The Show Must Go On (Leo Sayer song)

"The Show Must Go On" is a song co-written by Leo Sayer and David Courtney and first recorded by Sayer. It was released in the United Kingdom in 1973, becoming Sayer's first hit record (reaching its chart peak of #2 in early 1974 in the UK). The song reached #3 on the Irish Singles Chart in January 1974,[2] and was included on Sayer's debut album Silverbird.

"The Show Must Go On"
German vinyl single
Single by Leo Sayer
from the album Silverbird
Released1973 (1973)
GenreRock
Length3:30
2:53 (7" version)
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Sayer performing the song on Dutch television (AVRO's TopPop) in 1974
"The Show Must Go On"
Dutch vinyl single
Single by Three Dog Night
from the album Hard Labor
B-side"On The Way Back Home"
ReleasedMarch 16, 1974 (1974)[1]
GenreRock
Length4:23 (album version)
3:37 (single version)
LabelDunhill
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Ienner

The song was covered by Three Dog Night, whose version was released in 1974, becoming a hit in the United States, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sung by vocalist Chuck Negron. The record reached #1 on the Cashbox pop chart, #2 on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts, and became their seventh and final Gold Record.

It uses a circus theme as a metaphor for dealing with the difficulties and wrong choices of life. Early in Sayer's career, he performed it dressed and made up as a pierrot clown. The opening motif quotes Julius Fučík's "Entrance of the Gladiators" which is commonly associated with circus clowns.

In Sayer's version, the last line of the chorus is "I won't let the show go on". Three Dog Night sang it as "I must let the show go on", which Sayer was reportedly not happy about.

Personnel

Chart performance

Leo Sayer version
Weekly chart (1974) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 10
Ireland [4] 3
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[5] 11
UK Singles Chart[6] 2
Year-end chart (1974) Rank
Australia [7] 76

Three Dog Night version

Three Dog Night's cover of "The Show Must Go On" became their last Top 10 hit in the U.S., where it reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Cash Box Top 100, as well as in Canada, where it reached number two. It also reached #11 in the Netherlands and #12 in Germany.

Weekly charts
Chart (1974) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles 2
Belgium [8] 23
Netherlands (Single Top 100) 6
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] 7
New Zealand (Listener)[10] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 4
US Cash Box[12] 1

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts
Chart (1974) Rank
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 42
US Cash Box[15] 63
Canada[16] 43
Netherlands [17] 71

Pasadena Roof Orchestra version

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra's 1977 album "The Show Must Go On" takes its name from the track, and (in an unusual departure into contemporary music) features their cover version of the song; it was re-released as part of their Jubilee Collection CDs in 2018.

References
  1. "Cash Box Magazine Record Producers July 6, 1974" (PDF). Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 483. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  5. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  6. "Official Singles Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  7. "australian-charts.com - Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  8. "Google Translate". translate.google.com. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  9. Top 40, Stichting Nederlandse. "Three Dog Night - The Show Must Go On". Top40.nl. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  10. "Flavour of New Zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  11. "Lyrics: The Show Must Go On by Three Dog Night". Top40db.net. 1974-03-16. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  12. "Top 100 1974-05-11". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
  13. "American single certifications – Three Dog Night – The Show Must Go On". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 14, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  14. "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  15. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1974". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  16. "RPM - Library and Archives Canada | RPM - Bibliothèque et Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  17. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1974" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 2, 2018.

Bibliography
  • Gogan, Larry (1987). The Larry Gogan Book of Irish Chart Hits (Maxwell Publications) ISBN 9781870846004
  • Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications), ISBN 978-0823076321

Media related to The Show Must Go On (Leo Sayer song) at Wikimedia Commons

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