Earworm
Until researching googling "The Carnival Is Over" , I never realised that it owed such a lot to a Russian folk song called "Stenka Razin". That song celebrates the life of a legendary cossack who led a revolt against the nobility and their agents in southern Russia in the late seventeenth century. In the mid-sixties it was re-interpreted by British songwriter and producer Tom Springfield who was Dusty Springfield's older brother. He wrote several songs for The Springfields and for The Seekers who were an Australian band with a special songstress - the late Judith Durham. Her voice was plaintive and pure and it connected easily with people. It was really she who gave the song traction in the English speaking world. "The Carnival is Over" is about what happens when something comes to an end - a relationship, a voyage, a carnival. Most humans can relate to that particular feeling of sadness when something good finishes and you cannot do a damned thing ...