Clown (song)
Encyclopedia
"Clown" is the fourth single by nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...

 band Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...

 from their self-titled debut album
Korn (album)
Korn is the self-titled debut album by American nu metal band Korn, released on October 4, 1994, through Immortal/Epic Records. Before recording the album, the band played several gigs in an attempt to promote themselves. They were approached by Immortal/Epic Records after a performance at...

. The video for this song, directed by McG actually refers to lead singer Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...

 painful experiences from high school, where he was constantly picked on and ridiculed. The song itself is about how people try to be something they're not in order to be accepted instead of just being themselves.

What inspired Davis to write this song though, was an early gig where a skinhead 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 skinhead was all tattooed and looked like a clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...

, inspiring the title of the song and also the line "Hit me clown, because I'm not from your town."

Preceding the song is a conversation with Korn fooling around at the song's recording. In this recording, the band mentions "Twist", a song that was supposed to be included on the album but was instead used on the band's 1996 album Life Is Peachy
Life Is Peachy
Life Is Peachy is the second studio album by the American nu metal band Korn, released on October 15, 1996 through Immortal/Epic Records. Following the success of their 1994 self-titled debut, Korn earned a second double platinum album in the United States, certified by the Recording Industry...

.

Jonathan Davis comments on meaning

A quote taken from Korn's Who Then Now?
Who Then Now?
Who Then Now? is a platinum-certified biographical video released by the band Korn on March 18, 1997.-History:It features interviews with the band up to the recording of Life Is Peachy, and music videos for "Blind", "Shoots and Ladders", "Clown" and "Faget"...

 video, which serves as an introduction for the music video.

Music video

The video consists of clips depicting Jonathan's painful experiences in high school. He is seen in the locker room sitting down wet, and is seen being taunted by other people. The rest of the band is seen performing in a room of doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...

s and a toy clown is seen dancing around and balancing the dolls on his nose
Human nose
The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...

. There are also clips of Korn performing in a locker room, believed to be the same one Jonathan Davis is sitting in. The music video aired on June 3, 1996 and was directed by McG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....

.

US Radio Promo

  • CD5"
    CD single
    A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...

     ESK 6580
  1. "Clown" – 4:36

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

European Radio Promo

  • CD5"
    CD single
    A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...

    ESK 7735
  1. "Clown" (Radio Edit) – 4:36

External links

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