“You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown”
Song by Ray Charles
Ray Charles recorded “You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown” for his landmark 1966 LP Crying Time, where it was the fourth song on Side 2; it was also later used as the B-side of the “Together Again” single.
“You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown” was written by country songwriter Johnny MacRae, and finds the singer locating his sense of pride at the end of his rope and threatening to finally leave his woman, who (to hear him tell it) can’t stop belittling him. You’ll be sorry! is the message of the song, and at less than two minutes in length, that’s about all the message the song has time for.
A spectacularly thin lead guitar is the main spice in “You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown”, beginning the recording, dominating the beat, and underscoring Ray’s finger-pointin’ accusations and pouting. There’s even a guitar solo, despite the short track time.
It’s a fast-paced, minor-key song, much more R&B than country, and besides the guitar there is Ray’s dramatic, cheesy organ, which also helps emphasize the beat and give depth to the sound. And that’s not to mention his off-hand, world-weary vocals that sound breathless and hurried. Not hurriedly recorded, but they sound like Ray is already halfway out the door, and his anger at being her clown – “you say I even look funny when I cry” goes one comical yet revealing line – is being tempered by his impending sense of freedom.
But, as usual, things are not so simple with Mr. Ray Charles: it’s not so much freedom he rejoices in as his promise-cum-hope that she will be miserable after he leaves. He seems to have a lot riding on this: she’d better be upset! Otherwise, what does that make him??
You might think of this song as the backstory of the song “I’m Glad For Your Sake”, recorded by Ray in 1951, where he sees that his ex is in fact much happier with her new man, while Ray of course has nothing.
And maybe that will indeed be the fate that awaits our hero on “You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown”. But whether it is or not, one thing is clear: for now this prickly little diatribe is all he has, and – for two minutes – at least he has her misery to look forward to.
Single releases
Listen to “You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown”
Get your own “You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown” on 45, LP, CD or MP3 from Amazon. Or get the out-of-print complete ABC singles 5xCD box set.
Songs on Crying Time