Sayer performing the song on Dutch television (
AVRO's
TopPop) in 1974
"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 Top Twenty in January 1974,[1] and was included on Sayer's debut album Silverbird.
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. The opening motif 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 sang it as "I must let the show go on", which Sayer was reportedly not happy about.
Chart performance
Leo Sayer version
| Weekly singles chart (1974) |
Peak
position |
| UK [2] |
2 |
| Year-end chart (1974) |
Position |
| UK [3] |
31 |
Three Dog Night version
Weekly singles charts
|
Year-end charts
| Chart (1974) |
Position |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [6] |
42 |
| US Cash Box [7] |
63 |
| Canada [8] |
43 |
|
References
- Gogan, Larry (1987). The Larry Gogan Book of Irish Chart Hits (Maxwell Publications) ISBN 9781870846004
- Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
External links
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| Studio albums |
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| Compilation albums |
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| Soundtrack albums |
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| Singles |
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| Related topics |
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