Death of a Clown
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Death of a Clown
| cover = Death of a Clown cover.jpg
| caption = Danish picture sleeve
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Dave Davies
| album = Something Else by the Kinks
| B-side = Love Me Till the Sun Shines
| released = 7 July 1967{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=102}}
| recorded = {{circa}}{{thin space}}5 June 1967{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=101}}
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Chamber pop{{Cite web|url=https://m.chicagoreader.com/chicago/kinks-guitarist-dave-davies-continues-to-stake-his-claim-as-a-rawk-god-at-age-72/Content?oid=69567449|title = Kinks guitarist Dave Davies continues to stake his claim as a rawk god at age 72|date = 11 April 2019}}
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=15}}
| label = Pye
| writer =
| producer = Shel Talmy
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Susannah's Still Alive
| next_year = 1967
}}
"Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, lead guitarist of British rock band the Kinks, which was released as his debut solo single in 1967. The song was co-written with his brother Ray Davies, who contributed the 5-bar "La la la" hook; Ray's first wife, Rasa, sings this phrase as well as descant in the second verse, while Ray himself sings harmony in the refrain. Nicky Hopkins played the distinctive introduction, using fingerpicks on the strings of a piano. The single was credited to Dave Davies but the song also appeared on the Kinks' album Something Else by the Kinks, released later in 1967.
Background
In an interview with Yahoo!, Dave Davies said that "Death of a Clown" was written about the repetitive performing schedule he and the rest of the Kinks worked through. He said, "One night I nodded off at a party and woke up and saw all these decadent people running around. I had a vision of being a circus clown. I thought, 'What are we doing?' We were going from day to day to day like performing seals. And that's where I got the idea for 'Death of a Clown.' I went back to me mum's house with the same old out-of-tune piano and I plunked out three notes, and it turned into the song."{{cite web|last1=Weiderhorn|first1=Jon|title=Dave Davies: Musical, Biopic Could Lead to Kinks Reunion|url=https://www.yahoo.com/music/the-kinks-musical-movie-could-lead-to-band-021632094.html|website=Yahoo|date=3 December 2015 |access-date=4 December 2015}}
The single release was met with considerable success in the UK, hitting No. 3,[http://kinks.it.rit.edu/charts.html Chart positions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206203241/http://kinks.it.rit.edu/charts.html |date=6 February 2009 }}, at kinks.it.rit.edu, retrieved 3 May 2007. thus prompting Dave Davies to consider embarking on a solo career. When subsequent singles were met with less success, the idea was set aside until 1980, with his debut album being AFL1-3603.
Personnel
According to band researcher Doug Hinman:{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=101}}
The Kinks
- Dave Davies{{snd}} lead vocal, electric guitar
- Ray Davies{{snd}} acoustic guitar, backing vocal
- Pete Quaife{{snd}} bass
- Mick Avory{{snd}} drums
Additional musicians
- Rasa Davies{{snd}} backing vocal
- Nicky Hopkins{{snd}} piano
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Chart (1967)
!Peak |
|---|
| Australia (Go-Set){{Cite web|url=https://gosetcharts.com/1967/19670920.html|title=Go-Set Australian charts - 20 September 1967|website=Poparchives.com.au}}
| style="text-align:center;"|37 |
| {{Single chart|Flanders|5|artist=Dave Davies|song=Death of a Clown}} |
| {{Single chart|Wallonia|16|artist=Dave Davies|song=Death of a Clown}} |
| {{Single chart|Ireland2|6|artist=Dave Davies|song=Death of a Clown}} |
| {{Single chart|Dutch40|2|artist=Dave Davies|song=Death of a Clown}} |
| New Zealand (Listener Chart){{cite web|url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=654#n_view_location|title=Dave Davies(search)|publisher=Flavour of New Zealand|access-date=8 April 2022|archive-date=20 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420204215/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=654#n_view_location|url-status=dead}}
| style="text-align:center;"|10 |
| {{Single chart|Norway|7|artist=Dave Davies|song=Death of a Clown}} |
| {{Single chart|UKsinglesbyname|3|artistid=13049|artist=Dave Davies |refname=ukcharts}} |
| {{Single chart|West Germany|3|artist=Dave Davies|song=Death of a Clown|songid=24740}} |
References
{{reflist}}
=Sources=
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book |last1=Hinman |first1=Doug |title=The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996 |date=2004 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=San Francisco, California |isbn=978-0-87930-765-3}}
{{refend}}
{{The Kinks singles}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy
Category:Songs written by Ray Davies