Razzle Dazzle
Music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.
Released in 1977 on a Single (with "I Let You Let Me Down Again" on the A-side), but never released an an album until 1994 when it was released on CD digitally remastered on the collection Bassey - The EMI/UA Years 1959 - 1979.
This song is from the Broadway musical vaudeville "Chicago". The Premiere was on June 1st 1975 on a 46th Street Theatre in New York and it was a success with more than 900 performances. But the story goes much further back in history. The story of "Chicago" is from a play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins in 1926. In 1942 a feature film called "Roxie Hart" was released starring Ginger Rogers. In the 70's Kander and Ebb then made their vaudeville musical "Chicago" out of it. It is remembered as a triumph for choreographer/director/co-librettist Bob Fosse and his stars rather than for the story. But in the spring of 1996 New York's City Centre included "Chicago" in its Encores! series of concert versions of forgotten musicals and now the story seems to have parallels with actual current affairs with its story about a murderess who goes free. Somehow the score, which had seemed merely functional 20 years before, now sounded much better. Six months later, the show was revived on Broadway to rave reviews and in 1997 London got it's own version.
Composer John Kander (born in 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (born in 1935) built one of the longest-running and most successful creative partnerships in Broadway history. John Kander studied music as a child and started his professional career in 1950 as a composer and then as a director and conductor in a theatre. From there he arranged the dance music for "Gypsy" and "Irma la Douce", but his Broadway composing debut in 1962 was a flop. Fred Ebb also had a flop in 1962 with his first stage production which closed after just eight performances. Before that, he wrote for nightclub acts and revues, also earning notoriety for his work on the television satire programme "That Was The Week That Was".
In 1962 Kander met Ebb, with whom he soon collaborated on the songs "My Coloring Book" and "I Don't Care Much," both then later recorded by Barbra Streisand. The duo's first stage musical wasn't presented, but it did convince producer Harold Prince to hire them for the satirical musical "Flora, The Red Menace" (1965), which also featured Liza Minnelli in her Tony Award-winning Broadway debut. In 1966 "Cabaret" had major critical and commercial success, winning seven Tony awards (including Best Musical), and the film adaptation won an Oscar. They continued to write musicals and songs for Liza Minnelli and contributed material to Streisand's 1975 film Funny Girl. In 1968 Kander and Ebb's musical "The Happy Time" started on Broadway from which Shirley Bassey recorded Tomorrow Morning. In 1977, they scored Martin Scorsese's film musical New York, New York; the title song later became a signature hit for Frank Sinatra and Shirley Bassey sings it in the New York Medley.
In 1981 the duo released "Woman of the Year" with Lauren Bacall which earned four Tony Awards. Then in 1991 the duo were introduced into the New York Theatre Hall of Fame. In 1993 they had another great success and got awards for "Kiss of the Spider Woman". Kander and Ebb are still writing - in 1997 they released "Steel Pier", and in 1997 they received the 21st annual Kennedy Center Honors.
What does "Razzle, Dazzle" mean? Here's an explanation from an American: To give someone the razzle-dazzle is to basically baffle them with bullshit while making them think they are getting something wonderful. Quite often it's phrased, "He gave him the old razzle-dazzle." - implying that the guy he razzle-dazzled walked away beaming at his good fortune though he'd been cheated.
Razzle-dazzle implies cheating, but cheating in such a way that the person cheated walks away perfectly sure that he's not only been well-treated, he's also sure that he's gotten a great deal.
I believe the term comes from old-time magic shows where they proceeded to give you a lot of hype and flashy stuff and little of substance. I have heard it used in
theatre to refer to a production that has lots of glitter and noise and pretty stuff and absolutely nothing of any substance involved.
Lyrics
Give 'em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle dazzle 'em
Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it
And the reaction will be passionate
Give 'em the old hocus pocus
Bead and feather 'em
How can they see with sequins in their eyes?
What if your hinges all are rusting?
What if, in fact, you're just disgusting?
Razzle dazzle 'em
And they'll never catch wise
Give 'em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle dazzle 'em
Back in the days of old Methuselah
Everyone loves the big bamboozulah
Give 'em the old three ring circus
Stun and stagger 'em
When you're in trouble
Go into your dance
Though you are stiffer than a girder
They let you get away with murder
Razzle dazzle 'em
And you got a romance
Give 'em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle dazzle 'em
Give 'em an act that's unassailable
They'll wait a year till you're available
Give 'em the old wobble bammy
Daze and dizzy 'em
Show 'em the first rate sorcerer you are
Long as you keep 'em way off balance
How can they spot you got no talents?
Razzle dazzle 'em
Razzle dazzle 'em
And they'll make you a star
(Transcribed by David)