The Show Must Go On (Leo Sayer song)

"The Show Must Go On"
Single by Leo Sayer
from the album Silverbird
Released 1973 (1973)
Genre Rock
Length 3:30
Label Chrysalis
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Sayer performing the song on Dutch television (AVRO's TopPop) in 1974
"The Show Must Go On"
Single by Three Dog Night
from the album Hard Labor
B-side "On The Way Back Home"
Released April 1974 (1974)
Genre Rock
Length 3:37 (7" version)
Label Dunhill
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Jimmy Ienner
Certification Gold (RIAA)

"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) Rank
UK[3] 31

Three Dog Night version

Three Dog Night's cover of "The Show Must Go On" became their last Top 10 hit in the U.S., where it reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Cash Box Top 100, as well as in Canada, where it reached number two. It also reached #11 in the Netherlands and #12 in Germany.

Weekly singles charts

Chart (1974) Peak
position
Canada 2
New Zealand (Listener)[4] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 4
US Cash Box[6] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1974) Rank
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 42
US Cash Box[8] 63
Canada[9] 43

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 483. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  3. ↑ "Top 100 1974 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  4. ↑ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  5. ↑ "Lyrics: The Show Must Go On by Three Dog Night". Top40db.net. 1974-03-16. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-08-10. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
  7. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ "RPM - Library and Archives Canada | RPM - Bibliothèque et Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-10.

Bibliography


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