Clown (Korn song)

"Clown"
Single by Korn
from the album Korn
ReleasedJuly 12, 1995 (1995-07-12)
Recorded1994
StudioIndigo Ranch Studios, Malibu, California[1][2][3]
GenreNu metal[4][5]
Length
  • 4:36 (album version)
  • 3:38 (radio edit)[6]
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ross Robinson
Korn singles chronology
"Shoots and Ladders"
(1995) 		"Clown"
(1995) 		"No Place to Hide"
(1996)

"Clown" is a song by the American nu metal band Korn. It was released as the fourth single from their self-titled debut album on July 12, 1995.

Meaning

What inspired Jonathan Davis to write this song though, was an early gig in San Diego where a person in the audience was booing them and telling them to "go back to Bakersfield!" Jonathan knelt down to hear him and the guy took a swing at him. He missed and the band's manager assaulted him. The person was all tattooed and looked like a "clown" to Jonathan Davis, inspiring the title of the song and also the line "Hit me clown, because I'm not from your town."[8] Preceding the song is a conversation with Korn fooling around at the song's recording, and in the conversation, one of the members says "I wish we could put 'Twist' on a fucking tape"; this references a track that would eventually appear on the band's next album Life Is Peachy. A quote taken from Korn's Who Then Now? video, which serves as an introduction for the music video:

I wrote a song about a guy in San Diego who took a swing at me. He's all "Fuck you! Go back to Bakersfield!" Well I didn't understand that, so I bent down and he tried to swing at me, and our road manager Jeff knocked his ass out, that song is Clown.[9][10]

Music video

The video begins with the band walking in a hallway in El Segundo High School.[11] There are shots of a clown balancing something on his nose. Soon, the band starts playing in a locker room which appears to be happening at night. Jonathan Davis is seen singing and, in some clips, he's sitting in a locker room inside one of the dry showers. With a few people spraying a little bit of water on his hair to tease him. This represents some of his painful experiences in high school of being teased. It also features the band in a gym with clips of jocks in their football jerseys and cheerleaders seen by someone in the halls. One of the cheerleaders goes into a bathroom and starts smiling in the dark room. She proceeds to brush her hair with her hands. Clips also show the band performing in a dark room. The video ends with the cheerleader in the bathroom taking off her shirt, showing a tattoo on her back which is the band's logo. The music video most likely could be them in the school after a football game at night.[12] The music video was directed by McG;[13] it first aired in April 1996, and by May it was in the top 50 rotation on MTV.[14]

Track listing

US Radio Promo

  1. "Clown" – 4:36

Note: the back cover does not state which version this is. However, it's identical to the Radio Edit on the below European promo.

European Radio Promo

  1. "Clown" (Radio Edit) – 3:52

References

  1. ^ Small 1998, p. 16.
  2. ^ Arvizu 2009, p. 69.
  3. ^ "Indigo Ranch Studios - CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  4. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (July 1, 2013). "NOISEY VS. METALSUCKS - THREATEN MY FAMILY IF YOU MUST, BUT I STILL SAY KORN RULES". Vice.
  5. ^ McIver, Joel (2002). "How did we get to nu-metal from old metal?". Nu-metal: The Next Generation of Rock & Punk. Omnibus Press. pp. 10, 12. ISBN 0-7119-9209-6.
  6. ^ Thomas, Stephen (1994-10-11). "Korn - Korn : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Korn – Korn : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  8. ^ Furman 2000, pp. 49–52.
  9. ^ "GEAR". Kornseed.cro.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  10. ^ "Korn - Clown". Shelf3d. Retrieved Feb 18, 2013.
  11. ^ Jonathan Davis Chat 12/9/00 "https://web.archive.org/web/20030206032845/http://www.kornkids.com/chats/jonathan-chat-12-09-00.htm"
  12. ^ "Korn - Clown". VEVO. October 25, 2009. Retrieved Feb 18, 2013.
  13. ^ "Korn "Clown"". Scotthen Riksen. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved Feb 17, 2013.
  14. ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard. May 18, 1996. p. 81. ISSN 0006-2510.
  15. ^ "Clown US Radio Promo (ESK 6580)". Korn.simpol.net. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  16. ^ "Clown European Radio Promo (ESK 7735)". Korn.simpol.net. Retrieved November 20, 2011.

Works cited