| "Oh What a Circus" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byDavid Essex | ||||
| B-side | "High Flying, Adored" | |||
| Released | August 19, 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Composer | Andrew Lloyd Webber | |||
| Lyricist | Tim Rice | |||
| Producer | Mike Batt | |||
| David Essex singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Oh What a Circus" is a song from the 1976 musicalEvita, which had lyrics byTim Rice and music byAndrew Lloyd Webber. It was recorded by English singerDavid Essex and released as a single on August 19, 1978, byMercury Records. Essex played the character of Che in the original London production of the musical, and the song is sung from his point of view. Produced and arranged byMike Batt, (who also provided the chant like backing and forefront vocals). "Oh What a Circus" is a mid-tempo song, comparing the musical's title characterEva Perón's funeral with a circus, and calling her actions fraudulent. The song is acontrafactum, and shares its tune with the better known "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from the same show.
"Oh What a Circus" was a commercial success for Essex, who had been dropped by his previous record company due to his declining sales. The song reached number 3 on theUK Singles Chart, and the top-30 in Belgium and Netherlands. In subsequent productions of the musical, "Oh What a Circus" has been sung by numerous performers, includingMandy Patinkin,Ricky Martin and Scottish rock musicianMarti Pellow. In the1996 film adaptation of the show, the song was sung byAntonio Banderas and American singerMadonna, and received critical appreciation for its flamenco-infused composition.
"Oh What a Circus" was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice while they were developingEvita as a musical in between 1974 and 1976. Rice was extremely intrigued by the stories surrounding the life ofEva Perón while researching her during the mid-1970s. The duo were also on the lookout for various actors to play the part of the narrator forEvita.[1]
In the meantime, English singerDavid Essex had completed his work onJeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, and was interested in theatrical productions. He received a call from Rice and Webber, and immediately accepted the part.Evita had already generated interest with itsconcept album of the same name, as well as the commercial success of singerJulie Covington's releasedsingle, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". Essex met directorHal Prince and talked about the character of Che, an Argentineeveryman narrating and commenting on the events, portrayed as Che Guevara on stage, including the vision that Rice and Webber had about him. Due to hisRomany ancestry, Essex had the characteristic laconic nature and idealistic looks needed for the role of Che.[2]
Evita was a success from its opening night, with Derek Jewell ofThe Sunday Times praising Webber's score, as well as Essex's portrayal of Che as a "brooding, enigmatic" character.[3][4] Meanwhile, Essex had released a cover version of theLorraine Ellison song, "Stay with Me", which reached number 45 on theUK Singles Chart, thusCBS Records cancelled their contract with him.[5] Essex's manager started looking for a new record deal for him, and signed one withPhonogram Records, who suggested that he release one of the songs from theEvita album as his single. They decided to release "Oh What a Circus", with another of Che's songs, "High Flying, Adored" as itsB-side. The song was released on August 19, 1978, under theMercury subsidiary of Phonogram in the United Kingdom.[6]
Musically, "Oh What a Circus" is acontrafactum, and shares its composition with the better known "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from the same show, but has a faster tempo and completely different lyrics.[7] The song includes achoral chant in Latin, based on the Catholic anthem "Salve Regina". Alternative lyrics to "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" appear as a prelude to the song from Act 2, sung by a young girl characterizing Eva's younger self.[4] The version of "Oh What a Circus" present on theEvita concept album was sung byColm Wilkinson.[4] However, it was not used. Instead, Essex recorded a new version which wasarranged andproduced byMike Batt, in the style ofPhil Spector. A video for the song was filmed atClifton Cathedral in Bristol and showed Essex singing the song as a crowd moves around inside a building carrying candles.[8]
An uptempo version of the main melody for "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "Oh What a Circus" acts as an introduction to the whole musical and is sung after "Requiem for Evita", as Che ponders about the life of Eva. The song was composed in a key ofE major. Essex's voice spans from C♯3 to E5 and the song follows a basic sequence of F/C–G7–C–Am/C–Dsus–C–D7/C–G/B as itschord progression.[9] Lyrically, it talks about the news of Eva's death and her funeral, as well as Che's belief that the mourning for her was misplaced and Eva's life and preaching was fraudulent. It compares her funeral to that of acircus with achoir added during the middle section.[10][11] The lyrics question the sainthood of Eva and her praise as a godly character among the Argentinians, while taunting her that she had failed her people by not being immortal. The words had rhyming across the verses like those of ("show/go") and ("town/down") which Rice explained was done intentionally to make the song appear asymmetrical.[12]
