The Carnival Is Over
Encyclopedia
"The Carnival Is Over" is a Russian folk song (1883) with lyrics written by Tom Springfield
in 1965 for the Australian group The Seekers
, who customarily close their concerts with it. At its peak, the song was selling 93,000 copies per day and is No 30 of the biggest selling singles of all time in the United Kingdom.
closing ceremony, with Julie Anthony taking the place of Judith Durham
along with the usual members of the group, Athol Guy
, Keith Potger
and Bruce Woodley
The Seekers were supposed to have performed this song at the end of the closing ceremony for the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
but the performance was cancelled after Judith Durham broke her hip. The Seekers did, however, sing the song at the conclusion of the 2000 Summer Paralympics
, with Judith Durham seated in a wheelchair.
The tradition of the song's being sung at conclusions of special celebrations in Australia is so well known that the cast of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
comedy series The Games
, which was about the forthcoming Sydney 2000 Olympics, imitated the group singing "The Carnival Is Over" at the 'closing ceremony' of 'their' version of the Sydney Olympic Games.
. This cover featured in the final episode and scene of the Australian TV Series Underbelly
, based on the Melbourne gangland killings
when Senior Constable Steve Owen arrested Carl Williams for murder.
known as "Iz-za ostrova na strezhen" or "Volga, Volga mat' rodnaya". The song became popular in Russia as early as 1890s. It was performed by the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra (balalaikas and domras) during their 1967 tour of Australia. The tune is also used in a Dutch hymn "Vol Verwachting Blijf Ik Uitzien", and a Dutch nursery rhyme "Aan de Oever van de Rotte".
Thus Tom Springfield wrote only the lyrics after a trip to Brazil, where he witnessed the Carnaval
in Rio.
. "The Carnival Is Over" was the first single release after dancer Bobby Farrell
's departure and introduced new male singer Reggie Tsiboe
in the line-up. Despite reaching #11 in the Swiss charts, the single was widely considered Boney M.'s first flop. After a string of 16 consecutive Top 20 singles in Germany, the single only climbed to #41 after a second pressing with a remix of "Going Back West" as the main A-side was sent out. "Going Back West", however, would become a hit single in South Africa where the group's popularity remained high in the early 80s. Boney M. would use the double A-side format in this period, typically with the A1 being the song intended for radio and A2 being more squarely aimed at discos. The sides would usually be switched on the accompanying 12" single.
' song was done in a low-key ballad arrangement and featured Liz Mitchell
on lead vocal. An original verse by producer Frank Farian
and lyricist Catherine Courage was added to introduce Reggie Tsiboe as a vocalist. In the early mix of the single, Liz Mitchell sings the answer-back line "Kiss me again" as opposed to the final mix where she sings "Our love is true". An edit was released in the UK and Japan where a part of the intro had been cut out. "The Carnival Is Over" was never included in any studio album by Boney M. and didn't appear on a compilation until 2000 when it was included on 25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool
. The single edit was added as a bonus track to the remastered 2007 edition of Ten Thousand Lightyears
.
track. An early mix had only vocal group La Mama (Cathy Bartney, Patricia Shockley, Madeleine Davis) on backing vocals. Several later mixes were released with Liz Mitchell's vocals added to the backing vocals and also producer Frank Farian singing a couple of lines. The 12" version was coupled with an edit of the track "Silly Confusion" from Boonoonoonoos
.
12" Singles
Tom Springfield
Tom Springfield is the brother of Dusty Springfield and an important figure in the 1960s folk and pop music scene...
in 1965 for the Australian group The Seekers
The Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
, who customarily close their concerts with it. At its peak, the song was selling 93,000 copies per day and is No 30 of the biggest selling singles of all time in the United Kingdom.
Traditional uses
"The Carnival Is Over", being sung by The Seekers, has also become a tradition to close some of the special events within Australia. It was also played at the Expo '88Expo '88
World Expo 88, also known as Expo '88, was a World's Fair held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988...
closing ceremony, with Julie Anthony taking the place of Judith Durham
Judith Durham
Judith Durham, OAM is an Australian jazz singer and musician who became the lead vocalist for the Australian popular folk music group The Seekers in 1963. She left the group in mid-1968 to pursue her solo career...
along with the usual members of the group, Athol Guy
Athol Guy
Athol Guy , is a member of the Australian pop music-folk music group The Seekers. Guy played the double bass. He was characterised by his wearing of black horn-rimmed glasses...
, Keith Potger
Keith Potger
Keith Potger is one of the founding members of the Australian pop-folk group The Seekers. He was born in Ceylon and is of Burgher descent. In the Seekers, he played twelve string guitar and banjo, and sang...
and Bruce Woodley
Bruce Woodley
Bruce William Woodley , is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful pop-folk group The Seekers, and co-composer of the anthemic song "I Am Australian"...
The Seekers were supposed to have performed this song at the end of the closing ceremony for the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
but the performance was cancelled after Judith Durham broke her hip. The Seekers did, however, sing the song at the conclusion of the 2000 Summer Paralympics
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
, with Judith Durham seated in a wheelchair.
The tradition of the song's being sung at conclusions of special celebrations in Australia is so well known that the cast of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
comedy series The Games
The Games (Australian TV)
The Games was an Australian mockumentary television series about the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The series was originally broadcast on the ABC and had two seasons of 13 episodes each, the first in 1998 and the second in 2000....
, which was about the forthcoming Sydney 2000 Olympics, imitated the group singing "The Carnival Is Over" at the 'closing ceremony' of 'their' version of the Sydney Olympic Games.
Aftermath
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds covered the song on their 1986 album Kicking Against The PricksKicking Against the Pricks
Kicking Against the Pricks is the third album released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. First released in 1986, the album is a collection of cover versions...
