Send in the Clowns 29357 225726546 2008-07-15T02:47:52Z 84.44.152.234 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225725887 by [[Special:Contributions/71.105.88.17|71.105.88.17]] ([[User talk:71.105.88.17|talk]]) '''"Send in the Clowns"''' is a [[song]] by [[Stephen Sondheim]], from the [[1973]] [[Musical theater|musical]] ''[[A Little Night Music]]''. It is a [[ballad]] from Act II in which the character Desirée reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life. Among other things, she regrets having turned down a marriage offer 20 years earlier. Meeting him after so many years, she finds that he is now in an unconsummated marriage. She proposes to marry him, to rescue him from this situation, but he declines. Reacting to his rejection of her, she sings the song. Sondheim created the song specifically for the actress, [[Glynis Johns]], who created the role of Desirée on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. The song is written in four verses and a bridge, using a complex [[triple meter]]. It became Sonheim's most popular song after [[Judy Collins]] recorded it in 1975. Subsequently, [[Frank Sinatra]], Barbra Streisand and many other famous singers have recorded the song, and it became a [[jazz standard]]. == Meaning of title == The "clowns" in the title do not refer to circus clowns (i.e. performers in the circus who wear white face with red noses). Instead, the "clowns" in the title are theatrical imagery, as Sondheim explained in a 1990 interview: <blockquote> I get a lot of letters over the years asking what the title means and what the song's about. I never thought it would be in any way esoteric. I wanted to use theatrical imagery in the song, because she's an ''actress''. But it's not supposed to be "circus".... [I]t’s a theater reference meaning “if the show isn’t going well, let’s send in the clowns”. In other words, ”let’s do the jokes”. I always want to know, when I’m writing a song, what the end is going to be. So, “Send in the Clowns” didn’t settle in until I got the notion, “Don’t bother, they’re here” which means that “We are the fools”.[Emphasis Added]<ref name = Lincoln>{{cite video | title = An Interview with Stephen Sondheim | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWC5qfVnsVs&amp;feature=related | medium = Video Interview | publisher = Live from Lincoln Center | location = Broadcast live from the New York City Opera during the production of ''[[A Little Night Music]]'', in either 1990 or 1993, when Sally Ann Howes opened the opera season | year2 = 1990 or 1993 | accessdate = 2008-06-10}}</ref> </blockquote> In a 2008 interview, Sondheim further clarified the meaning:"As I think of it now, the song could have been called "Send In the Fools". I knew I was writing a song in which Desirée is saying, "aren't we foolish", or "aren't we fools"? Well, a synonym for fools is clowns.<ref name = Gussow>{{cite news | last = Gussow | first = Mel | title = Send In the Sondheim; City Opera Revives 'Night Music,' as Composer Dotes | work = The New York Times | pages = | publisher = | date = 2008-03-11 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E7D6163EF932A25750C0A9659C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/S/Sondheim,%20Stephen | accessdate = 2008-06-10}}</ref> But Sondheim agreed that "Send In the Fools" lacked the same ring.<ref name = Gussow /> == Context == In an interview by [[Alan Titchmarsh]], Dame [[Judi Dench]], who performed the role of Desirée in London, commented on the context of song. The play is "a dark play about people who, at the beginning, are with wrong partners."<ref name = Dench_I>{{cite video | people = | title = An Interview of Dame Judi Dench by Alan Titchmarsh | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rEhOnd8S-8&feature=related | medium = Video Interview | publisher = BBC | location = | year2 = 1996 | accessdate = 2008-07-08}}</ref> Around 20 years before the play begins, Desirée was a young, attractive woman, whose passions were the theater and men.<ref name = Plot>{{cite web | last = Wikipedia | first = | authorlink = | title = A Little Night Music | work = | publisher = | date = | url = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_Night_Music#Plot | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008.07.08}}</ref> She was a stage actress, and she lived her life dramatically, flitting from man to man. Fredrik was one of her many casual lovers, but he fell deeply in love with Desirée and asked her to marry him. Desirée refused his proposal, because she lived "in the air". When she refused, Fredrik abandoned the quest and left her. He did not know it when they parted, but Desirée was pregnant with his child.