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Politics & Government

'Send In the Clowns' - Judy Collins, Frank Sinatra - Lyrics & Meaning

Culture is upstream from politics. Breaks from drama of news, tips, and views are refreshing. ICYMI-or need a refresher-check these vids out

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L. A. "Tony" Kovach, Neighbor
Credits for music video stills: YouTube. Text and collage credits: MHProNews' L. A. "Tony" Kovach for the Patch.
Credits for music video stills: YouTube. Text and collage credits: MHProNews' L. A. "Tony" Kovach for the Patch.

In a Q&A by this writer for MHProNews' and your neighborly Patch contributor with left-leaning Bing's artificial intelligence powered Copilot was the following on 11.21.2024.

Copilot, you may be familiar with the song, Send in the Clowns. It is attributed to Judy Collins by LyricFind. But I thought that Frank Sinatra sang this too, didn't he pre-date Collins' singing of this song? Still on that topic, the lyrics strike me as a kind of self-deprecating ballad. The singer is poking fun of him/her self for having messed up the timing of a desired relationship using the metaphor of an actor/actress making an entrance with no one there. Feedback on that?

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Copilot replied:

You're right! "Send in the Clowns" is a song from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim. While Judy Collins' version is widely known and brought the song into the mainstream in 1975, Frank Sinatra indeed recorded the song earlier, in 1973, the same year as its debut in the musical. So, your memory serves you well—Sinatra did pre-date Collins' recording.

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As for the lyrics, your interpretation is spot on. The song is indeed a self-reflective, somewhat melancholic ballad. The metaphor of "Send in the Clowns" comes from the theatrical tradition where clowns are sent in to distract the audience during an unexpected, awkward moment. In the context of the song, it symbolizes the singer's realization of the missed opportunity and the resulting self-reproach for the untimely and futile efforts to salvage the relationship.

It's a poignant way of expressing the bittersweet nature of love and life, resonating with many who've experienced similar moments of regret and longing. Sondheim's mastery in capturing complex emotions through his lyrics and music is truly remarkable.

With that backdrop, here are three video versions of this classic and mournful love song, plus the lyrics according to LyricFind.

Here is the Judy Collins version. IMHO, both of these have their own moving quality, beauty, and class.

Per LyricFind, despite the clarification shown from Copilot above, here are the lyrics. Note that the word "queer" at the time of this song had a different meaning than it may to many today.

Send in the Clowns

Song by Judy Collins

Isn't it rich?

Are we a pair?

Me here at last on the ground,

You in mid-air,

Where are the clowns?

Isn't it bliss?

Don't you approve?

One who keeps tearing around,

One who can't move,

Where are the clowns?

There ought to be clowns?

Just when I'd stopped opening doors,

Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours

Making my entrance again with my usual flair

Sure of my lines

No one is there

Don't you love 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?

There ought to be clowns

Well, maybe next year

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Stephen Sondheim


Then there is this shorter, recorded live, and more recent performance by Edward Preble on The Voice of the same song, albeit a shorter version.

To put a ribbon on Send in the Clowns, consider the following Q&A with left-leaning Google's ai powered Gemini.

Who sang the original version of Send in the Clowns?

Glynis Johns first sang the original version of “Send in the Clowns” in the 1973 Broadway musical A Little Night Music:

Stephen Sondheim wrote the song specifically for Johns, who played the role of Desirée Armfeldt. Sondheim adapted his writing to Johns' distinctive husky voice and limited singing range.

Other artists who have recorded or performed “Send in the Clowns” include:

  • Frank Sinatra: Recorded the song in 1973, making it a popular pop hit
  • Judy Collins: Recorded the song in 1975, which charted in 1975 and 1977
  • Barbra Streisand: Recorded the song
  • Sarah Vaughan: Recorded the song
  • Olivia Newton-John: Recorded the song
  • Catherine Zeta-Jones: Performed the song in the 2009 Broadway revival of A Little Night Music

As we draw towards a close of this installment, let's note that there are people whose politics you or I may or may not like, but who nevertheless may be very good at something that they do. We should all be prepared to apply the ancient Biblical wisdom of separating the wheat from the proverbial chaff.

For those following along with this series of articles and reports, yours truly has shared other music video, and movies/TV miniseries and docu-drama insights. More are planned, so check back regularly.

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This next post also had an oldie tune, but it is a goodie.

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To keep things light but still insightful, yours truly has also shared periodic cartoons too.

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Then, there are overlooked or forgotten and massive corruption, affordable housing, politics, and more. We all have to live life. We all have to make decisions. Ideally, we should respect each other even if we may disagree on this or that subject.

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My goal, neighbor to neighbor, is simple. I've learned a thing or two. You have too. If you were writing this series, it would no doubt have several things that would be new or interesting to me.

Based on decades of experience in business and media, my aim is to pull back the curtain on issues that are often misunderstood, improperly presented or all too often shared in an incomplete way which changes the meaning or lessons from an event(s).

Anyone who thinks that America is just perfect isn't paying close attention or has an agenda. There is work to do. Thinking and objective people know that is true. In fact, not since Adam and Eve got shown the door from the Garden of Eden has there been anything perfect about this world, with a few notable exceptions we’ll look at sometime later.

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ICYMI, check out the above and the following. And check back soon for serious as well as lighthearted looks at life. Thanks for checking in.

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--> Deception & Misdirection-3 Tricks-Paltering, Posturing and Projecting

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--Affordable housing, mobile homes and manufactured homes related topics:

--> Realtor-What Is a Manufactured Home? The Next Step Beyond Mobile Homes

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L. A. “Tony” Kovach is a publisher who has earned multiple awards in history. He and his family live in a manufactured home on private property in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com (MHLivingNews.com) andManufacturedHomeProNews.com (MHProNews.com), trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several segments of the manufactured home industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing. ###

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