Send In the Clowns

"Send in the Clowns" is a song by Stephen Sondheim, from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music. It is a slow, mournful ballad, in which the character Desiree reflects on the ironies and disappointments in her life.

Of Stephen Sondheim's more than 800 songs, this is the one that became a megahit. It achieved popularity with recordings by Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Judy Collins (whose version charted twice on the U.S. pop singles chart in the mid-1970s, reaching a high of #19 and was named "Song of the Year" in 1976 Grammy Award), and by soulful song stylist Lou Rawls. Sondheim added a verse for a 1985 Barbra Streisand recording of the tune (featured on The Broadway Album, it became a #25 Adult Contemporary hit in 1986).

The song was written for actress Glynis Johns, who had a breathy voice and a limited tessitura—Sondheim wrote the song with short phrases and a small music range (only about an octave). The song is considered a jazz standard, performed famously by Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra among others. The title refers to a phrase reputedly used in a circus when an unforeseen disaster had occurred, with the clowns being sent in to distract the audience from the problem. Alternatively, the title could refer to the practice in vaudeville theatre of sending the clowns on to the stage to distract the audience after a particularly bad act, or to the practice of sending in clowns at a rodeo in order to divert danger from a fallen rodeo cowboy.

Recordings

• Judy Collins' 1975 rendition was named "Song of the Year" in 1976 Grammy Award
• Covered by the Tiger Lillies on their album Circus Songs.
• A version was recorded by Bryan Ferry during sessions for his abandoned album Horoscope in 1991 but has not been legitimately released. Some bootleg editions of the album contain the song as the final vocal track.
• Stars of the Lid recorded a version called "Don't Bother They're Here" for their 2007 album And the Refinement of the Decline.
• Guitarist and educator Ted Greene arranged the song in his seminal release, Solo Guitar.
• Frida(Anni-Frid)Lyngstad recorded this song in Swedish for her 1975 album Frida Ensam.
• Olivia Newton John on a 2004 cover versions album "Women of Song"
• Version by the brazilian singer Renato Russo (Legião Urbana) in his solo album The Stonewall Celebration Concert.
• Peter Criss on his 2007 album One for All

External links

• lyrics to "Send in the Clowns"