<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> "Death of a Clown" (1967) </Td> <Td> "Susannah's Still Alive" (1967) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> "Death of a Clown" (1967) </Td> <Td> "Susannah's Still Alive" (1967) </Td> </Tr> <P> "Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, member of British rock group The Kinks, released as his debut solo single in 1967 . The song was co-written with his brother Ray Davies, who contributed the 5 - bar "La la la" hook; Ray's first wife, Rasa, sings this phrase as well as descant in the second verse, while Ray himself sings harmony in the refrain . Nicky Hopkins played the distinctive introduction, using fingerpicks on the strings of a piano . The single was credited to Dave Davies but the song also appeared on the Kinks' album Something Else by The Kinks, released later in 1967 . </P> <P> In an interview with Yahoo!, Dave Davies said that "Death of a Clown" was written about the repetitive performing schedule he and the rest of the Kinks worked through . He said, "One night I nodded off at a party and woke up and saw all these decadent people running around . I had a vision of being a circus clown . I thought, "What are we doing?" We were going from day to day to day like performing seals . And that's where I got the idea for' Death of a Clown .' I went back to me mum's house with the same old out - of - tune piano and I plunked out three notes, and it turned into the song ." </P>

Who sang let's all drink to the death of a clown