| "Ha! Ha! Said the Clown" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Manfred Mann | ||||
| from the album Mighty Garvey! | ||||
| B-side | "Feeling So Good" | |||
| Released | 24 March 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 10 February 1967 | |||
| Studio | Philips, Marble Arch, London | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 2:25 | |||
| Label | Fontana | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tony Hazzard | |||
| Producer(s) | Shel Talmy | |||
| Manfred Mann singles chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "Ha! Ha! Said the Clown" on YouTube | ||||
"Ha! Ha! Said the Clown" is a song written by Tony Hazzard, first recorded by British pop group Manfred Mann. Hazzard claims the song "came out of the blue" though he did not demo it for weeks. Following recording a demo, he approached manager Gerry Bron, who liked it enough to want one of his groups, Manfred Mann, to record it. Manfred Mann recorded their version of the single on 10 February 1967 at Philips Studio in Marble Arch, London, together with producer Shel Talmy. It was the second of three singles Manfred Mann recorded to feature the Mellotron.
Upon release by Fontana Records on 24 March 1967, the single received mixed reviews by critics, who deemed it inferior to their previous single "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James", and criticized its lightweight pop sound. Despite these critical setbacks it became a huge commercial success, reaching number 4 in the UK and number one in several other European, African and Oceanian countries. As it failed to chart in the United States, Mickie Most released a version by the Yardbirds there, becoming a minor hit for them.