Lum de lum de la

Try to get yourself a bargain, son

I second that emotion

I second that emotion.

I second that emotion.

The almost legendary Smokey Robinson number Tears of a clown.For me personally it holds special memories.This,like many numbers I first heard at a tender age-I was hooked.So lively,so vibrant,even a little funny,what with the distinctive high voice, perky little tune and subject matter.Well,at least it sounded funny too when you're around eight or nine.The opening music immediately struck me as sounding like an ice cream van tune,and even now when I chance to hear it I find myself thinking Here comes Pokey.I remember slowing the opening tune way down on the old radiogram we had back then,and guys,let me tell you that great little opener was thus transformed into total wierdness.The number hardly needs introduction,but basically we've got a guy here who's girl has deserted him.We're not told why.He talks about being sadder than sad.Sorry,don't get it.There's simply no such thing as sadder than sad.He talks about trying to keep his surface hid.Again,rubbish.It's what's UNDER the surface he's keeping hid.However,that's not all that's awry with this song.He says that he's always found that there's no way to fool her.In the next breath he contradicts that with saying that she mustn't let his happy front fool her.Later on he returns to the very same thing by saying Don't let my show convince you that I've been happy since you decided to go.Having got the nonsensical aspects of Tears of a clown out of the way we're STILL not out of the woods.The line There's some sad things known to Man-It might just be me but I've always found the word Man as used here as a tad too highbrow for this little ditty,even as a youngster.Like I said it's quite a lively little song,which is totally at odds with the subject matter.Like,SHE'S GONE,BUDDY.It sounds more like the style he'd use if she checked back in again.Were the creators of some numbers thinking straight at all?Apparently the song was based on the Italian opera Pagliacci,in which a clown of that name realises the show must go on,in spite of the butt kicker that his sweetheart aint his sweetheart any more.The old vinyl,long since lost,on which I originally heard Tears of a clown had a Smokey number called Who's gonna take the blame? on the flip side,and I remember that about half the lyrics on that were quite unintelligable,due to the singing style he employed for it.I remember trying for ages to make them out-No dice.It was also the exact opposite of the lively Tears of a clown,sung in a depressingly slow,almost mournful way,and was about a well brought up girl going bad or something.The music used for it was a real dirge,and indeed Who's gonna take the blame,outside of it's vague lyrics issue,is one of the worst downers you'll encounter.