<ref name = Plot /> A few months before the play begins, Fredrik fell in love and married a beautiful woman who is 18 years old – much younger than he.<ref name = Plot /> In Act One, Desirée and Fredrik meet after 20 years apart. Fredrik meets his and Desirée's love child, who is now a handsome young man, around 20 years old. Fredrik explains to Desirée that he is now married to the young woman, whom he loves, but she is still a virgin and refuses to have sex with him. Desirée seduces Fredrik, and they enjoy a passionate night together.<ref name = Plot /> Act Two begins the next morning, and Desirée realizes that she truly loves Fredrik and that she should have married him so long ago. She tells Fredrik that he needs to be rescued from his marriage, and she proposes to him. She tells him that she needs to be rescued and asks if she too can rescue him. Fredrik explains to Desirée that he has been swept off the ground and is "in the air" in love with his beautiful, young wife. So Fredrik refuses Desirée's proposal, and he apologizes for having misled her. Fredrik walks across the room, while Desirée remains sitting on the bed. As she feels both intense sadness and anger, at herself, her life and her choices, she sings, "Send in the Clowns".<ref name = Plot /> == Lyrics == The lyrics of the song are written in four [[verses]] and a bridge and sung by Desirée. As Sondheim explains, Desirée experiences both deep regret and furious anger: <blockquote> [“Send in the Clowns”] was never meant to be a soaring ballad. It’s a song of regret. And it’s a song of a lady who is too upset and too angry to speak – meaning to sing for a very long time. She is furious, but she doesn’t want to make a scene in front of Fredrik because she recognizes that his obsession with his 18-year-old wife is unbreakable. So she gives up. So it’s a song of regret and anger. And therefore fits in with short-breathed phrases.” <ref name = Lincoln /> </blockquote> === First Verse === The lyrics of the first verse introduce Desirée’s deep anger and regret.<ref name = Lincoln /> <blockquote> Isn't it rich?<br /> Are we a pair?<br /> Me here at last on the ground,<br /> You in mid-air.<br /> Send in the clowns.<br /> </blockquote> '''''Isn’t it rich?''''' This is a common theatrical expression, which in context means “our relationship has become so ironic”. The line and the entire song are sung with intense anger and hurt. Throughout the song, all questions are rhetorical: Desirée is not asking questions but is making rhetorical statements based on theatrical imagery. The word “rich” is emphasized in the dramatic song to highlight the bitter irony she feels. '''''Are we a pair?''''' This is not question. Instead, it’s a rhetorical statement of anger and regret, which means, approximately, “Look at the two of us: how stupidly we have led our lives.” Recall that, just before this song in the drama, Desirée was rejected by Fredrik, and now she has abandoned her quest to be “a pair” with him. This song expresses that she is angry, sarcastic, bitter and sad at the situation in which she and he now find themselves. '''''Me here at last on the ground,''''' Desirée has spent her life “in the air”, flitting from affair to affair. Now, however, she finally has her feet “at last on the ground” and wants to settle down with only one man: her long-ago lover, Fredrik. '''''You in mid-air.''''' On the other hand, her previously grounded lover himself is now himself “in mid-air”: now madly in love with his new wife. So she sings these lines with anger and regret about the irony of their reversed roles. '''''Send in the clowns.''''' The title is introduced. It means, “This is a theatrical performance so extremely bad that it can be saved only by bringing in comedy.” ===Second Verse=== <blockquote> Isn't it bliss?<br /> Don't you approve?<br /> One who keeps tearing around,<br /> One who can't move.<br /> Where are the clowns?<br /> Send in the clowns.