Life Is a Carnival
1971 single by the Band
| "Life is a Carnival" | |
|---|---|
 Dutch cover | |
| Single by the Band | |
| from the album Cahoots | |
| B-side | "The Moon Struck One" |
| Released | 1971 |
| Recorded | Early 1971 |
| Genre | Roots rock, Americana |
| Length | 3:50 |
| Label | Capitol Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko |
| Producer(s) | The Band |
"Life is a Carnival" is the opening track of the Band's fourth album, Cahoots. Written by Rick Danko, Levon Helm, and Robbie Robertson, the song features horn arrangements by New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint. The song is the only track from the Cahoots album included on the original releases of Rock of Ages and The Last Waltz. The song was featured in the Bill Murray movie Larger Than Life.
Billboard called it a "funky beat swinger with a potent lyric line."[1] Cash Box said that the "lyrics are of utmost importance."[2] Record World said "With the funkiest introduction, premier underground act will greatly add to their legion of fans."[3]
Musical notation for this song is printed on a wall behind Levon Helm's grave in Woodstock, New York.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of A Musical History.[4]
- Robbie Robertson – electric and acoustic guitars
- Garth Hudson – Lowrey organ
- Richard Manuel – Hohner Pianet electric piano, backing vocals
- Rick Danko – bass guitar, co-lead vocals
- Levon Helm – drums, co-lead vocals
Horn players uncredited; horn arrangements by Allen Toussaint.
Chart performance
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart[5] | 25 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 72 |
References
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. September 25, 1971. p. 46. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 25, 1971. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 25, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ The Band: A Musical History (CD). The Band. Capitol Records. 2005. 72435-77409-0-6 CCAP77409-6.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "RPM Top Singles for November 6, 1971". RPM. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
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| with Bob Dylan | |
|---|---|
- Rock of Ages
- Before the Flood
- The Last Waltz (1978 soundtrack album)
- The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down: The Best of the Band Live in Concert
- Live at Watkins Glen
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966
- The Last Waltz (2002 box set)
- Live at the Academy of Music 1971
- The Best of the Band
- Anthology
- To Kingdom Come
- Across the Great Divide
- The Best of the Band, Vol. II
- Greatest Hits
- A Musical History
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete
- The Last Waltz
- Festival Express
- Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
- "Uh-Uh-Uh"
- "The Stones I Throw"
- "Go Go Liza Jane"
- "The Weight" / "I Shall Be Released"
- "Rag Mama Rag" / "The Unfaithful Servant"
- "Up on Cripple Creek" / "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
- "Time to Kill" / "The Shape I'm In"
- "Life Is a Carnival"
- "On a Night Like This" (with Bob Dylan)
- "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine" (with Bob Dylan)
- "Ophelia"
- "Atlantic City"
- "Tears of Rage"
- "We Can Talk"
- "Long Black Veil"
- "Chest Fever"
- "Lonesome Suzie
- "This Wheel's on Fire"
- "Across the Great Divide"
- "When You Awake"
- "Whispering Pines"
- "Jemima Surrender"
- "Look Out Cleveland"
- "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)"
- "Sleeping"
- "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show"
- "Daniel and the Sacred Harp"
- "Stage Fright"
- "When I Paint My Masterpiece"
- "4% Pantomime"
- "Don't Do It"
- "Mystery Train"
- "Holy Cow"
- "Acadian Driftwood"
- "It Makes No Difference"
- "Georgia on My Mind"
- "Blind Willie McTell"
- "What Am I Living For"
- Discography
- Bob Dylan
- Bob Dylan World Tour 1966
- Bob Dylan and the Band 1974 Tour
- Cate Brothers
- Ronnie Hawkins
- The Weight Band
- Big Pink
- Shangri-La
- List of Basement Tapes songs
- List of Basement Tapes songs (1975)
- So Many Roads (1965, Helm, Hudson, Robertson)
- The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album (1975, Helm, Hudson)
- No Reason to Cry (1976, Danko, Helm, Hudson, Manuel, Robertson)
- Let It Rock (1995, Bell, Ciarlante, Danko, Helm, Hudson, Weider)
- Carry Me Home (2022, Helm, Weider)
- Endless Highway: The Music of the Band
- The Complete Last Waltz
- This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band
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