Send in the Clowns

About Send in the Clowns

"Send In the Clowns" is a song written by Stephen Sondheim for the 1973 musical A Little Night Music, an adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night. It is a ballad from Act Two, in which the character Desirée reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life. Among other things, she looks back on an affair years earlier with the lawyer Fredrik, who was deeply in love with her but whose marriage proposals she had rejected. Meeting him after so long, she realizes she is in love with him and finally ready to marry him, but now it is he who rejects her: he is in an unconsummated marriage with a much younger woman. Desirée proposes marriage to rescue him from this situation, but he declines, citing his dedication to his bride. Reacting to his rejection, Desirée sings this song. The song is later reprised as a coda after Fredrik's young wife runs away with his son, and Fredrik is finally free to accept Desirée's offer. Sondheim wrote the song specifically for Glynis Johns, who created the role of Desirée on Broadway. The song is structured with four verses and a bridge, and uses a complex compound meter. It became Sondheim's most popular song after Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1973 and Judy Collins' version charted in 1975 and 1977. Subsequently, numerous other artists recorded the song, and it has become a jazz standard. more »

Year:

1997

31 Views

Playlists:

#2

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com

Isn't it rich, are we a pair
Me here at last on the ground, and you in mid-air
Send in the clowns

Isn't it bliss, don't you approve
One who keeps tearing around, and one who can't move
But where are the clowns, send in the clowns

Just when I stopped opening doors
Finally finding the one that I wanted, was yours
Making my entrance again with my usual flair
Sure of my lines, nobody's there

Don't you love a farce, my fault I fear
I thought that you'd want what I want, sorry my dear
But where are the clowns, send in the clowns
Don't bother, they're here

Isn't it rich, isn't it queer
Losing my timing this late in my career
But where are the clowns, send in the clowns
Well maybe next year

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra, /sɨˈnɑːtrə/, (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and film actor of Italian origin. more »

Follow 33 fans