<br /> </blockquote> '''''Isn't it bliss?''''' Just like the word “rich” in the first verse, the word “bliss” here means irony and means the opposite of happiness. The word “bliss” is sung with an elongated “hiss” -- it drips with anger. '''''Don't you approve?''''' Another rhetorical question, which in this case means “Surely you’re as unhappy with our relationship as I.” '''''One who keeps tearing around,''''' This refers to Desirée herself.<ref name = Guildhall_I> {{ cite video | people = | title = Stephen Sondheim Teaches at Guildhall School of Music, Part 1 | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT7GC9oJ9xY&feature=related | medium = Video Class | publisher = Guildhall School of Music | location = Guildhall School of Music, London | year2 = 2006 | accessdate = 2008-07-08 }} </ref> She is the one who has been running around with different lovers. '''''One who can't move.''''' This is Fredrik,<ref name = Guildhall_I /> who has just recently been married to his young trophy wife. '''''Where are the clowns?''''' Desirée means, “This play that is my life can be saved only by changing the performers”. The word “where” is smooth and elongated. '''''Send in the clowns.''''' This is the theatrical expression. The closest lay expression may be “I don’t want to think about it anymore. Let’s change the subject”. As she sings the word “clowns”, she emphasizes the hard ‘k’ and makes the word almost two vowels (KUH – lowns). ===Bridge=== <blockquote> Just when I'd stopped opening doors,<br /> Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours,<br /> Making my entrance again with my usual flair,<br /> Sure of my lines,<br /> No one is there.<br /> </blockquote> '''''Just when I'd stopped opening doors,''''' Desirée remembers that, after years of flitting from affair to affair (“opening doors”), she is now ready to “stop opening doors”. '''''Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours,''''' The important word is “that”, which does not mean “that person”. Instead, the word “that” refers to “that door”. The phrase, “knowing the one that I wanted was yours”, refers to the “door” to Fredrik’s heart and can be paraphrased: “finally I discovered that, after spending my life searching for true love, I know that you are my true love.” '''''Making my entrance again with my usual flair''''' Desirée’s theatrical background as an actress is apparent in her expression about “making [her] entrance”, which she often does “with [her] usual flair”. Sondheim wrote the word “flair” itself to be sung with flair: "She is an actress, and she is used to sweeping in and out, so there is a certain amount of self-irony . . . ."<ref name = Guildhall_I /> '''''Sure of my lines''''' Desirée uses another theatrical expression about being “sure of [her] lines”. she was sure that her proposal to Fredrik, which she made just before this song, would be successful, but . . . '''''No one is there.''''' That is, after opening so many doors looking for true love, she finally came to her senses and opened “Fredrik’s door”, but he was not there – he rejected her, after so many previous times when Fredrik proposed to her, but she rejected him. Desirée is surprised, hurt, angry and full of regret – at herself and her situation. She is not angry at Fredrik but at herself. Desirée almost whispers the line, demonstrating that “no one is there”. To paraphrase the bridge, “Just when I’d stopped looking for lovers, Finally realizing that I love only you, I came to you again, Sure that you would accept me as your lover, But you refused.” ===Third Verse=== <blockquote> Don't you love farce?<br /> My fault I fear.<br /> I thought that you'd want what I want.<br /> Sorry, my dear.<br /> But where are the clowns?<br /> Quick, send in the clowns.<br /> Don't bother, they're here.<br /> </blockquote> '''''Don't you love farce?''''' Like the first sentences of the previous verses, this is a rhetorical question that means, “My performance in my relationship with Fredrik is not a love story but a farce – a bitter tragedy.” Of course, “farce” is yet another of the many theatrical references that permeate the song. A farce is a type of comedy with improbable situations and often sexual innuendo, like her life. '''''My fault I fear.''''' Of course, Desirée blames only herself. '''''I thought that you'd want what I want.''''' Desirée believed that Fredrik would accept her as his true love, just as she is ready (finally) to accept him. '''''Sorry, my dear.''''' Desirée is sorry for her mistaken belief. She is sorry for the situation she has created. As she sings, her self-loathing increases. '''''But where are the clowns?''''' Desirée is asking rhetorically, “My performance is horrible.” '''''Quick, send in the clowns.''''' This repeats the phrase. Sondheim instructs that the word “quick” should be sung quickly and with a clipped phrasing, because the "quick has an angry separation".