Mariah Carey "Clown"

[jond7699]

:o For the very first time I understood what people were talking about when they were talking about Mariah's whispery voice. I must be a pretty blind fan. I was jamming to "Clown" one of my favorite tracks from "Charmbracelet" and I was like whoa this sucks. I wish she used her "full voice". The record would've been a hundred times better. I still will listen to it but now with a better view of what actually is going on

[Mega248]

One of the worst songs I've ever heard from her.

[bluenote]

i like this song. t shoulda been a single. I think there is a thread for this already, somewhere.

[Adonis the DemiGod!]

Get_Down(IfIthurtsYa) said:

i like this song. It shoulda been a single. I think there is a thread for this already, somewhere.

[Gold Soundz]

The production and vocals on this one suck. It had no real beat and like you said, the vocals were whispered. Great lyrics and vocal style (the fast singing), it just overall sucks though.

[Night Senses]

It's pretty bad, like 90% of Charmbracelet.

[kellydicted]

It was one of better songs off of Charmbracelet

[Fir3bolt]

This remember listening to this song, and it made me chuckled a bit when I thought about her feud with Eminem.

[KikiMets]

Good on the album, much better on the tour.

[itsbeenaweek]

LoveAngelMusicLady said:

It's pretty bad, like 90% of Charmbracelet.

[bluenote]

What was the "pow" about at the end of the song? It always made me think that she wanted to shoot Eminem. She was gettin gangsta!

[strong4PMB!]

^ lol

I liked this song at first but it got old fast. I haven't listened to it in over a year, at least. I don't play too many songs from Charmbracelet the few times I do listen to it. This isn't one of them.

[Deleted]

While her vocals were a little too subdued for my preference, it was a great idea that maybe didn't reach it's full potential due to her vocal restrictions at the time. She threw mature jabs at Eminem in response to him mentioning her in "Superman". "You're no superhero." I always kind of viewed Mariah as speaking to Eminem like she was his mother and she was educating him on tact and speaking from experience. The chorus was speaking to him from where Mariah was at that point in her career when it seemed like she would never see the heights of fame again. She's almost warning him that he could end up where she was.

Who's gonna love you when it all falls down
Who's gonna love you when your bankroll runs out
Who's gonna care when the novelty's over
When the star of the show isn't you anymore
Nobody cares when the tears of a clown fall down

The vocals reached a gritty climax towards the end of the bridge. There's such a soulful bluesy grit that is probably one of my favorite vocal moments on the entire album. There's no doubt the song's best aspect is it's lyrics though. If Charmbracelet can be given credit for anything, it features some of her best songs lyrically even if they're severly lacking the radio candy hooks of her hits.

Perhaps Amazon.com staff member, Jaan Uhelszki, put it best.

There hasn't been such a compelling musical soap opera since Carly Simon's '70s roman à clef, "You're So Vain."

[The Black Bird]

I love the lyrics.

It is a clever and mature response to Eminem.

[Live Your Life]

I actually liked this.

[gregtheone]

Great lyrics. The rest sucks. Except the "Pow".

[Ling-Ling]

I like this a lot. I love that lyrically it's a scathing attack, but it's so chill and laidback. An interesting dichotomy.

[Dreams]

It's not bad, but not anywhere near great either.

[stunnedout]

A diss track ballad. LMAOOOOOO. I LOVED THIS!

[Relaxing Cup]

I love it.

[Ginger Spice]

One of the only songs from the album that I ever got into. Great lyrics, but I don’t listen to it much anymore. Even the songs I like from Charmbracelet don’t feel essential to her catalogue.

[jenglisbe]

"Clown" is a great song. The lyrics are great (and layered) as has been mentioned, but the melody is also terrific. I like the acoustic guitar that's used, and while I agree the whisper vocal might be a bit much, it works for me as sort of a casual kiss off. I remember one critic noting it's like she's not even bothered enough to rise her voice above a whisper.

[Deleted]

It was a READ and a catchy one at that

I should've left it at, how ya doing?
I should've left it at I like your music too, and
I should've never called you back when you pursued me
I should've never given you my fucking two way
I should've never listened to your woeful stories
The ones I'm sure you told a thousand times before me
You should've never intimated we were lovers
When you know very well we never even touched each other
Who's gonna love you when it all falls down, and
Who's gonna love you when your bankroll runs out?
Who's gonna care when the novelty's over?
When the star of the show isn't you anymore?
Nobody cares when the tears of a clown fall down
I guess your momma never told you that what comes around comes back around
Nobody cares when the tears of a clown fall down
I guess your momma never told you that what comes around comes back around
I gotta break it to ya delicately, dummy
Taking my G5 twenty minutes wasn't nothing
But I guess you wouldn't know that's the way I roll
Consequently now your ego's fully overblown
You don't want the world to know that you're just a puppet show
And the little boy inside often sits at home alone
And cries, cries, cries, cries (Who's gonna love you when it all falls down, and)
Who's gonna love you when your bankroll runs out?
Who's gonna care when the novelty's over?
When the star of the show isn't you anymore
Your pain is so deep rooted (Nobody)
What will your life become?
Sure you hide it but you're lost and lonesome
Still just a frail shook one

[jenglisbe]

Jan 5, 2017 19:57:49 GMT -5 Ling-Ling said:

I like this a lot. I love that lyrically it's a scathing attack, but it's so chill and laidback. An interesting dichotomy.

I just ran across this review:

She’s as twitchy as the guitars on “Clown,” a slightly slower make-out, but far more daring in its delivery. Not only does Mariah cut herself off during the chorus’ second go-round so she can sink her teeth into a more saucy bridge, but she breaks into a nah-nah-n’-nah-nah teasefest during the second verse. She delivers the speediest of kiss-offs, when, in four seconds, she quips, “But I guess you wouldn’t know/That’s the way I roll/Consequently now your ego’s fully overblown.”


The ego she’s referring to belongs to Eminem, who alleged a tryst between the two. In full-denial mode, Carey does everything but mention him by name, starting out, “I shoulda left it at how ya doin’/I shoulda left it at I like your music too,” and alluding to his art in her sign-off, “You’re no superhero.” Carey hits back at the allegations with the fairly tempered chorus, “Who’s gonna care when the novelty’s over/When the star of the show isn’t you anymore/Nobody cares when the tears of a clown fall down.” This line points to a quickly fading memory, however. Carey would be wise to think back to how many cared when her own diva tears streamed. The dis, then, is in the sound – Mariah presents Em with the oozing sex-kitten persona he never fucked (according to her story), which stings worse, no doubt, than any mud she could sling.
stylusmagazine.com/feature_ID_39.html

[The Black Bird]

Charmbracelet has great lyrics all around, the production could've better, yes, but the lyrics here are CLASSIC Mariah diss! Love it.

[back2blk]

This song is a bit overrated by the lambs, but I do appreciate her delivery of these lyrics. It has a great flow to it.

[Caviar]

"Charmbracelet" is a lyrical masterpiece. "Clown" was a highlight.

[Sounds from the Other Side]

I love this song, it's definitely one of my favorite tracks. My favorite part is the bridge.

[divasummer]

I always liked this track.
Like others have mentioned it would have been much more affective if she sang it in full voice.
Its lyrics are great. Especially for a diss track.
She tore him to shreds, but you couldn’t really tell with the subdued vocals.
I remember playing it for someone who loved Eminem at the time and she could barely make out the lyrics.. lol

[• Господин Умљеновић •]

Love this one. In my top 3 from Charmbraclet, after Lullaby & You had your chance.