05/24/2026
Send In The Clowns
A song that pulls on the heart strings - theatrical craftsmanship produced something truly timeless.
A Little Night Music’s best-known song and one of Stephen Sondheim’s greatest hits - was almost an afterthought.
When creating the show, Sondheim originally imagined the character of Desirée as a role for an actress who was not primarily a singer. The original performer, Glynis Johns, possessed what Sondheim described as a “small, silvery voice,” but she struggled to sustain long musical phrases.
Only days before out-of-town tryouts began, Sondheim wrote Send in the Clowns specifically for her abilities. He shaped the music around her strengths, using short musical lines that could be acted rather than powerfully sung, often ending phrases on consonants so they could resolve quickly.
What began as a practical solution became one of the most beloved theater songs ever written - a perfect example of Sondheim’s ability to tailor music to character, performer, and dramatic moment.
In the Scene
In the musical, the song is sung by the character Desiree Armfeldt, an actress who finally proposes to her former lover, Frederik, only to be rejected. Rather than a song about literal clowns, "clowns" is used as a metaphor for fools. The lyrics represent Desiree's bittersweet reflection on the mistakes, timing, and absurdities of her life.
Success: Judy Collins' 1975 version became a massive folk-pop hit, winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The song had a notable resurgence when Frank Sinatra's version was featured in the 2019 psychological thriller film Joker.
Enduring Legacy: It has also been recorded by Julie Andrews, Boy George, Van Morrison, Judi Dench, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Grace Jones, Bryan Ferry, U2, and many more. It remains one of the most recorded songs in American musical history, with renditions spanning jazz, pop, and classical repertoire.
Provided to YouTube by Masterworks BroadwayA Little Night Music: Send in the Clowns · Glynis Johns · Harold Hastings · Original Broadway Cast of A Little Nig...