<ref name = Guildhall_II /> This line is sung in complete contrast with the line in the fourth verse, “Well, maybe next year.” As she begins to sing the line at this point in the drama, Fredrik begins to walk toward Desirée, who until that point had been singing (thinking) to herself. As Fredrik approaches, she turns toward him and sings, in an angry, bitter manner . . . '''''Don't bother, they're here.''''' Desirée almost spits out the word “bother” (often pronounced with a ‘b’ that sounds like ‘p’). She has turned the title (the theatrical expression) upside down. As she sees Fredrik walking toward her, she suddenly realizes that “her horrible life’s performance” results from its actors: herself and Fredrik. The meaning of this last line requires an understanding of context. Sondheim explains that, in the drama, this is the last line, the climax and the entire point of the song. (Note that it is indeed the last line of the scene in the drama, as explained below.) In the previous scene, Desirée was rejected by Fredrik. In this scene, as she sings the song, she sings of her anger and regret. The scene ends as Fredrik walks toward her, and she sings the last line, which may be paraphrased as “Don’t bother to change the subject, because we ourselves are the subject: we are the horrible actors in this tragic, farcical performance – we are clowns”. As she sings the last line of the fourth verse, she looks up and sees Fredrik. Therefore, the line, "Don't bother, they're here" makes sense. ;Fredrik's Lines After Desirée sings the angry line of regret, "Don't bother, they're here", Fredrik says the following to her:<ref name = Dench_II /> "I never should have come. I’m sorry. To flirt with rescue when one has no intention of being saved. Do try to forgive me." [[Judy Dench]] commented that this reference to "being saved" echoes Desirée's proposal to save Fredrik. Fredrik walks away from Desirée, who reprises the song. ===Fourth verse=== <blockquote> Isn't it rich?<br /> Isn't it queer,<br /> Losing my timing this late<br /> In my career?<br /> And where are the clowns?<br /> There ought to be clowns.<br /> Well, maybe next year.<br /> </blockquote> '''''Isn't it rich?''''' This repeats the opening line of the first verse. As there, Desirée means “This situation is so ironic”. '''''Isn't it queer,''''' This echoes the first line and means “This situation is so absurd.” '''''Losing my timing this late''''' This is another theatrical reference, which describes the irony of her realization, too late, of her love for Fredrik. '''''In my career?''''' Another reference to her career as an actress: her entire life has been a theatrical performance. '''''And where are the clowns?''''' Desirée wants to change the subject, to think of something other than her anger and regret. '''''There ought to be clowns.''''' She repeats her desire for theatrical effect. '''''Well, maybe next year.''''' The final line of this reprise adds a touch of hope that Desirée will find happiness. After the horrible performance that her life has been, she longs for, but she cannot find, something to save her life’s performance from this tragic farce. But Desirée does not abandon all hope -- she hopes that her life’s performance will be a success and that she will find true her love with Fredrik “maybe next year”. Sondheim teaches that the word "quick" in verse four has an angry separation, but the word "well" in this verse has a kind of resigned separation and should be sung almost as an interjection, not really part of the phrase.<ref name = Guildhall_II /> == Score == ===History=== Sondheim wrote the lyrics and music over a two-day period during rehersals for the play's Broadway debut.<ref name = Academy /> He created the song specifically for the actress, [[Glynis Johns]], who created the role of Desirée.<ref name = Academy /> According to Sondheim, "Glynis had a lovely, crystal voice, but sustaining notes was not her thing. I wanted to write short phrases, so I wrote a song full of questions."