The Show Must Go On (Leo Sayer song)
1973 single by Leo Sayer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"The Show Must Go On" is a song co-written by Leo Sayer and David Courtney and first recorded by Sayer. It was released in the United Kingdom in 1973, becoming Sayer's first hit record (reaching its chart peak of #2 in early 1974 in the UK). The song reached #3 on the Irish Singles Chart in January 1974,[2] and was included on Sayer's debut album Silverbird.
"The Show Must Go On" | ||||
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Single by Leo Sayer | ||||
from the album Silverbird | ||||
B-side | "Tomorrow" | |||
Released | 1973 (1973) | |||
Recorded | 1973 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:30 2:53 (7" version) | |||
Label | Chrysalis | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Leo Sayer singles chronology | ||||
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"The Show Must Go On" | ||||
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Single by Three Dog Night | ||||
from the album Hard Labor | ||||
B-side | "On the Way Back Home" | |||
Released | 16 March, 1974 (1974)[1] | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 4:23 (album version) 3:37 (single version) | |||
Label | Dunhill | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Jimmy Ienner | |||
Three Dog Night singles chronology | ||||
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The song was covered by Three Dog Night, whose version was released in 1974, becoming a hit in the United States, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sung by vocalist Chuck Negron. The record reached #1 on the Cashbox pop chart, #2 on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts, and became their seventh and final Gold Record.
It uses a circus theme as a metaphor for dealing with the difficulties and wrong choices of life. Early in Sayer's career, he performed it dressed and made up as a pierrot clown. Like the album version on Sayer's debut album, Three Dog Night's version also quotes Julius Fučík's "Entrance of the Gladiators" which is commonly associated with circus clowns.
In Sayer's version, the last line of the chorus is "I won't let the show go on". Three Dog Night changed this line to "I must let the show go on", which Sayer has criticized.[3]