“Clown” is a song by the nu metal band Korn was released through Epic and Immortal Records, on July 12, 1995, as the fourth single from their self-titled debut album. The song, which deals heavily with themes of bullying and standing up for oneself, features a famously dark, McG directed music video reflecting frontman Jonathan Davis‘s painful high school experiences. The video for Clown begins with the band walking in a hallway in El Segundo High School. There are shots of a clown balancing something on his nose. Soon, the band starts playing in a locker room which appears to be happening at night. Jonathan Davis is seen singing and, in some clips, he’s sitting in a locker room inside one of the dry showers. With a few people spraying a little bit of water on his hair to tease him. This represents some of his painful experiences in high school of being teased. It also features the band in a gym with clips of jocks in their football jerseys and cheerleaders seen by someone in the halls. One of the cheerleaders goes into a bathroom and starts smiling in the dark room. She proceeds to brush her hair with her hands. Clips also show the band performing in a dark room. The video ends with the cheerleader in the bathroom taking off her shirt, showing a tattoo on her back which is the band’s logo. The music video most likely could be them in the school after a football game at night. The music video was directed by McG; and produced by Dana Shaffer at the production house “Sunshine Filmworks” in Hollywood. It first aired in April 1996, and by May it was in the top 50 rotation on MTV.
Tracklist:
- Clown
Credits:
Korn
Jonathan Davis: lead vocals
Brian “Head” Welch: guitar, backing vocals
James “Munky” Shaffer: guitar
Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu: bass
David Silveria: drums