<ref name = Gussow /> <blockquote> We hired Glynis Johns to play the lead, though she had a nice little silvery voice. But I'd put all the vocal weight of the show on the other characters because we needed somebody who was glamorous, charming and could play light comedy, and pretty, and to find that in combination with a good voice is very unlikely, but she had all the right qualities and a nice little voice. So I didn't write much for her and I didn't write anything in the second act. And the big scene between her and her ex-lover, I had started on a song for him because it's his scene. And Hal Prince, who directed it, said he thought that the second act needed a song for her, and this was the scene to do it in. And so he directed the scene in such a way that even though the dramatic thrust comes from the man's monologue, and she just sits there and reacts, he directed it so you could feel the weight going to her reaction rather than his action. And I went down and saw it and it seemed very clear what was needed, and so that made it very easy to write. And then I wrote it for her voice, because she couldn't sustain notes. Wasn't that kind of singing voice. So I knew I had to write things in short phrases, and that led to questions, and so again, I wouldn't have written a song so quickly if I hadn't known the actress. . . . I wrote most of it one night and finished part of the second chorus, and I'd gotten the ending. . . . [T]he whole thing was done in two days.<ref name = Academy>{{cite web | last = Academy of Achievement | first = | authorlink = | title = An Interview with Stephen Sondheim | work = | publisher = | date = 2005-07-05 | url = http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/son0int-1 | format = Video Interview | doi = | accessdate = 2008-06-10}}</ref></blockquote> Thus, the song's lyrics are short phrases, and the song's melody is within a small music range. ===Meter and key=== The song uses an unusual and complex meter, which alternates between 9/8 and 12/8.<ref name = Lincoln /> These are two complex [[triple meter]]s that evoke the sense of a waltz used throughout the score of the show. Sondheim explained the reason that he learned to use such complexities: <blockquote> When I worked with [[Leonard Bernstein]] on [[West Side Story]], one of the things I learned from him was not always necessarily to think in terms of 2-, 4- and 8-bar phrases. I was already liberated enough before I met him not to be sticking to 32-bar songs. But I tend to think square. I tend to think... it’s probably because I was brought up on mid-19th and late-19th Century music. And, you know, it’s fairly square. There are not an awful lot of meter changes. You often will shorten or lengthen a bar for rhythmic purposes and for energy. But... when you switch in the middle [of a song], particularly when it’s a modest song: when you’re not writing an aria, you know – if you’re writing something like Sweeney Todd, where people sing at great length, you expect switches of meter, because it helps variety. But in a little 36- or 40-bar song, to switch meters around is almost perverse, because the song doesn’t get a chance to establish its own rhythm. But the problem is, what would you do? Would you go, “Isn’t it rich? (two – three) Are we a pair? (two – three) Me here at last on the ground (three), you in mid-air.” Lenny [Bernstein] taught me to think in terms of, “Do you really need the extra beat or not.” Just because you’ve got four bars of four, if you come across a bar that doesn’t need the extra beat, then put a bar of three in. So... the 9 [beat bars] and [the] 12 [beat bars] that alternate in that song were not so much consciously arrived at as they were by the emotionality of the lyric.<ref name = Lincoln /></blockquote> The song is written in the primary key of [[E major]].<ref name = Lincoln /> == Styles == “Send in the Clowns” is performed in two completely different styles: dramatic and lyric. The dramatic style is the theatrical performance by Desirée, and this style emphasizes Desirée’s feelings of anger and regret, and the dramatic style acts as a cohesive part of the play. The lyric style is the concert performance, and this style emphasizes the sweetness of the melody and the poetry of the lyrics. Most performances are in concert, so they emphasize the beauty of the melody and the obsurity of the lyrics. Sondheim teaches both dramatic and lyric performers several important elements for an accurate rendition.