I’ll have time for please/
I’ll have time for thank you/
As soon as I win.

Emilie Sande’s “Clown” is about the struggles of putting yourself out there for the world to see–and the disillusionment that comes with getting less than ideal reviews. In Sande’s case, the song tells the story of an entertainer who has to perform the same show every night and does not have much financial success to show for it.

Part of the job of a clown is to smile and make other’s happy, Sande points out that it is hard to do that when she sees nothing from all her hustle. While not many can relate to the struggles of the music industry, I think a lot of people can relate to the struggle of performing for your boss at your job and not receiving the acclaim you feel you deserve.

Musically Sande’s “Clown” is pretty amazing. The verse and chorus are both memorable and that is a hard thing to achieve. The lyrics are really good. I wonder if this song was a risk…complaining about how hard it is to be a rock star might alienate some people. I don’t know the timeline of the release of this song.

Was Sande a struggling artist or a superstar when this was released? That would make a big difference in the reception. If there is one critique of this song I have, I wish she would turn down the vocal runs ten percent.  Many female singers in the past twenty years or so are guilty of this.

Clown Lyrics

I guess it’s funnier from where you’re standing.
‘Cause from over here I miss the joke;
Clear the way for my crash landing,
I’ve done it again
Another number for your notes.

I’d be smiling if I wasn’t so desperate.
I’d be patient if I had the time;
I could stop and answer all of your questions.
As soon as I find out
How I can move from the back of the line.

I’ll be your clown
Behind the glass,
Go ‘head and laugh-
‘Cause it’s funny,
I would too if I saw me.
I’ll be your clown
On your favorite channel,
My life’s a circus, circus.
Round in circle
I’m selling out tonight.

I’d be less angry if it was my decision.
And the money was just rolling in;
If I had more than my ambition,
I’ll have time for please
I’ll have time for thank you,
As soon as I win.

I’ll be your clown
Behind the glass,
Go ‘head and laugh-
‘Cause it’s funny,
I would too if I saw me.
I’ll be your clown
On your favorite channel,
My life’s a circus, circus,
Round in circus,
I’m selling out tonight.

From a distance my choice is simple.
From a distance I can entertain;
So you can see me
I put makeup on my face.
But there’s no way you can feel it
From so far away.

I’ll be your clown
Behind the glass,
Go ‘head and laugh-
‘Cause it’s funny,
I would too if I saw me.
I’ll be your clown
On your favorite channel,
My life’s a circus, circus,
Round in circles,
I’m selling out tonight.

Songwriters: Shahid Khan / Grant Mitchell / Emeli Sande / Emile Sande

You can’t always get what you want/
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find/
You get what you need.

While it sounds like something Confucius might have said–it turns out “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was The Rolling Stones. I’d imagine Mick had the idea for the line and it was so good he built a song around it. The Stones have a lot of songs that are great concepts, but I find that the lyrics often don’t reach the level of the concept. See “Paint it Black”, “Wild Horses”. Granted, some of their songs have great lyrics. Sympathy For the Devil and Ruby Tuesday are good examples.

Perhaps there is something lost in the British to American translation. I do think that having the concept is more important that the actual individual words spoken…especially if you are looking for a hit that resonates with people. Sia is a person I’d put into this category too. Great concepts, okay lyrics. You can still make an incredible song this way (obviously).

Besides the title, the choir stands out. Perhaps I am a sucker for choirs in pop and rock, but I think it is an amazing performance and raises the song to the level of a classic. A good choir can make the music feel more important. More monumental. The French horn in the beginning is a nice touch. Overall, this is one of the best-produced songs of the Stones. Many fine choices that add up to a greater whole.

Can’t Always Get What You Want Lyrics

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man

No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man

You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need

And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, “We’re gonna vent our frustration
If we don’t we’re gonna blow a fifty-amp fuse”

You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find
You get what you need

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was “dead”
I said to him

You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You get what you need

You get what you need, yeah, oh baby
I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well, I could tell by her blood-stained hands

You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need

You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need, oh yeah

Songwriters: Keith Richards / Mick Jagger

I realized quickly when I knew I should/
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man/
Or whatever that means.

I always thought the title to the 4 Non-Blondes classic “What’s Up” was “What’s Going On?” Apparently, they changed it because it was the name of an already very famous song. Linda Perry was the lead singer and guitarist for 4 Non-blondes. They were a bit of a one hit wonder, but Perry became a super successful songwriter, mostly covered by other females. We will see her name on this list again.

“What’s Up” is a song about disillusionment. Part of the disillusion may be due to her age. She mentions she is 25 and trying to figure things out—as all young people are trying to do at that age. But she points out that there are institutions that seem to be keeping her away from the good life, and she hopes for a revolution.

She doesn’t name these institutions, but we can imagine what they might be, and it can be whatever we feel holds us back. This is what makes it such a relatable song. Perry is looking for her lot in life, it is not coming, and it is making her scream to the heavens “what’s going on?”

What’s Up Lyrics

25 years and my life is still
Tryin’ to get up that great big hill of hope…
For a destination.

I realized quickly when I knew I should,
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man.
For whatever that means.

And so I cry sometimes when I’m lying in bed,
Just to get it all out what’s in my head.
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar.

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside,
And I take a deep breath and I get real high,
And I scream from the top of my lungs
“What’s going on?”

And I say, hey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey
I said “Hey, a-what’s going on?”
And I say, hey-ey-ey
Hey-ey-ey
I said “Hey, a-what’s going on?”

written by Linda Perry