Songfacts®:

• "The show must go on" is a show business expression meaning that no matter the circumstances, there must still be a performance. Queen has a song of that title that embodies the never-say-die spirit of the saying, but Sayer's song is quite different. He's worn down from entertaining crowds that don't care about him, and ready to call off the show. The song can be seen as a metaphor for life in general, but Sayer played it quite literally, performing the song in clown costume, which is how he appears on the album cover.
• Sayer wrote this with his songwriting partner David Courtney and released it on his first album, Silverbird, in 1973. It was a big hit in his native UK and set the stage for a run of hits over the next several years, including "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" and "When I Need You." Courtney and Sayer also wrote most of the songs for Roger Daltrey's first solo album, which was also issued in 1973.
• This was Sayer's first single in America. It didn't chart, but Three Dog Night had a big hit with it when they released their version in 1974, taking it to #4. Three Dog Night also used Sayer's clownface visual.