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It’s the dance craze that’s sweeping our house, at least

For the latest round of the Masters of Song Fu challenge, I had to write a tune suggesting a new dance craze for an inventor and/or an invention. Simple enough; I can’t see anything getting silly here.

For my tune, I chose to honour Franz Reichelt, Austria’s “flying tailor.” He’s not exactly a household name like Edison, but he’s gone down in history as the first inventor to be done in by the flaws in his invention’s design in public while movie cameras were rolling.

On February 4, 1912, he climbed up to the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower (the world’s tallest structure at the time) to demonstrate his overcoat that converted into a parachute, theoretically allowing the wearer to soar through the air like a flying squirrel. He plummeted instead to an instant death. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Listen to / download “Do the Reichelt” right here:

1. Do the Reichelt – DRM-Free MP3, 4.80 MB, 3:30
   [audio:http://music.stevechatterton.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/steve-chatterton-do-the-reichelt.mp3]

Remix stems: Steve-Chatterton-Do-the-Reichelt-Stems.zip – 32.2 MB

Tune Trivia

• I natter on at great length about the challenges I had to over come to record this tune in this entry.
• Here’s the Wikipedia page about Franz Reichelt:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Reichelt
• Below is a video of Reichelt’s tragic fall.

The lyrics

Do the Reichelt – © 2008 Steve Chatterton

The best laid plans
Of men and mice
Can’t hold a candle to
The Reichelt device
A combination overcoat
Slash parachute
What could possibly go wrong?
The point is moot

A chilly February morn
Another Sunday in Paris
The flying tailor’s in fine form
And the press is gathered there to see
What will be

So do the Reichelt
Put your knees together
Spread your wings and pray that you can fly
Do the Reichelt
Into the wild blue yonder
I guess you’ll never know if you don’t try

Pride goes before a fall
Not always figuratively
There’s got to be a better
Method of discovery
A real life Icarus
The poster child for hubris
Put forth a challenge to the gods
And lost

A chilly February morn
Another Sunday in Paris
The flying tailor’s in free fall
And the press is gathered there to see
What will be

So do the Reichelt
Put your knees together
Spread your wings and pray that you can fly
Do the Reichelt
Into the wild blue yonder
I guess you’ll never know if you don’t try

Do the Reichelt
Put two things together
Make a hybrid that the world just doesn’t need
Do the Reichelt
I hope you do it better
It’s a better world with you in it indeed
It’s a better world with you in it indeed
It’s a better world with you in it indeed

Chord Chart

First Verse:
|C   |G   |D   |G   |C   |G   |D   |D   |
|C   |G   |D   |G   |C   |G   |D   |D   |

Pre-Chorus:
|Em  |Em  |G   |G   |C   |G/B |Am  |D   |
|Em  |Em  |G   |G   |C   |G/B |Am  |Am  |A    |A   |

Chorus:
|D A |G   |D A |G   |D A |G   |D A |G   |
|D A |G   |D A |Em  |C   |G   |D   |Em F|

Guitar Solo:
|Bb  |F   |Bb  |F   |Bb  |F   |Bb  |F   |

Second Verse:
|C   |G   |D   |G   |C   |G   |D   |D   |
|C   |G   |D   |G   |C   |G   |D   |D   |

Pre-Chorus:
|Em  |Em  |G   |G   |C   |G/B |Am  |D   |
|Em  |Em  |G   |G   |C   |G/B |Am  |Am  |A    |A   |

The Clappy Bit:
|D A |G   |D A |G   |D A |G   |D A |G   |
|D A |G   |D A |G   |D A |G   |D A |G   |

Chorus Out:
|D A |G   |D A |G   |D A |G   |D A |G   |
|D A |G   |D A |Em  |C   |G   |D   |Em  |
|C   |G   |D   |Em  |C   |G   |D   |