<ref name = Guildhall_II>{{cite video | people = | title = Stephen Sondheim Teaches at Guildhall School of Music, Part 2 | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-VXXZLh2a0 | medium = Video Class | publisher = Guildhall School of Music | location = Guildhall School of Music, London | year2 = 2006 | accessdate = 2008-07-08}}</ref> The dramatic performer must take on the character of Desirée: a woman who finally realizes that she has misspent her youth on the shallow life. She is both angry and sad, and both must be seen in the performance. Two important examples are the contrast between the lines, “Quick, send in the clowns” and “Well, maybe next year”. Sondheim teaches that the former should be steeped in self-loathing, while the latter should emphasize regret.<ref name = Guildhall_II /> Thus, the former is clipped, with a break between “quick” and “send”, while the latter “well” is held pensively.<ref name = Guildhall_II /> Sondheim himself apologizes for mistakes which he made in the composition. For example, in the line, “Well, maybe next year”, the melodic emphasis is on the word '''''year''''' but the dramatic emphasis must be on the word '''''next'''''. Sondheim has said: <blockquote> The word "next" is important: "maybe '''''next''''' year" as opposed to "'''''this''''' year". [Desirée means] "All right, I've screwed it up this year. Maybe next year I'll do something right in my life." So: "well, maybe next year" even though it isn't accented in the music. This is a place where the lyric and the music aren't as apposite as they might be, because the important word is '''''next''''', and yet the accented word is '''''year'''''. That's my fault, but [the performer must] overcome."<ref name = Guildhall_I /></blockquote> Another example arose from Sondheim's American roots: he put two 'f' sounds together in the line, “Don't you love farce?” American performers in concert will often link the two 'f' sounds, so that the words are sung as one, and British audiences hear, "Don't you love arse?", with its altogether unfortunate meaning. Sondheim agrees, "It's an awkward moment in the lyric, but that v and that f should be separated."<ref name = Guildhall_I /> In the line of the fourth verse, "I thought that you'd want what I want. Sorry my dear", the performer must communicate the connection between the "want" and the "sorry".<ref name = Guildhall_II /> Similarly, Sondheim insists that performers separately enunciate both “t”s in line, “There ought to be clowns”.<ref name = Guildhall_II /> The differences are illustrated and may be compared in the performances of [[Glynis Johns]]<ref name = Johns> {{cite video | people = | title = Glynis Johns, Send in the Clowns | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAl-EawVobY | medium = Video Performance | publisher = That's Singing: The Best of Broadway | location = | year2 = 1992 | accessdate = 2008-07-08}}</ref> and [[Judi Dench]]<ref name = Dench_II>{{cite video | people = | title = The 1998 Royal Charity Gala Concert, "Hey, Mr. Producer!" | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE3dLzIYKs8 | medium = Video | publisher = CML | location = Concert held at the Lyceum Theatre in London | year2 = 1998 | accessdate = 2008-07-08}}</ref> with those of [[Judy Collins]]<ref name = Collins>{{cite video | people = | title = Judy Collins, Send in the Clowns | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5yG1Dy5b4A | medium = Video Performance | publisher = Paul Masson Summer Series | location = San Jose, California | year2 = 1991 | accessdate = 2008-07-08}}</ref> and [[Frank Sinatra]].<ref name = Sinatra>{{cite video | people = | title = Frank Sinatra, Send in the Clowns | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAAAspIKxJk | medium = Video Performance | publisher = Live from Carnegie Hall | location = Carnegie Hall, New York | year2 = 1980 | accessdate = 2008-07-08}}</ref> The former are dramatic and meant for the theater; the latter are lyric and meant for the concert.{{Or|date=July 2008}} [[Glynis Johns]] personifies Desirée.<ref name = Johns /> She created the character on Broadway. Her interpretation highlights Desirée’s anger and regret. Listen, for example, to her anger, when she sings, “Isn’t it rich?” As [[Glynis Johns]] did in the U.S., [[Judi Dench]] created Desirée for the U.K. stage.