. This cover featured in the final episode and scene of the Australian TV Series Underbelly
Underbelly (TV series)
Underbelly is a 13-part Australian television mini-series that retells the real events of the 1995–2004 gangland war in Melbourne, and is the first series in the larger Underbelly Franchise. It depicts the key players in Melbourne's criminal underworld, including the Carlton Crew and their rival,...
, based on the Melbourne gangland killings
Melbourne gangland killings
The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia of 36 criminal figures or partners between 16 January 1998 and 13 August 2010. The murders were in a series of retributional murders involving various underworld groups. The deaths caused a sustained power vacuum...
when Senior Constable Steve Owen arrested Carl Williams for murder.
The music
The tune is taken from a Russian folk song about Stenka RazinStenka Razin
Stepan Timofeyevich Razin Тимофеевич Разин, ; 1630 – ) was a Cossack leader who led a major uprising against the nobility and Tsar's bureaucracy in South Russia.-Early life:...
known as "Iz-za ostrova na strezhen" or "Volga, Volga mat' rodnaya". The song became popular in Russia as early as 1890s. It was performed by the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra (balalaikas and domras) during their 1967 tour of Australia. The tune is also used in a Dutch hymn "Vol Verwachting Blijf Ik Uitzien", and a Dutch nursery rhyme "Aan de Oever van de Rotte".
Thus Tom Springfield wrote only the lyrics after a trip to Brazil, where he witnessed the Carnaval
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
in Rio.
Boney M. version
"The Carnival Is Over (Goodbye True Lover)" / "Going Back West" is a double A-side single by German band Boney M.. It replaced a cancelled third single release of a re-recording of the song "Jimmy" from the group's latest album BoonoonoonoosBoonoonoonoos
Boonoonoonoos is the fifth studio album by Boney M. It was released on November 1, 1981.Despite producer Frank Farian having announced that Boney M...
. "The Carnival Is Over" was the first single release after dancer Bobby Farrell
Bobby Farrell
Roberto "Bobby" Alfonso Farrell was an Aruban dancer and performer, best known as the male member of the successful 1970s pop and disco group Boney M.-Early years:...
's departure and introduced new male singer Reggie Tsiboe
Reggie Tsiboe
Reggie Tsiboe was born on 7 September 1950 in Kumasi was one of the lead singers of the disco group Boney M. between 1982-1986 and later between 1989-1990....
in the line-up. Despite reaching #11 in the Swiss charts, the single was widely considered Boney M.'s first flop. After a string of 16 consecutive Top 20 singles in Germany, the single only climbed to #41 after a second pressing with a remix of "Going Back West" as the main A-side was sent out. "Going Back West", however, would become a hit single in South Africa where the group's popularity remained high in the early 80s. Boney M. would use the double A-side format in this period, typically with the A1 being the song intended for radio and A2 being more squarely aimed at discos. The sides would usually be switched on the accompanying 12" single.
The Carnival Is Over (Goodbye True Lover)
Boney M.'s version of The SeekersThe Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
' song was done in a low-key ballad arrangement and featured Liz Mitchell
Liz Mitchell
Liz Mitchell is a singer, best known as the former lead singer of the 1970s disco/pop band, Boney M.-Early life:...
on lead vocal. An original verse by producer Frank Farian
Frank Farian
Frank Farian , is a German record producer and songwriter. He started out as a trained cook before moving into the music industry...
and lyricist Catherine Courage was added to introduce Reggie Tsiboe as a vocalist. In the early mix of the single, Liz Mitchell sings the answer-back line "Kiss me again" as opposed to the final mix where she sings "Our love is true". An edit was released in the UK and Japan where a part of the intro had been cut out. "The Carnival Is Over" was never included in any studio album by Boney M. and didn't appear on a compilation until 2000 when it was included on 25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool
25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool
25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool is a compilation album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG in the Netherlands in 2000. The album includes a number of rare versions.-History:...
. The single edit was added as a bonus track to the remastered 2007 edition of Ten Thousand Lightyears
Ten Thousand Lightyears
Ten Thousand Lightyears is the seventh studio album by Boney M. and the first to feature new member Reggie Tsiboe who had taken over Bobby Farrell's role as the band's leading man in early 1982...
.
Going Back West
The first song with new member Reggie Tsiboe on lead vocals was an uptempo cover version of a Jimmy CliffJimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
track. An early mix had only vocal group La Mama (Cathy Bartney, Patricia Shockley, Madeleine Davis) on backing vocals. Several later mixes were released with Liz Mitchell's vocals added to the backing vocals and also producer Frank Farian singing a couple of lines. The 12" version was coupled with an edit of the track "Silly Confusion" from Boonoonoonoos
Boonoonoonoos
Boonoonoonoos is the fifth studio album by Boney M. It was released on November 1, 1981.Despite producer Frank Farian having announced that Boney M...
.
Releases
7" Singles- "The Carnival Is Over (Goodbye True Lover)" - 4:49 / "Going Back West" (Early mix) - 4:05 (Hansa 104 475-100, Germany)
- "Going Back West" (Remix) - 4:15 / "The Carnival Is Over" - 4:49 (Hansa 104 475-100, Germany)
- "The Carnival Is Over (Goodbye True Lover)" (edit) - 4:20 / "Going Back West" (Remix) - 4:15 (Atlantic A 9973, UK)
- "Going Back West" (Remix) - 4:15 / "The Carnival Is Over" (edit) - 4:20 (Atlantic P-1693, Japan)
12" Singles
- A1 "Going Back West" - 5:00 / A2 "Silly Confusion" (Farian, Kawohl, Björklund, Baierl, Courage) - 4:05 / B "The Carnival Is Over" - 4:52 (Hansa 600 633-213, Germany)
External links
- http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/boney_m_
- http://www.musiclange.dk