Clown (Emeli Sandé song)

2013 single by Emeli Sandé

"Clown"

Single by Emeli Sandé
from the album  Our Version of Events
B-side| "Kill the Boy"
Released| 3 February 2013 (2013-02-03)
Genre|

* R&B
* soul

Length| 3:41
Label| Virgin
Songwriter(s)|

* Emeli Sandé
* Shahid Khan
* Grant Mitchell

Producer(s)| Naughty Boy
Emeli Sandé singles chronology
| "Beneath Your Beautiful"
(2012)  | "Clown"
(2013)  | "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe"
(2013)

|
|

"Clown" is a song by the Scottish recording artist Emeli Sandé. It was released on 3 February 2013 as the fifth single from her first studio album, Our Version of Events (2012). "Clown" was written by Sandé, Shahid Khan and Grant Mitchell, and produced by Khan under his production name of Naughty Boy.

## Background

[edit]

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:

> It's about how I felt when I was trying to get signed, I was going for all these meetings and people were looking at me like 'What do we do with you'? It's about not allowing yourself to be judged by others or to be taken for an idiot. I feel the video reflects that.[1]

## Music video

[edit]

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.[2] It was directed by WIZ.[1] The video was made in the style of a silent film and shows Sandé being urged by a group of men, in military uniform, to sign a document to receive something in return.[1] 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

[edit]

Sandé performed "Clown" during the final of the ninth series of The X Factor on 9 December 2012,[3] as well as appearing on The Voice of Holland in November 2012.[4] Sandé also performed the song on The Graham Norton Show 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.[5]

## Track listing

[edit]

Digital EP[6]

1. "Clown" – 3:41
2. "Clown" (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) – 4:06
3. "Kill the Boy" – 3:43
4. "Clown" (Instrumental) – 3:41
5. "Clown" (Music video) – 3:46

2013 Brit Awards

1. "Clown" / "Next to Me" (Live from the BRITs) – 4:53

## Credits and personnel

[edit]

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

## Charts and certifications

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (2013–14)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (ARIA)[7] | 34
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] | 30
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 32
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[10] | 6
Germany (GfK)[11] | 36
Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] | 25
Scotland (OCC)[14] | 3
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[15] | 29
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 42
UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 4

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (2013)  | Position

|

UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] | 45

### Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Platinum  | 600,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## Release history

[edit]

Country  | Release date  | Format(s)  | Label

|
|
|

United Kingdom[6] | 3 February 2013  | Digital EP | Virgin Records

## O'G3NE version

[edit]

"Clown"

Single by O'G3NE
from the album  We Got This (Special Edition)
Released| 23 May 2016
Recorded| 2015
Genre| Pop
Length| 3:47
Label| Cornelis Music
Songwriter(s)|

* Emeli Sandé
* Shahid Khan
* Grant Mitchell

O'G3NE singles chronology
| "Take the Money and Run"
(2016)  | "Clown"
(2016)  | "Loved You First"
(2016)

|
|

The Dutch three-piece girl group O'G3NE, released a cover version of the song in the Netherlands as a digital download on 23 May 2016 by Cornelis Music. The song peaked at number 64 on the Dutch Singles Chart. The song is included on the Special Edition of their third studio album, We Got This.

### Track listing

[edit]

Digital downloadNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Clown"| 3:47

### Charts

[edit]

Chart (2016)  | Peak
position

|

Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] | 64

### Release history

[edit]

Region  | Date  | Format  | Label

|
|
|

Netherlands | 23 May 2016[21] |

* Digital download
* CD

| Cornelis Music

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Emeli Sandé Clown by WIZ", Promonews.tv. 18 December 2012. Archived 18 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
2. ^ Emeli Sandé – Clown on YouTube
3. ^ "One Direction, Sandé for X Factor final". Digital Spy. 26 November 2012.
4. ^ "Twitter / Emelisande: Just sang on the voice of". Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
5. ^ "ARIA Charts Chartifacts w/c 2 June 2014". ARIA. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
6. ^ a b "Clown – EP by Emeli Sandé". iTunes. January 2013.[dead link]
7. ^ "Emeli Sandé – Clown". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
8. ^ "Emeli Sandé – Clown" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
9. ^ "Emeli Sandé – Clown" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
10. ^ "Emeli Sandé – Clown" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
11. ^ "Emeli Sandé – Clown" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Clown". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
13. ^ "Emeli Sandé – Clown" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
14. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
15. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201314 into search.
16. ^ "Emeli Sandé – Clown". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
17. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
18. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
19. ^ "British single certifications – Emeli Sandé – Clown". British Phonographic Industry.
20. ^ "O'G3ne – Clown" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
21. ^ 'Clown – Single' van OG3NE op Apple Music

* v
* t
* e

Emeli Sandé

* Discography
* Songs written
* Awards and nominations

Studio albums|

* Our Version of Events
* Long Live the Angels
* Real Life
* Let's Say for Instance
* How Were We to Know

Live albums|

* Live at the Royal Albert Hall

EPs|

* Kingdom Coming

Singles|

* "Heaven"
* "Daddy"
* "Next to Me"
* "My Kind of Love"
* "Clown"
* "Hurts"
* "Breathing Underwater"
* "Highs & Lows"
* "Sparrow"

Featured singles|

* "Diamond Rings"
* "Never Be Your Woman"
* "Read All About It"
* "Wonder"
* "Beneath Your Beautiful"
* "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe"
* "Lifted"
* "Free"
* "What I Did for Love"

Promotional singles|

* "Read All About It, Pt. III"

As songwriter|

* "Avalon"
* "Brainwashed"
* "Let It Rain"
* "Radio"
* "Trouble"
* "Alright with Me"

Concert tours|

* Our Version of Events Tour
* Long Live the Angels Tour

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template