Carnival (Natalie Merchant song)

B-side"I May Know the Word"

ReleasedJune 5, 1995 (1995-06-05)

StudioBearsville (Bearsville, New York)

Length

• 5:59 (album version)
• 4:01 (edit)

"Carnival"
Single by Natalie Merchant
from the album Tigerlily
B-side	"I May Know the Word"
Released	June 5, 1995 (1995-06-05)
Studio	Bearsville (Bearsville, New York)
Length	5:59 (album version) 4:01 (edit)
Label	Elektra
Songwriter	Natalie Merchant
Producer	Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant singles chronology
"Carnival" (1995) "Wonder" (1995)
Music video
"Carnival" on YouTube

"Carnival" is a song written and produced by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant and was the lead single from her debut solo album, Tigerlily (1995). In the lyrics, the protagonist describes a street scene as a carnival. Merchant was inspired to write the song after visiting New York City for the first time when she was 16, claiming she was fascinated with the residents' unusual lifestyles, as she grew up in rural areas.^{[citation needed]}

The single was released in the United States in June 1995 and reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Merchant's highest-charting solo single in the US. It is also her most successful hit in Australia, peaking at number 24 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and reached number 17 in Canada. The single received a radio edit cutting the song down from the six-minute LP version. The video for the song, directed by Melodie McDaniel,^[1] shows scenes of Merchant walking the streets of New York City taking street photographs with a Leica M3.