"Send in the Clowns" is a song by Stephen Sondheim from the 1973 musical (Musical theater) A Little Night Music, an adaptation of Ingmar Bergmans film Smiles of a Summer Night. It is a ballad from Act II in which the character Desir�e reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life. Among other things, she looks back on an affair years earlier with the lawyer Fredrik. Meeting him after so long, she finds that he is now in an unconsummated marriage with a much younger woman. Desir�e proposes marriage to rescue him from this situation, but he declines, citing his dedication to his bride. Reacting to his rejection, Desir�e sings this song. The song is later reprised as a coda (Coda (music)) after Fredriks young wife runs away with his son, and Fredrik is finally free to accept Desir�es offer.

Sondheim wrote the song specifically for the actress Glynis Johns, who created the role of Desir�e on Broadway (Broadway theatre). The song is structured with four verses and a bridge, and uses a complex triple meter. It became Sondheims most popular song after Judy Collins and Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1975. Subsequently, Grace Jones, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey, Zarah Leander, Tiger Lillies and many other famous artists have recorded the song, and it became a jazz standard.