Almanac Music: ‘Carnivalesque’ – Songs Referencing Carnivals, Circuses, Parades and the Like
The circus poster from 1843 that inspired John Lennon to write “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”. [from Wikipedia.]
Almanac Music: ‘Carnivalesque’ – Songs Referencing Carnivals, Circuses, Parades and the Like
Hi, Almanackers! This piece in my long-running series about key popular song themes concerns what can be termed the ‘carnivalesque’. By this, I mean songs involving content related to carnivals, circuses, parades, pageants and comparable public shows – or, to put it even more simply, songs involving detail characteristic of a carnival. Add a few words of explanation to your chosen song if you feel it’s necessary. (Note: there is a literary term which goes by the name of carnivalesque, but I am focusing upon a more general, less academic meaning of the word with regard to this song theme.)
So, dear readers, please put your relevant ‘carnivalesque’ songs in the ‘Comments’ section. Below, as usual, are some examples from me to show the kind of song choices that are relevant.
‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’, written and performed by Bob Dylan (1963)
‘clown who cried in the alley’
‘The Carnival is Over’, written by Tom Springfield, performed by The Seekers (1965)
‘Scarborough Fair / Canticle’, traditional with content by Simon and Garfunkel, performed by Simon and Garfunkel (1966)
‘Being For the Benefit of Mr Kite!’, credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney (basically written by John), performed by the Beatles (1967)
a song full of circus / fairground content
‘Mr Bojangles’, written by Jerry Jeff Walker, performed by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1970)
‘I knew a man Bojangles and he danced for you in worn out shoes / Silver hair, a ragged shirt and baggy pants, the old soft shoe‘
‘American Pie’, written and performed by Don McLean (1971)
references to a jester, marching band
‘Piano Man’, written and performed by Billy Joel (1973)
‘the microphone sounds like a carnival’
‘Don’t Cry Out Loud’, written by Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager, performed by Peter Allen (1977)
‘Baby cried the day the circus came to town…’
‘Cowboys and Clowns’, written by Steve Dorff, Snuff Garrett, Gary Harju and Larry Herbstritt, performed by Ronnie Milsap (1980)
‘The Life Of A Showgirl’, written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, performed by Taylor Swift (ft. Sabrina Carpenter) (2025)
…………………………………………………………………
Now, dear readers / listeners – it’s over to you. Your responses to this topic are warmly welcomed. In the ‘Comments’ section, please add your own choice of a song (or songs) under the carnivalesque umbrella, along with any other relevant material you wish to include.
[Note: as usual, Wikipedia has been a solid general reference for this piece, particularly in terms of checking dates and other details.]
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His fifth book-length poetry collection, Please Feed the Macaws ... I'm Feeling Too Indolent, was published in late 2023 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
I’ll open the batting KD with a couple that come to mind.
‘Life is a Carnival’ – The Band
‘Desolation Row’ Bob Dylan
‘And the Good Samaritan
He’s dressing
He’s getting ready
For the show
He’s going
To the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row.’
‘Mr Bojangles’ is one of the great all time songs, a classic and many fab versions, NGDB version the best.
I saw the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band perform ‘Mr Bojangles’ twice; first at the Ryman in Nashville in 2022; secondly, at JazzFest in New Orleans in 2024. On both occasions the outburst of spontaneous singing along with the song was incredible and unbelievable, very emotional, and certainly brought tears to my face. Amazing!
Thanks for opening the batting in relation to this new theme, Col, with The Band and Dylan songs.
Thank you, also, for your Nitty Gritty Dirt Band material.
Memories of a Free Festival – Bowie
Fiesta – The Pogues
Parade – Magazine
London’s Brilliant Parade – Elvis Costello
Rusholme Ruffians – The Smiths (“This is the last night of the fair”)
Tricky topic KD, have we previously done “clowns”?
Thanks for co-opening the batting here, Swish, with a range of highly fitting songs.
We haven’t done clowns before, as a specific theme, but specific ‘clown songs’ may have been mentioned under the umbrellas of other themes.
Really, in basic terms, this new theme is intended to uncover songs referencing carnivals (and comparable shows) in some way – and, in so doing, bringing to light aspects such as the fun, weirdness, variety, celebration, spectacle, subversion etc involved in such activities. I’m hoping for a highly interesting range of song choices, of course.
