"Send in the Clowns" is a song by Stephen Sondheim, from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music. A song is a Musical composition. Songs contain vocal parts that are performed 'sung' and generally feature Words ( Lyrics) commonly followed Stephen Joshua Sondheim (born March 22 1930 is an American musical and film composer and lyricist winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (seven Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. It is a slow, mournful ballad, in which the character Desiree reflects on the ironies and disappointments in her life. A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song.
Of Stephen Sondheim's more than 800 songs, this is the only 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. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston Texas) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards Singer Louis Allen Rawls ( December 1, 1933 &ndash January 6, 2006) was an American Soul music, Jazz, and 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). Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Barbra Streisand (ˈstraɪsænd "STRY-sand" born April 24 1942 is an American Singer, Film and Theatre Actress The Broadway Album is a 1985 award-winning album of vocalist Barbra Streisand performing classic Show tunes.
The song was written for actress Glynis Johns who had a breathy voice and a limited range. Glynis Johns (born 5 October, 1923) is a British stage and film actress, Dancer, Pianist and Singer (notably Breathy voice (also called murmured voice, soughing, or susurration) is a Phonation in which the Vocal cords vibrate as they do in Sondheim wrote the song with short phrases with a small music range and primarily in D-flat major. Also see D-flat minor, or D major. D-flat major is a Major scale based on D-flat consisting of the The song, still a challenge to sing because of its modulations, is therefore unsurprisingly considered a jazz standard and performed famously by Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra among others. A jazz standard is a Jazz tune that is held in continuing esteem and which is widely known performed and recorded among jazz musicians as part of the jazz musical repertoire William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist Sarah Lois Vaughan (nicknamed " Sassy " and " The Divine One ") ( March 27 1924, &ndash April Stanley Newcomb Kenton ( December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was a pianist who led a highly innovative influential and often controversial
Recordings
- Judy Collins' 1975 rendition was named 'Song of the Year' in the 1976 Grammy Awards. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
- Frida(Anni-Frid)Lyngstad recorded this song in Swedish for her 1975 album Frida Ensam. Frida ensam ( Frida Alone) was a solo album released in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia by Anni-Frid Lyngstad in 1975 her
- Guitarist and educator Ted Greene arranged the song in his seminal release, Solo Guitar. Theodore ("Ted" Greene ( September 26, 1946 &ndash July 23, 2005) was an American fingerstyle Jazz guitarist
- Model, singer and actress Grace Jones recorded a disco version of the song for her debut album, Portfolio, in 1977. Grace Jones (born May 19, 1948) is a Jamaican American Singer, model and actress Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define
- Elizabeth Taylor, although hitherto not a singer, recorded the song for the 1978 film adaptation of A Little Night Music, in which she starred. Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born 27 February 1932) is a two-time Academy Award -winning English-American actress A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler.
- The song was performed as a snippet during "The Electric Co." on the U2 release, Under A Blood Red Sky. "The Electric Co" is the tenth track from U2 's debut album Boy. Under a Blood Red Sky is the name of both a Live album and Concert Video recorded by the rock band U2, released in However, the band did not have the appropriate licensing and did not pay the required royalties and were fined $50,000 (US) and had to make sure any further pressings of the release had an edited version of the song. [1]
- Angela Lansbury sings the song live on the CD A Stephen Sondheim Evening, with Sondheim himself accompanying her on the piano. Angela Brigid Lansbury, CBE (born October 16, 1925) is an English Golden Globe Award and Tony Award winning Actress
- A version was recorded by Bryan Ferry during sessions for his abandoned album Horoscope in 1991 but has not been legitimately released. Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945 in Washington, Sunderland) is an English Singer, Musician, Songwriter and occasional Some bootleg editions of the album contain the song as the final vocal track.
- Glenn Close performed the song live at Carnegie Hall in the 1992 concert Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall. Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American Singer and Actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east Her performance was seen on the subsequent televised version of this concert, and can be seen on the CD and DVD releases.
- The song was sent up on an episode of The Simpsons, "Krusty Gets Kancelled. " The episode concerns Krusty the Clown hosting a comeback special to rival his puppet competitor, Gabbo. He opens the special by singing the song in a baleful croak, all the time on the verge of weeping, and on his final chant of "Send in the clowns," he does indeed break down, and Sideshow Mel enters and completes the verse: They're already here. The lines sung here (Send in the clowns/those daffy, laffy clowns!/Send in those soulful and doleful, schmaltz-by-the-bowlful clowns) are clearly not the original lyrics.
- Tom Jones recorded a version in 1999, on the album: Send in the Clowns. Tom Jones can refer to Tom Jones (singer (born 1940 Welsh pop music singer Tommy Lee Jones (born 1946 American actor and director
- Covered by the Tiger Lillies on their 2000 album Circus Songs. The Tiger Lillies are a three-piece band formed in 1989 and based in London.
- Mandy Patinkin performs the song on his 2002 album Mandy Patinkin Sings Sondheim. Mandy Patinkin ( (born November 30, 1952) is an American actor of stage and screen and a Tenor vocalist
- Olivia Newton John on a 2004 cover album Women of Song
- Dame Judi Dench performed the song in the 1990s during an evening celebrating British theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh ('Hey! Mr. Olivia Newton-John, AO, OBE (born September 26 1948) is a Grammy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated English-born In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA, (born 9 December, 1934) usually known as Judi Dench, is an English Producer').
- Howard Keel recorded the song and it is available on the Vocal Masters release Bless Your Beautiful Hide. Howard Keel, born Harold Clifford Keel ( April 13, 1919 &ndash November 7, 2004) was an American Actor
- Version by the Brazilian singer Renato Russo in his solo album The Stonewall Celebration Concert. Renato Russo, born Renato Manfredini Jr ( March 27, 1960 - October 11, 1996) was the formal founder and leader of the Brazilian
- Peter Criss on his 2007 album One for All
- Stars of the Lid recorded a version called "Don't Bother They're Here" for their 2007 album And the Refinement of the Decline. George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945) better known as Peter Criss, is an American Musician best known as One for All is a studio album by former Kiss drummer and vocalist Peter Criss. Stars of the Lid is a duo specializing in drone-based Ambient music.
- Jazz guitarist Pat Martino recorded an instrumental version of the song for his 1976 release 'We'll be Together Again. Pat Martino (born Pat Azzara on August 25 1944) is an Italian-American Jazz Guitarist and Composer within the '
- Jazz vocalist Carmen McRae once recorded this song.
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