- Oh what a circus, oh what ashow, Argentina has gone totown
- Over the death of an actress called Eva Perón
- Oh what an exit, that's how togo, When they're ringing your curtaindown
- Demand to be buried like Eva Perón
After its release in August 1978 as the third single from theEvita concept album, "Oh What a Circus" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 36. It progressed and climbed the charts rapidly, ultimately reaching a peak of number 3 in its sixth week. It was Essex's highest charting song since "Hold Me Close" had topped the charts in 1975. "Oh What a Circus" was present within the top-100 of the UK Singles Chart for a total of 11 weeks.[13] Across Europe the song charted in Belgium for 5 weeks, reaching a peak of number 26.[14] In the Netherlands, the song charted on both theDutch Top 40 andSingle Top 100 charts, reaching peaks of number 18 and number 20 respectively.[15][16] The song also charted at number eight in Ireland.[17] Although not released in Australia, the song managed to enter theKent Music Report charts for one week at number 72.[18]
.jpg)
Mandy Patinkin played Che for the American premiere production and recording, and sings the song. Author William A. Everett wrote in his bookThe A to Z of the Broadway Musical that Patinkin's singing and portrayal of Che "interacted on a psychological level with the title character (played byPatti LuPone), challenging her actions and motivations."[19] In the 1996 filmEvita, the song is sung by actorAntonio Banderas and singerMadonna. In the film, Che muses while in an empty bar following the lavish funeral procession for Eva Perón, and then on the streets of Buenos Aires as the community mourns and then riots. Eva's lyrics come during a pan over her funeral casket and is not sung directly by Eva. It begins with Spanish guitars as Banderas takes the lead vocals, with a changing choir throughout.[11]
A differentrhythm andtempo occurs in the middle where the main composition hasrock influences and piano, as Banderas uttered the line, "She didn't say much, but she said it loud". The choir is brought back towards the end, followed by an orchestral passage consisting of the main theme, accompanied by sounds ofgong andtimpani. Madonna sings the final verses, uttering the lines "share my glory, so share my coffin".[11] Author J. Randy Taraborrelli complemented Madonna's singing in the book,Madonna: An Intimate Biography, describing her vocals as "supple and strong". This view was shared by authorLucy O'Brien inMadonna: Like an Icon who said that "the sweetness and the power of Madonna's voice comes out as never before on these tracks".[20][21] It also received positive review from Paul Verna ofBillboard, who listed the "flamenco flavored" song as a highlight from thesoundtrack.[22]
For the 2006 First West End Revival ofEvita, actor Matt Rawle portrayed Che and sang the song. Michael Billington fromThe Guardian received it negatively, saying that "Lacking any coherent idea, the show is motored by a succession of Lloyd Webber songs: 'Another Suitcase in Another Hall', ... 'Oh What a Circus', 'High Flying, Adored' and all the rest."[23] While reviving the play for Broadway in 2012, singerRicky Martin was signed to play Che. According to Joe Dziemianowicz fromDaily News, Martin's performance as Che gave it "a great big touch of star quality... He also gives an appealing performance in the role of Che," the writer added.[24] James Hebert fromThe San Diego Union-Tribune complimented Martin for setting "the tone right away in the opening number 'Oh What a Circus'" with his "bemused, smilingly cynical" characterization of Che.[25] In the 2014 Second West End Revival of the play, the role of Che was played byMarti Pellow from Scottish rock bandWet Wet Wet.[26] Natalie Banyard complimented the choice of Pellow as Che, adding in an article forBristol Post that "Never was there a more inspired piece of casting than that of [Pellow] as [Che Guevara] inEvita." Banyard also noticed that there was "no hint of Marti'sScottish brogue as he stops the show with his renditions of 'Oh What a Circus' and 'The Lady's Got Potential'."[27]Hank Marvin performed an instrumental version of the song on his 1997 albumHank Marvin and the Shadows Play the Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.[28]
Credits adapted from the 7" single liner notes.[29]
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] | 72 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] | 26 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[17] | 8 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] | 18 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] | 20 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 3 |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
