glitter, “We Both Reached For The Gun” is the puppet show underneath: same salesman, tighter strings. The tune struts in with a jaunty ragtime piano, cymbal splashes, and a banjo that seems to wink at us. Tempo sits just brisk enough for a tabloid deadline—try printing those verses before the ink dries.

The emotional spine? Controlled chaos. Flynn mouths every word for Roxie, literally flapping her shoulders like a ventriloquist dummy. Meanwhile Taye Diggs’ bandleader counts time as though cracking a riding crop: keep the press trotting in circles. Historically, the song echoes 1920s media circuses—Leopold & Loeb, Josephine Hull’s razzle-dazzle coverage—when Broadway razzmatazz bled into the courtroom.

“Understandable, understandable / Yes, it’s perfectly understandable”

That hypnotic refrain is guilt-laundering in four quick syllables—say it enough times and moral fog rolls in. Kander’s alternating major/minor pivots mirror the slipperiness of “truth.”

Press-Conference Patter

Each spoken-sung Q&A between Flynn and reporters recalls Gilbert & Sullivan patter-songs. But here the stakes are lethal: spin fast enough and the public never notices blood on the rug.

Call-and-Response Chorus

The ensemble chant—“Oh yes, they both reached for the gun”—piles up like front-page headlines. Every repetition tightens the noose around reality until only the catchphrase remains.

Bridge: “Understandable” Vamp

This ragged waltz step briefly slides into a minor blur, underscoring the absurdity that a homicide story can be sold as “not a bit reprehensible.” It’s the musical equivalent of a grin behind a newspaper fan.

Similar Songs

1. “The Press Conference Rag” – Chicago (1975 stage version)
   Essentially the original blueprint. The film trims some dialogue, but the DNA is identical—ragtime shuffle, ventriloquist gimmick, media-manipulation wink. Hearing the stage cut highlights how the movie sharpened its rhythmic punch.
2. “Master of the House” – Les Misérables
   Both numbers star charismatic con-men who distract onlookers with comic flair while emptying their pockets. Thematically, they ask audiences to applaud dishonesty as long as it’s entertaining, and musically each marries jaunty piano with rowdy ensemble shout-backs.
3. “Ya Got Trouble” – The Music Man
   Harold Hill whips River City into hysteria using rapid patter almost identical to Billy Flynn’s cross-examination rhythm. Swap pool-hall paranoia for firearms, keep the tongue-twisters, and you’ve got kinship in con artistry.

Questions and Answers

Why does Billy choreograph the reporters like a chorus line?

Control breeds credibility. By synchronizing their questions and his answers, he “directs” the narrative, making every quote seem pre-approved truth.

Is Roxie completely silent in this song?

Almost. She squeaks out the sung syllables Flynn feeds her. That gag underscores her dependency and the gendered power imbalance of the era.

What musical tricks sell the ventriloquist illusion?

Staccato piano octaves mimic marionette footsteps, while sudden brass swells act like spotlight flashes—each instrumental jab punctuates Flynn’s mouth-for-hire bravado.

Does the phrase “we both reached for the gun” have real-world precedent?

Yes. Early 20th-century defendants frequently claimed mutual struggle to paint shootings as accidents; tabloids parroted the line, making it shorthand for dubious self-defense.

How hard was the choreography?

Director Rob Marshall demanded ventriloquist-style rigidity; Gere balanced Roxie like a mannequin while tapping in double-time—rehearsals left both stars sporting bruised shins and very smug smiles.

Awards and Chart Positions

The Chicago soundtrack, powered by showpieces like “We Both Reached For The Gun,” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (February 2003) and won the 2004 Grammy® for Best Compilation Soundtrack. The film’s six Academy Awards—including Best Picture—cemented the track’s pop-culture status, though it never charted as a solo single.

Fan and Media Reactions

“That banjo-piano one-two punch still makes the newsroom in my head do jazz hands.” @CopyDeskCurt

“Mary Sunshine’s falsetto? Chef’s kiss. Satire riding on a high C.” @ShowtuneSue

“If only every press briefing came with a ragtime vamp, misinformation might at least be catchy.” @NewsCycleNora

“Gere’s ventriloquist grin is peak ‘I can sell sand in a desert’ energy.” @FilmNut42

“Twenty-plus years on and I still chant ‘understandable’ whenever politicians back-pedal.” @TapShoesTeddy

Critics echoed the fandom. The Guardian hailed the number as “vaudeville weaponized,” while Billboard praised its “machine-gun consonants that land harder than testimony.” Even TikTok edits reenact the puppet hands—proving these Lyrics refuse to stay silent.