I Can Do That Lyrics – Chorus Line, A

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. A brisk solo for Mike Costa in A Chorus Line, sung by Wayne Cilento on the Original Broadway Cast album.
2. Style leans jazzy swing with tap-friendly accents - a compact burst of brag, grit, and grin.
3. On record it runs about a minute and a half, sitting in a bright two-feel that dancers love counting underfoot.
4. Not a stand-alone single in the charts - it lives on the multi-platinum cast album.
5. Film and later cast recordings keep the number, sometimes tweaking choreography and tricks to fit the performer.

Creation History

Like most of A Chorus Line, the song grew out of taped sessions with real dancers whose stories were folded into character monologues and numbers. Mike’s tale - a kid who swipes his sister’s tap shoes and never looks back - became Cilento’s showcase early in the show. Producer Goddard Lieberson shepherded the original cast recording for Columbia Masterworks, captured at Columbia’s famed 30th Street Studio; on that LP, Cilento’s vocal sits right on the front edge of the groove, with Don Pippin’s pit band snapping behind him. The number later carried into the 1985 film adaptation, where it remains Mike’s first pop of personality on screen. According to Masterworks Broadway, the piece anchors the album’s opening stretch before the big character collage.

Musically you hear Marvin Hamlisch tipping his hat to vaudeville-era knockabout numbers - brisk syncopations, quick patter, and a hook that practically dares the singer to keep up. Edward Kleban’s lyric works in clipped, percussive syllables that suit the tap impulse: short words, clean rhymes, punchy verbs. The result is a compact character sketch that lands like a calling card - here’s Mike, he is hungry, and he moves.

Highlights and key takeaways

1. Economy is the trick. In under two minutes, the song establishes a complete backstory and a work ethic. It plays like an audition within an audition - which is of course what the musical is about.
2. Tap energy baked into the writing. Even without seeing shoes, the orchestration and rhythm imply flap-ball-changes and knee pops. You can hear the stage picture.
3. Brag with a wink. The swagger is never cruel. Mike’s drive is framed as hustle-and-heart, not domination.
4. Built for personalization. Directors swap tricks - knee spins here, toe stands there - without disturbing the core arc.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Mike watches his sister dance, thinks “why not me,” and grabs the shot when she skips class. He packs socks into shoes that do not fit, sprints to the studio, and discovers the thing he was built for. The story fast-forwards - one impulsive substitution becomes a life. It is the American audition myth boiled down: show up underprepared, compensate with audacity, and lock the door behind you by outworking everyone.

Song Meaning

The core message is resourceful confidence. Not bluster for its own sake, but a promise to meet the room with whatever it takes. The mood is caffeinated - half boast, half breathless journal entry. In the broader context of A Chorus Line, which strips a dancer’s life to the hustle and the vulnerability, “I Can Do That” offers the bright-side origin story that powers Mike through rejections. It is an ode to the moment when a door opens because you dared to push it.

Annotations

[An extended tap and acrobatics routine finishes with an aerial back-flip, landing with a flourish.]

Right - and sometimes not. Stagings vary. The number invites athletic punctuation, but the trick is optional. Choreographers tailor the button to the dancer’s toolbox, which is very much in the spirit of the show: authenticity first, then fireworks.

Genre and feel: it is jazz-swing show writing with a post-vaudeville grin, the kind of springy two-beat that lets a hoofer talk through steps. The emotional arc jumps from cocky kid to grateful pro in a few tight stanzas, closing with a ta-da that’s earned by sheer momentum. Culturally, the song nods toward old Hollywood “make ’em laugh” energy - the Donald O’Connor lineage - repurposed for a 1970s backstage story about labor, luck, and the small lies we tell ourselves to stay brave.

Rhythm and orchestration

Under the vocal, the pit band runs on crisp guitar-piano comping, a walking bass that occasionally skips to eighths, and drum kit punctuation aligned with the text’s consonants. The arrangement leaves windows for taps, whether literal or implied, and keeps phrases short so a dancer can breathe between bursts.

Language and imagery

“Stuff her shoes with extra socks” and “run seven blocks” are simple, tactile moves - a kid’s solution set. Kleban’s lines land like someone telling a friend a story while bouncing on the balls of their feet. It is gutsy but human-sized, never lofty.

Key Facts

• Artist: Wayne Cilento
• Featured: Mike Costa character solo
• Composer: Marvin Hamlisch
• Lyricist: Edward Kleban
• Producer: Goddard Lieberson
• Release Date: October 1975
• Genre: Show tunes, jazz swing
• Instruments: Voice, rhythm section, reeds, brass, percussion, piano
• Label: Columbia Masterworks
• Mood: Upbeat, hustling, cheeky
• Length: ~1:32
• Track #: 2
• Language: English
• Album: A Chorus Line - Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Music style: Compact vaudeville-inflected jazz with tap-ready syncopation
• Poetic meter: Predominantly anapestic pulses with trochaic pickups

Canonical Entities & Relations

People

• Wayne Cilento - originated Mike Costa on Broadway and performs the number on the original cast album.
• Goddard Lieberson - produced the original cast recording for Columbia Masterworks.
• Marvin Hamlisch - composed the music for A Chorus Line.
• Edward Kleban - wrote the lyrics for A Chorus Line.
• Michael Bennett - conceived and directed the musical; co-choreographer.
• Bob Avian - co-choreographer of the original production.
• Don Pippin - music director whose band underpins the track.

