THE COMEDIANS^©

Live 30 Sep 1987 version

I sat there alone upon the Ferris wheel
A pastel colored carriage in the air
I thought you'd leave me dangling for a little while
A silly twist upon a childish dare

Below I saw you whisper to another man
Who held the lever that could bring me down
He'd stop the world from turning at your command
It's always something cruel that laughter drowns

And I'm up while the dawn is breaking
Even though my heart is aching
I should be drinking a toast
To absent friends
Instead of these comedians

I can hardly hear the music from the carousel
The wind picks up, the carriage starts to sway
And one by one the lights go out
It's closing time
I see you take his hand and walk away, walk away

They say that you're always the last to know
They say that all that glitters is not gold
It's not just that you're never coming back to me
It's the bitter way that I was told

And I'm up while the dawn is breaking
Even though my heart is aching
I should be drinking a toast
To absent friends
Instead of these comedians

Page last updated: 19 Apr 2008

Music and lyrics by Elvis Costello, THE COMEDIANS was originally released by Costello in 1984, and later covered by Roy Orbison. Check out Elvis Costello's demo version for more details.

A Black And White Night

Roy Orbison And Friends - A Black And White Night is a 1988 Cinemax television special starring Hall Of Fame singer/songwriter Roy Orbison and originally broadcast on 03 Jan 1988 on HBO. Directed by Tony Mitchell, the special was shot entirely in beautiful black and white in a 1940's-type nightclub setting. The taping took place on 30 Sep 1987 at the Ambassador Hotel's Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles, CA, approximately a year before Orbison's death.

Over the end credits, several of the band members are shown saying some words about Orbison. Bruce Springsteen says: "I remember when I was a kid, his music took me out of my little town, you know. And... you don't always get a chance to sing harmony with Roy Orbison and play guitar next to James Burton, that's a dream."

Track Listing

The special consisted of a performance of many of Orbison's hits:

1. ONLY THE LONELY
2. DREAM BABY (HOW LONG MUST I DREAM)
3. BLUE BAYOU
4. THE COMEDIANS
5. OOBY DOOBY
6. LEAH
7. RUNNING SCARED
8. UPTOWN
9. IN DREAMS
10. CRYING
11. CANDYMAN
12. GO, GO, GO (DOWN THE LINE)
13. MEAN WOMAN BLUES
14. (ALL I CAN DO IS) DREAM YOU
15. CLAUDETTE
16. IT'S OVER
17. OH, PRETTY WOMAN

The above tracks are listed like they are arranged on the concert's DVD, and do not necessarily reflect the correct order of the show's setlist.

BLUE BAYOU and CLAUDETTE were not included in the original broadcast due to time constraints, but were later released on the DVD release of the show and the 1998 reissue of the audio album.

Musicians

Orbison was accompanied by a supporting backing band put together by musical director T-Bone Burnett who also played played guitar during the concert. All members were Orbison fans who volunteered to participate in the special, and most of them were famous musicians, making the cast an all-star line-up:

• Roy Orbison – Guitar and Vocals
   
• Bruce Springsteen – Guitar and Vocals
• Elvis Costello – Guitar, Organ, Harmonica and Vocals
• Tom Waits – Guitar and Organ
• T-Bone Burnett – Guitar
   
• James Burton – Guitar
• Glen D. Hardin – Piano
• Jerry Scheff – Bass
• Ronnie Tutt – Drums
   
• Bonnie Raitt – Female singer
• Jennifer Warnes – Female singer
• kd lang – Female singer
• John David Souther – Guitar and male singer
• Jackson Browne – Male singer
• Steven Soles – Male singer

James Burton, Glen D. Hardin, Jerry Scheff, and Ronnie Tutt are all former of the TCB Band, a group of professional musicians who formed the core rhythm section of Elvis Presley's band from August 1969 until his death in 1977.

Additional musicians:

• Alex Acuna – Percussion
• Mike Utley – Keyboards
• Pavel Farkas – Violin
• Peter Hatch – Viola
• Ezra Kliger – Violin
• Jimbo Ross – Viola
• Sid Page – Concert Master

Video Releases

The special was released in 1988 as VHS home video titled A Black And White Night and credited to Roy Orbison And Friends. It was also released that same year on Laserdisc. Below are scans for the US VHS (NTSC; HBO Video), the European VHS (PAL; Virgin Video), the US Laserdisc (HBO Video), and the Japanese Laserdisc respectively.

In 1998, the video was reissued on Orbison Records, and credited to Roy Orbison only. It was also released later on DVD and HD-DVD. Below are scans for the 1998 promotional VHS, the 1998 commercial VHS, the DVD, and the HD-DVD respectively. The DVD and the HD-DVD contain the two previously unreleased songs.

Album Releases

In November 1989, the audio was released on Virgin Records as a live album titled A Black And White Night Live and credited to Roy Orbison And Friends. In 1998, the album was reissued on Orbison Records under the title Black And White Night and credited to Roy Orbison only. This reissue contains the two previously unreleased songs.

The Track

During THE COMEDIANS, Bruce Springsteen played guitar sitting on a chair behind Roy Orbison, and the above lyrics are for that live 30 Sep 1987 performance of the song.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THE COMEDIANS on this website:

• Live 30 Sep 1987 version
• Elvis Costello's demo version

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake from BTX and Greasy Lake).