Broken arrow: Buffalo Springfield
Mr Tambourine Man: The Byrds (original by Bob Dylan)
Got it made: Crosby Stills Nash and Young
Parade: Roger Daltrey
Every night: Electric Light Orchestra Part II
Mr Crow and Sir Norman: Idle Race
Mood swing: Luscious Jackson
I was only 19: Redgum
We came to dance: Ultravox
A wonderfully witty and comic, right-on-theme song in the present context is ‘Lydia the Tattooed Lady’, first performed by Groucho Marx in the 1939 Marx Brothers film, At the Circus.
Good morning KD
Nice to see a new theme to take us into the festive season.
The first 2 that come to mind are:
Lily, Rosemary & The Jack Of Hearts (1975) – Dylan
‘The festival was over, the boys were all plannin’ for a fall
The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin’ in the wall
The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin’ wheel shut down
Anyone with any sense had already left town
He was standin’ in the doorway lookin’ like the Jack of Hearts’
Carnival (1977) – Eric Clapton ~ off the No Reason to Cry album ~ these are the entire lyrics ~
‘Come with me, come with me
To the carnival, to the carnival
You will see, you will see
You will see, you will see
What you want to see, exactly what you want to be
At the carnival, at the carnival, at the carnival’
The never released track Carnival of Light by The Beatles should get a mention
Good morning, Karl.
Thanks for your Dylan and Clapton pair. I have a feeling the His Bobness will be well and truly ‘up for it’ in terms of this new ‘Carnivalesque’ theme.
Thanks, Swish, for this unreleased avant-garde Beatles piece – purely in theme terms, it’s an excellent pickup.
Wild Billy’s Circus Story, Springsteen
4th of July, Ashbury Park (Sandy), Bruce Springsteen
The Last Carnival, Bruce again
Jersey Girl, Tom Waits, but Springsteen cover is the bomb
Thank you for the Springsteen quartet, Rick. Along with Dylan and the Beatles, and perhaps a few others, he’s certainly among the key artists in our themed popular song series – which really is no surprise, of course.
Your comments came to me out of sequence, Liam, hence I’m responding to them a bit later than you may have expected. Thanks for your selections – :Mr Tambourine Man’ was a strong contender for my initial list, incidentally.
Hi KD
Seems like his Bobness is a bit light on the ‘carnival; theme apart from the obvious (Mr Tambourine Man) and those already mentioned. Perhaps another handful will filter into the comments in the days ahead.
Here’s a few fav’s not are not Bob related:
Stuck In the Middle With You’
‘Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you’
Gypsies Tramps & Thieves
‘I was born in the wagon of a travelin’ show
My mama used to dance for the money they’d throw
Papa would do whatever he could
Preach a little gospel, sell a couple bottles of Doctor Good’
Tears Of A Clown
‘Now there’s some sad things known to man
But ain’t too much sadder than
The tears of a clown
When there’s no one around
Mmm-hmm, oh yeah, baby’
Yes KD, Bruce will feature! Oh, meant to add this ‘un, County Fair, which was featured in a key moment in the Springsteen movie, Deliver Me from Nowhere.
Thanks for your latest choices, Karl – ‘Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves’, to select just one, has long been a bit of a personal favourite. I recall ii being on a single in my parents’ record collection when I was a kid.
Re Bob’s further representation in this new themed songlist, I guess we’ll soon find out – all the song has to do is mention words like carnival, vaudeville, fair, clown, sideshow, pageant, parade, jester, juggler…even ‘tightrope’ is a carnivalesque word, to my way of thinking.
Thanks for ‘County Fair’, Rick.
I’m really interested to see Deliver Me from Nowhere – as well as discover what additional Springsteen songs you come up with in terms of this new theme
Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars), REM
When Salome Plays the Drum, Jimmy Buffett
Both Sides Now, Joni
The Comedians, written by Little Elvis but kinds rewritten for and by The Big O, and have a listen, it’s Roy at his best (I can hardly hear the music from the carousel/The wind picks up, the carriage starts to sway/As one by one the lights go out/It’s closing time/I see you take his hand and walk away/Walk away/They say that you will always be the last to know/They say that all that glitters is not gold/It’s not just that you’re never coming back to me/It’s the bitter way that I was told)
Thanks for your latest choices, Rick – great to see an iconic song like ‘Both Sides Now’ get a guernsey, too – with its ‘Ferris Wheels’, I think it’s an excellent pickup.
When I talk about pure lyrics and top shelf songwriting that song and Joni inevitably come up. I believe a movie about Joni is in the works, cowritten by her and Cameron Crowe.
That Joni movie is another I’m very interested to see, Rick.
Incidentally, Joni’s song ‘Carey’ from her album Blue (as you’d know) has been repeatedly going through my head in recent times – I love it and its calypso feel.