"Clown" is a song by the Scottish recording artist

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé ( ; previously Gouraguine; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a British singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Sandé rose t ...

. It was released on 3 February 2013 as the fifth single from her first studio album, ''

Our Version of Events ''Our Version of Events'' is the debut studio album by Scottish singer Emeli Sandé. The album was released on 13 February 2012 by Virgin Records, following Sandé's winning of the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards 2012. Though ''Our Ver ...

'' (2012). "Clown" was written by Sandé, Shahid Khan and Grant Mitchell, and produced by Khan under his production name of

Naughty Boy Shahid Khan (; born 1 January 1981), known professionally as Naughty Boy, is an English DJ, record producer, music programmer and songwriter. In 2012, Khan signed a three-year publishing deal with Sony ATV, as well as a recording contract wit ...

Background

The song talks about Sandé's first experiences in the music industry, mainly reflecting her search to be signed by a music company and the encounters with several music business people. Commenting on the song, Sandé said:

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Clown" was first released onto YouTube on 6 December 2012 with a total length of three minutes and forty-seven seconds. It was directed by WIZ. The video was made in the style of a

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

and shows Sandé being urged by a group of men, in military uniform, to sign a document to receive something in return. The music video takes inspiration from the 1928 silent film "Joan of Arc" as a woman is put on trial and urged by a group of men to recant her beliefs.

Promotion

Sandé performed "Clown" during the final of the ninth series of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' on 9 December 2012, as well as appearing on ''

The Voice of Holland ''The Voice of Holland'', also known by its acronym ''TVOH'', is a Dutch singing reality competition television series that became a global TV format franchise, created by media tycoon John de Mol Jr. and musician Roel van Velzen in the Net ...

'' in November 2012. Sandé also performed the song on ''

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton ...

'' on 11 January 2013. "Clown" debuted in Australia at No. 34 in the week commencing 2 June 2014 on the back of '' The Voice'' contestants Candice Skjonnemand and Thando Sikwila performing the song on the show on 26 May 2014.

Track listing

;Digital EP # "Clown" – 3:41 # "Clown" – 4:06 # "Kill the Boy" – 3:43 # "Clown" – 3:41 # "Clown" – 3:46 ;2013 Brit Awards # "Clown" / "Next to Me" (Live from the BRITs) – 4:53

Credits and personnel

* Lead vocals – Emeli Sandé *

Lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

– Emeli Sandé, Shahid Khan, Grant Mitchell * Producers – Naughty Boy * Piano – Grant Mitchell * Label – Virgin Records

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

O'G3NE version

The Dutch three-piece girl group

O'G3NE Ogene ( ; stylised as O'G3NE and OG3NE until 2024), formerly known as Lisa, Amy & Shelley, is a Dutch three-piece music group. The group is made up of sisters Lisa, Amy and Shelley Vol. The group represented the Netherlands in the Junior Eurovi ...

, released a cover version of the song in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

as a digital download on 23 May 2016 by Cornelis Music. The song peaked at number 64 on the

Dutch Singles Chart The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, w ...

. The song is included on the Special Edition of their third studio album, '' We Got This''.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clown (Emeli Sande song) Emeli Sandé songs Virgin Records singles Songs written by Emeli Sandé 2013 singles 2010s ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads 2012 songs Black-and-white music videos Songs written by Naughty Boy