"Sideshow" is a song recorded by American R&B

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

vocal quintet Blue Magic, released in 1974. It was first released on the album '' Blue Magic'' and when issued as a single it sold over a million copies, going to No.1 R&B in April 1974 and No.8 pop in the United States in that summer. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No.19 song for 1974. In the Canadian Year-end chart, it was No.77.

Background

A visit into an antique museum was the inspiration to write a romance metaphor, which took about four months to finish. Composed by

Vinnie Barrett Vinnie Barrett (born Gwendolyn Hines Woolfolk; 1945) is an American songwriter and musician. Career Barrett graduated from Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C. She studied music at Howard University and the University of the District of Colu ...

and

Bobby Eli Bobby Eli is an American musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia. He is a founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio band MFSB. Overview A multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter and arranger, Eli ...

(both collaborated on another Philly soul ballad "

Love Won't Let Me Wait "Love Won't Let Me Wait" is a hit 1975 single by Major Harris, a former member of R&B/soul group The Delfonics. Written by Vinnie Barrett and Bobby Eli, the single is considered to be a staple of classic soul playlists, and was Harris' only e ...

" by former Delfonics member Major Harris), when

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

Norman Harris heard "Sideshow", he said that should be recorded by Blue Magic. Released on the album '' Blue Magic'', it became one of pop music's most affecting ballads and sold over a million copies, going to No.1 R&B and No.8 pop in the middle of 1974. The song is noted for its introduction, featuring a repeat of the first 10 notes of a slow version of Julius Fucik's " Entrance of the Gladiators", while one of the band's members acts like a master of ceremonies, declaring: "Hurry!! Hurry!!! Step right up! See the saddest show in town for only 50 cents!" The follow-up song was the similarly themed "Three Ring Circus". Some radio edits fade the song out several seconds early, ahead of the repeat of the introduction in the

Coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

section, which also featured a reprise of the chorus, due to the length of the song.

Samples

The intro of "Sideshow" was sampled by

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

in "Young Love".

Notes

The

Chanter Sisters The Chanter Sisters are sisters Irene and Doreen Chanter who perform both as a duo, and as backing for other singers. They released three albums and a number of singles from the mid to late 1970s. Background Irene and Doreen began recordi ...

had a minor hit with a different song with the same title, which reached No.43 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1976.

Chart history

Blue Magic version

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Barry Biggs version

*It was covered as a reggae version by Barry Biggs who reached No.3 on the

with it in January 1977. Biggs also covered the Blue Magic, follow-up release, "Three Ring Circus" ( UK No.22).

Other cover versions

Ray, Goodman & Brown Ray, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B vocal group. The group originated as The Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with hits including " Love on a Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama", and " Look at Me ...

Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, '' The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Mer ...

Walter Beasley Walter Beasley is an American saxophonist, a professor of music at the Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in t ...

Marc Hunter Marc Alexander Hunter (7 September 195317 July 1998) was a New Zealand rock and pop singer, songwriter and record producer. He was the lead vocalist of Dragon (1973–11/1979, 8/1982–1989, 1995–11/1997), a band formed by his older brother ...

References

External links

Music Legends Part 3:Blue Magic
* {{Authority control 1974 songs 1974 singles Atco Records singles Blue Magic (band) songs Silk (group) songs Songs written by Vinnie Barrett Songs written by Bobby Eli