<ref name = Dench_I /> In her performance, she does not sing so much as tell the story. Listen to the bitterness as she hisses the line, “Isn’t it rich?”, and the hard ‘k’ in “clowns”. She won the Olivier Award for her performance.<ref name = Dench_I /> In contrast with the Johns and Dench, [[Judy Collins]]'s performs not as an actress portraying Desirée but as a pop singer of a sad ballad.<ref name = Collins /> She never played Desirée in the theater. Instead, she used the beautiful lyrics and melody to create a major pop hit. Similarly, [[Frank Sinatra]] performs a traditional ballad, which has been reworded to the masculine.<ref name = Sinatra /> == Popular success == Sondheim composed more than 800 songs, but this is his only song that became a major pop hit.<ref name = Gussow /> In 1973, the play and song debuted on Broadway. The song become popular with theater audiences but had not become a pop hit. Sondheim explained how the song became a hit: <blockquote> First of all, it wasn't a hit for two years. I mean, the first person to sing it was [[Bobby Short]], who happened to see the show in Boston, and it was exactly his kind of song. He's a cabaret entertainer. And then my memory is that [[Judy Collins]] picked it up, but she recorded it in England. [[Sinatra]] heard it and recorded it. And between the two of them, they made it a hit.<ref name = Academy /> </blockquote> In 1975, [[Judy Collins]] recorded the song and included it in her album, ''[[Judith (album)| Judith]]''.<ref> {{ cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Billboard | work = Send in the Clowns, by Judy Collins | publisher = Asylum Records | date = 1975 | url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=2625&aid=74426 | format = Album | doi = | accessdate = 2008-07-08 }} </ref> The album included the song, "Send in the Clowns", which soon became a major pop hit. In 1975, the song remained on the [[Billboard Top 100]] for 11 weeks, reaching Number 36.<ref> {{ cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Billboard Hot 100 | work = Send in the Clowns, by Judy Collins | publisher = | date = 1975-08-30 | url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3070850&cdi=8867269&cid=08%2F30%2F1975 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-07-08 }} </ref> Then, in 1977, the song again reached the [[Billboard Top 100]], where it remained for 16 weeks and reached Number 19.<ref> {{ cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Billboard Hot 100 | work = Send in the Clowns, by Judy Collins | publisher = | date = 1977.11.19 | url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3070967&cdi=8878944&cid=11%2F19%2F1977 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-07-08 }} </ref> At the [[Grammy Awards of 1976]], the [[Judy Collins]]' performance of [[Stephen Sondheim]]'s "Send in the Clowns" named 'Song of the Year'.<ref> {{ cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = 1975 Grammy Award Winner, Song of the Year | work = Send in the Clowns, written by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Judy Collins | publisher = | date = 1975 | url = http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=judy+collins&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-07-08 }} </ref> After [[Judy Collins]] recorded the song, it was recorded by [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Kenny Rogers]], [[Lou Rawls]] and many others.<ref name = List> {{ cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Billboard | work = Send in the Clowns | publisher = | date = | url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?exp=y&D=send+in+the+clowns&Ntt=send+in+the+clowns&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Keyword&an=bbcom&nor=10&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=0&Ns=FORMATTED_DATE|0 | format = Search Results | doi = | accessdate = 2008-07-08 }} </ref> In 1985, Sondheim added a verse for a [[Barbra Streisand]] to use in her concert performances.<ref name = Streisand> {{ cite video | people = | title = Barbra Streisand in Concert | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnwJ5KIcKX4 | medium = Video Concert | publisher = | location = | year2 = | accessdate = 2008-07-08 }} </ref> and recording, which was featured on ''[[The Broadway Album]]''. In 1986, her version became a Number 25 Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary hit.