4 Tear-Jerking Songs About Clowns

Clowns may entertain a child’s birthday party while also scaring the living cake and ice cream out of her friends.

Perhaps the most famous terrifying party clown is Arthur Fleck, as portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in Joker. That film’s recent sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, inspired this list. Lady Gaga stars as Harley Quinn, and her musical numbers are the highlight of the film.

But not all clowns are nihilists. Some make useful metaphors for songwriters to compose tear-jerking classics like the songs below.

“Fifty-fifty Clown” by Cocteau Twins from Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)

Elizabeth Fraser uses her voice in mysterious ways. Her wailing tones echo, at times, Kate Bush while soaring above and ducking below the ominous dream pop of “Fifty-fifty Clown.” It’s the mystery and intrigue of the track, something lurking in the shadows. Fraser doesn’t need clear language to extract the melancholy and insecurity hiding behind the face paint.

“Cathy’s Clown” by The Everly Brothers from A Date with the Everly Brothers (1960)

A lover humiliates the narrator in The Everly Brothers’ hit. Don and Phil croon about the miserable heartbreak and embarrassment when others say, Here he comes, that’s Cathy’s clown. The groove feels like a parade, like the man’s public shaming. Still, he attempts to stand tall against Cathy’s lies. Also, Elliott Smith sets his gorgeous “Waltz #2 (XO)” in a bar where a couple sings bitter songs to each other, exposing their broken marriage. The woman sings “Cathy’s Clown.” Smith adds, That’s the man she’s married to now.

“The Tears of a Clown” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from Make It Happen (1967)

Stevie Wonder and producer Hank Crosby wrote the music to this Motown classic but struggled to write lyrics. Smokey Robinson took inspiration from the track’s whistling calliope part and circus vibe and finished the song. The opera Pagliacci gave Robinson the perfect image of a clown hiding behind an empty smile. It wasn’t the first time the opera motivated Robinson. In 1964, he wrote “My Smile Is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down)” for Carolyn Crawford, including the lyric: Just like Pagliacci did / I’ll keep my sadness hid. “The Tears of a Clown” wasn’t a hit initially and placed last on the track listing of Make It Happen. Motown rereleased the song three years later, topping the charts in the United States and Britain.

“Send in the Clowns” by Judy Collins from Judith (1975)

Stephen Sondheim wrote the saddest of clown songs for his 1973 musical A Little Night Music, performed by Glynis Johns. It’s tempting to transform “Send in the Clowns” into a towering ballad. But there are videos online showing Sondheim teaching the song, emphasizing both the anger and resignation of the lyrics. Judy Collins’s interpretation fits closely with Sondheim’s vision for the tune. Her emotional recording became a hit and earned a Grammy for Song of the Year.

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