Organizations

• Columbia Masterworks - label for the original cast album.
• New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater - incubated the musical before Broadway.
• Shubert Organization - Broadway presenter of the original run.

Works

• A Chorus Line - 1975 Broadway musical from which the song originates.
• A Chorus Line - Original Broadway Cast Recording - album including “I Can Do That”.
• A Chorus Line - 1985 film adaptation featuring the number.

Venues/Locations

• Shubert Theatre, Broadway - original production home.
• Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York - recording site for the cast album.

Questions and Answers

Who sings “I Can Do That” on the original cast recording?

Wayne Cilento, as Mike Costa, delivers the solo on the 1975 album.

Is the acrobatic back-flip part of the standard choreography?

No. Some productions end with a trick, others button with a sharp pose or tap flourish. The move is optional and performer-dependent.

What musical style does the number lean on?

Jazz-swing with vaudeville DNA - clipped phrases, syncopation, and a two-beat pulse that suits tap.

How does the song function in the show’s story?

It is the first character solo after the opening, sketching Mike’s origin story and his fearless work ethic. It sets his tone in the audition lineup.

Did this track chart on its own?

No. The song rides the success of the cast album rather than the singles market.

Does the film version include the number?

Yes. The 1985 movie retains “I Can Do That” as Mike’s showcase, adjusted to fit the film’s staging and performer.

What later recordings should I know?

The 2006 Broadway revival album features Jeffrey Schecter as Mike; Spanish-language productions render the title as “Yo Lo Se Hacer.”

What makes the lyric land so quickly?

Short, concrete images - socks in shoes, sprinting blocks - that marry to percussive rhythms. You feel the kid’s improvisation and drive.

Any practical challenges for performers?

Breath management while moving, crisp diction at tempo, and keeping swagger charming rather than smug.

Awards and Chart Positions

Note: “I Can Do That” was not released as a charting single; its legacy travels with the album and productions.

How to Sing I Can Do That

Think of this as a sprint with wit. Keep it buoyant, keep it clean, and do not let the character get lost in the footwork.

• Tempo/BPM: Common stage tempos hover around the fast side of medium - roughly ~100 BPM in a cut-time feel. Treat it like a two-step with swing on the eighths.
• Key: Original cast materials are commonly in B flat major, with licensed tracks also offered in C, D, F, and D flat for different voices.
• Vocal range: Practical choices sit around C4 up to D5 for many tenors and high baritones; if you need a lower option, transpose one or two steps.

Step-by-step HowTo

1. Lock the pulse. Count the intro in two. Clap the offbeats to keep the swing from flattening. Practice with a metronome before adding movement.
2. Diction at speed. Work the consonants on a gentle “t” drum - “pitter-pat,” “right off the bat” - so the words ride the groove, not fight it.
3. Breath places. Mark micro-pauses after rhyme hits. In rehearsal, speak the lyric over the accompaniment to learn where air naturally returns.
4. Flow and accents. Lean into pickups. Many phrases start on the and-of-2 - give those syllables a percussive bump without barking.
5. Movement add-on. Layer footwork last. If you tap, keep shuffles underneath the vowel line. If not tapping, use clear directional shifts and a traveling step to imply momentum.
6. Ensemble/doubles. Coordinate with drummer or accompanist on buttons. Agree on the final hit and cutoff, especially if you replace the “trick ending” with a pose.
7. Mic craft. For a handheld, keep it mid-cheek to avoid consonant pops at pace. For a headworn, test plosives in warmup.
8. Common pitfalls. Rushing second lines, swallowing end words, selling bravado too hard. Keep the charm - he is confident because he’s found his lane.

Practice materials: Use a piano-only rehearsal track in your key, then graduate to a drum-click with downbeat count-offs. Add a 90-second cardio warmup so your breath matches the song’s athleticism.

Additional Info

According to the Recording Academy’s own category history, the original cast album stood alongside the decade’s big theater titles when Grammys time came around; it ultimately lost that contest, but its staying power has been certified many times over. Masterworks’ anniversary edition restored and reshaped parts of the larger score, a reminder of how tightly the show’s music is threaded to staging. Playbill has recently chronicled the musical’s continuing life in new languages - a good reminder that Mike’s “seize the opening” credo translates cleanly across borders.

Onstage, different Mikes make different choices. Some carve the air with gymnastics; others turn the heat inward and let the feet talk. Either way, the song works because it is practical. It is about the tiny decisions that change a life - putting on shoes that do not fit, saying yes before you are ready, then doing the work. That is the Broadway story in miniature.

Sources: Masterworks Broadway; Internet Broadway Database; Wikipedia; Discogs; Concord (Concord Theatricals and Concord Music/OMK); Playbill; London Theatre; The Hollywood Reporter.