[Intro] [solo muted trumpet, soft piano, distant room chatter, brushed snare, slow build] [sing with a knowing smile, intimate and close to the mic] Verse 1 There’s a gold fringe dress in the cigarette haze, A laugh cut sharp through the violet gray, The band keeps time like a clock gone wild, And the whole room sins with a polished style. Champagne shimmer in a crystal line, Bootleg dreams dressed up divine, Every doorway whispers, “Come inside,” Where the law drinks too and the truth can hide. [Pre-Chorus] [clarinet answers vocal lines, slightly lift energy] We kiss the dark with our dancing shoes, Trade our names for the nightly news, Everybody’s somebody new, Till the morning comes for me and you. Chorus [full band opens up, brighter brass, stronger swing pulse] So raise that glass to the neon roar, To the velvet lie and the hidden door, We’re dancing on a wire, Higher and higher, Champagne on the wire. We spin like sparks in a stolen sky, Laugh too loud while the headlines lie, Oh, the whole town’s dressed for fire, Desire on desire, Champagne on the wire. [Verse 2] [add banjo and stronger upright bass walk] Movie queens in silver light, No voices yet, but they own the night, Then a new sound breaks and the room turns fast, Like tomorrow walked in and buried the past. Boys with money and girls with nerve, All learning what freedom’s worth, But outside the club by the cold street sign, A harder kind of America draws the line. [Pre-Chorus 2] [slight dramatic pause before the last line] They sell us dreams in a satin flood, Jazz in the air and dust in the blood, Everybody wants the throne, Even when the house ain’t home. Chorus [repeat with richer harmony, backup vocals on last two lines] So raise that glass to the neon roar, To the velvet lie and the hidden door, We’re dancing on a wire, Higher and higher, Champagne on the wire. We spin like sparks in a stolen sky, Laugh too loud while the headlines lie, Oh, the whole town’s dressed for fire, Desire on desire, Champagne on the wire. [Bridge] [drop drums at first, piano and bass only, then rebuild with low brass] [more serious vocal delivery here, less wink, more truth] They said this age was made of gold, But gold runs thin when the night gets cold, There’s a trumpet cry under all that shine, And a border drawn in a cocktail line. Some got the spotlight, some got the door, Some got the map, some got the war, Still the city hums, still the dancers climb, Still we toast to the edge of time. [Instrumental Break] [clarinet solo, then muted trumpet solo, then brass stab into final chorus] [let the piano do a flashy stride run] Final Chorus [big, triumphant, faster energy, soaring backup vocals] So raise that glass to the neon roar, To the velvet lie and the hidden door, We’re dancing on a wire, Higher and higher, Champagne on the wire. We spin like sparks in a stolen sky, Laugh too loud while the headlines lie, Oh, the whole town’s dressed for fire, Desire on desire, Champagne on the wire. [Outro] [slow down slightly, smoky finish, trumpet tag at the end] The band goes soft, the dawn walks in, Powder, pearls, and original sin, One last kiss for the saxophone choir, Ashes and glitter, Champagne on the wire.
