He began his recording career as vocalist/accordionist with the Three Chuckles, charting with 'Runaround' in 1954, before going solo three years later. In the early years of rock, he co-starred in revues staged by legendary disc jockey Alan Freed, appearing with such artists as Chuck Berry and LaVern Baker.
In the 'teen idol' era, Randazzo hit the charts with 'Little Serenade', 'The Way Of A Clown' and 'Big Wild World'. Subsequent releases like 'You Don't Need A Heart' would find belated favour among soul fans.
Randazzo also had starring roles in such rock films as Hey, Let's Twist, The Girl Can't Help It, Mr. Rock & Roll and Rock, Rock, Rock.
It was as a songwriter and producer, most notably for Little Anthony & the Imperials, that Teddy Randazzo excelled. His 800+ registered compositions consisted mainly of collaborations with lyricists Bobby Weinstein, Bobby Hart, Lou Stallman, Victoria Pike, and Roger Joyce. With Weinstein, he wrote a string of major hits for Little Anthony, including 'Goin' Out Of My Head' and 'Hurt So Bad'. When the Lettermen combined those two songs in a medley, they became pop classics, recorded by a gamut of industry giants, from Frank Sinatra to Dionne Warwick. According to BMI, 'Goin' Out Of My Head' accumulated more than 6 million radio plays, whilst 'Hurt So Bad' which also lists Hart as a co-writer, received in excess of 4 million. Randazzo and Weinstein's 'It's Gonna Take A Miracle' (co-written with Stallman), originally recorded by the Royalettes, was also successful for Laura Nyro and Deniece Williams. He also ran his own labels, Satin and Buttercup. According to Weinstein, he and Randazzo were in the process of writing a song called 'I Never Got The Chance To Say Goodbye' at the time of his death. Randazzo is survived by his wife Shelly, 4 sons and 3 daughters.
The Way of a Clown
Teddy Randazzo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That way I can be close to you
From the start;
I play the part,
While I make you laugh
Someone else fills your heart
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play,
That's the way of a clown
I laugh, with tears in my eyes
Like a clown, I wear a disguise
Can't let you know,
I love you so,
You love someone else, so on with the show
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play
That's the way of a clown
In my heart I keep praying
That some day you'll come to me
But as I masquerade,
I'm afraid it never can be...
Pity me
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
The song "The Way of a Clown" by Teddy Randazzo is a touching ballad that speaks to the emotional turmoil of a jester who is in love with someone who loves another. Throughout the song, the clown maintains his guise of humor and laughs to keep his true feelings hidden. He uses his role as a clown to stay close to the person he loves, hoping that one day she will return his feelings, but he knows this is an unlikely outcome. The song is a commentary on the way that many people hide their true selves behind a false persona or a mask, as the clown hides his love behind humor.
The lyrics create a sense of melancholy and longing, as the clown knows that he cannot reveal his true feelings without jeopardizing the relationship he has with the person he loves. He is resigned to the fact that he will always be a second choice, and that he must continue to play the role of the clown in order to stay near his love. The repeated refrain of "That's the way of a clown" emphasizes the idea that the clown's behavior is expected of him, and that he is trapped in his own role.
Overall, the song is a poignant meditation on the nature of love and the sacrifices that we make for the people we care about. It highlights the struggle to balance our own desires with the expectations of society and the people who we love but who do not love us back.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll make you laugh when you're blue
I will try to cheer you up when you are feeling down
That way I can be close to you
By making you happy, I can be closer to you
From the start;
From the beginning of our relationship
I play the part,
I act a certain way
While I make you laugh
While I try to make you happy
Someone else fills your heart
You are in love with someone else
That's the way of a clown
This is the way that someone who acts happy all the time behaves
It's the part I must play,
I have to keep pretending to be happy
I laugh, with tears in my eyes
I am actually sad, but I am still laughing
Like a clown, I wear a disguise
Just like a clown, I am hiding how I really feel
Can't let you know,
I cannot reveal my true feelings
I love you so,
I have strong feelings of love for you
You love someone else, so on with the show
Since you love someone else, I will continue to pretend like everything is okay
In my heart I keep praying
Deep down, I am still hoping for a chance with you
That some day you'll come to me
That one day you will love me back
But as I masquerade,
While I continue to hide my true feelings
I'm afraid it never can be...
I am scared that we will never be together
Pity me
Feel sorry for me
Contributed by Jayden E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Courrège Aaron
I'll make you laugh when you're blue
That way I can be close to you
From the start;
I play the part,
While I make you laugh
Someone else fills your heart
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play,
That's the way of a clown
I laugh, with tears in my eyes
Like a clown, I wear a disguise
Can't let you know,
I love you so,
You love someone else, so on with the show
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play
That's the way of a clown
In my heart I keep praying
That some day you'll come to me
But as I masquerade,
I'm afraid it never can be...
Pity me
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
josefina rebacca
" THAT'S THE WAY OF A CLOWN- TEDDY RADAZZO " shared on google + thanks for uploading and sharing friends,, good luck,,
I'll make you laugh when you're blue
That way I can be close to you
From the start;
I play the part,
While I make you laugh
Someone else fills your heart
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play,
That's the way of a clown
I laugh, with tears in my eyes
Like a clown, I wear a disguise
Can't let you know,
I love you so,
You love someone else, so on with the show
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play
That's the way of a clown
In my heart I keep praying
That some day you'll come to me
But as I masquerade,
I'm afraid it never can be...
Pity me
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
Courrège Aaron
I'll make you laugh when you're blue
That way I can be close to you
From the start;
I play the part,
While I make you laugh
Someone else fills your heart
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play,
That's the way of a clown
I laugh, with tears in my eyes
Like a clown, I wear a disguise
Can't let you know,
I love you so,
You love someone else, so on with the show
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play
That's the way of a clown
In my heart I keep praying
That some day you'll come to me
But as I masquerade,
I'm afraid it never can be...
Pity me
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
It's the part I must play
That's the way of a clown
That's the way of a clown
Alyan Sultan Al Qahtani Monaco
Thank you
Alberto Ignacio Martin Leon
Excellent choice pal
Marilou Gofredo
This is not my time, but I loved and adored this song. I love every lyrics of this,...♥️♥️♥️🇵🇭🇵🇭
KieroUnasBotasAGoGo
Pedazo de compositor Teddy Randazzo 👌🏻 de primera categoría
bigbirdandsnuffyfan
An underrated artist and a great writer too,wrote great stuff for Little Anthony and the Imperials, left us a few years ago now, love this song, hard to understand how it didn't go higher in the charts, thanks a lot for posting.
Ed Weichsler
Agreed. To this day, he remains uncredited, under appreciated, & unknown.
peritaqueretana
Recuerdos de mi niñez, gracias por su música!
Fernando Pérez Rodríguez
Gracias muchas gracias muchachos Se me saltaron las lágrimas Dios me los proteja Nando.
L Ferg
Thanks...this song always stayed with me from way back then......it was most appealing to my 16 year old self and bridged me to New York from London Ontario and to Opera from pop music....RIP Teddy. Really glad to hear about his successful life.