Behind a smile, behind a clown suit, behind the colors.

Although not necessarily pierrots, people in clown suits remind me of "Parisian Pierrot", a song I first heard from Julie Andrews in her portrayal of Gertrude Lawrence in the 1968 movie "Star!". The song itself is from a 1923 musical called "London Calling", and was written as well as composed by Noel Coward.

The song goes something like..

Parisian Pierrot, society's hero,
The Lord of a day, the Rue de la Paix Is under your sway,
The world may flatter, but what does that matter,
They'll never shatter your gloom profound.

Parisian Pierrot, your spirit's at zero,
Divinely forlorn with exquisite scorn from sunset to dawn,
The limbo is calling, your star will be falling,
As soon as the clock goes round.♪♪♪