<ref> {{ cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | work = Send in the Clowns, by Barbra Streisand | publisher = | date = 1986-03-29 | url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=341&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Adult+Contemporary+Tracks&ci=3004879&cdi=6223713&cid=03%2F29%2F1986 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-07-08 }} </ref> The song has become a [[jazz standard]] with performances by [[Count Basie]], [[Sarah Vaughan]], the [[Stan Kenton Orchestra]] and many others.<ref name = List /> == Recordings == * [[Judy Collins]] in 1975 recorded the song on her album, Judith. * Frida (Anni-Frid) Lyngstad (of [[ABBA]]) recorded this song in Swedish for her 1975 album ''[[Frida Ensam]]''. * Guitarist and educator [[Ted Greene]] arranged the song in his seminal release, ''Solo Guitar.'' * Model, singer and actress [[Grace Jones]] recorded a [[disco]] version of the song for her debut album, ''Portfolio'', in 1977. * [[Elizabeth Taylor]], although hitherto not a singer, recorded the song for the 1978 film adaptation of ''[[A Little Night Music]]'', in which she starred. * [[Angela Lansbury]] sings the song live on the CD ''A Stephen Sondheim Evening'', with Sondheim himself accompanying her on the piano. * 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. * [[Glenn Close]] performed the song live at [[Carnegie Hall]] in the 1992 concert ''Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall''. Her performance was seen on the subsequent televised version of this concert, and can be seen on the CD and DVD releases. * [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] recorded a version in 1999, on the album: ''Send in the Clowns''. * Covered by the [[Tiger Lillies]] on their 2000 album ''Circus Songs''. * [[Mandy Patinkin]] performs the song on his 2002 album ''Mandy Patinkin Sings Sondheim''. * [[Olivia Newton John]] on a 2004 [[cover version|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. Producer'). * [[Howard Keel]] recorded the song and it is available on the Vocal Masters release ''Bless Your Beautiful Hide''. * Version by the Brazilian singer [[Renato Russo]] in his solo album ''The Stonewall Celebration Concert''. * [[Peter Criss]] on his 2007 album ''[[One for All (Peter Criss album)|One for All]]'' * Jazz guitarist [[Pat Martino]] recorded an instrumental version of the song for his 1976 release 'We'll be Together Again.' * Jazz vocalist Carmen McRae once recorded this song. * Renato Russo, a Brazilian singer, recorded a version of the song on his album "The Stonewall Concert Celebration". == Parodies == * [[Stars of the Lid]] recorded a version called "Don't Bother They're Here" for their 2007 album ''And the Refinement of the Decline.'' * The [[Santa Clara Vanguard]] uses an instrumental version as its official corps song, which is played at the anniversary dinner, as well as in encore performances. * 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. * The song was performed as a snippet during "[[The Electric Co.]]" on the [[U2]] release, ''[[Under A Blood Red Sky]]''. 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.[http://u2faqs.com/history/a.html#5] * In Dexter's Laboratory, in the episode "Double Trouble", Dexter is confronted with thousands of clones of his sister Dee Dee, and he exclamaims "Where are clones??? Send in the clones!!! * In the film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, a similar joke is made. ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.sondheim.com/ Sondheim.com] * [http://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html Sondheim Guide to the Play] * [http://www.sondheimreview.com/v5n1.htm Sondheim Review] * [http://larryavisbrown.homestead.com/files/Sondheim/littlenightmusic.htm Notes to the Play] * [http://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?ID=000048 Upcoming Performances of the Play] * [http://www.nodanw.com/shows_l/little_night_music.htm Guide to Musical Theater for the Play] * [http://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/a/alittlenightmusiclyrics/sendintheclownslyrics.html Lyrics of ''Send in the Clowns''] [[Category:Songs from musicals]] [[Category:Jazz standards]] [[Category:Barbra Streisand songs]] [[Category:Songs by Stephen Sondheim]] [[Category:Grammy Award for Song of the Year]] [[pt:Send in the Clowns]]