"Laughter in the Rain" is a song composed and recorded by Neil Sedaka, with lyrics by Phil Cody. It includes a 20-second saxophone solo by Jim Horn.[2] The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1975.
| "Laughter in the Rain" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of Australian single | ||||
| Single by Neil Sedaka | ||||
| from the album Sedaka's Back | ||||
| B-side | "Endlessly" (US); "Kiddio" (UK); "Betty Grable" (Belgium); "For the Good of the Cause" (Brazil) | |||
| Released | October 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Genre | Pop, soft rock[1] | |||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | Rocket (US); Polydor (Europe) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody | |||
| Producer(s) | Neil Sedaka and Robert Appere | |||
| Neil Sedaka singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Laughter In The Rain" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editThe song was released on Elton John's Rocket label in the US and on the Polydor label in the UK and elsewhere.[3][4]
After hearing a version of "Laughter in the Rain" by singer Lea Roberts on the radio several weeks before the planned release of his single, Sedaka phoned Elton John to have MCA Records rush the Sedaka version to release within five days.[5]
The opening chord of the chorus was based on that used by John in "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", which Sedaka has described as a "drop-dead chord."[5] He combined that with a pentatonic melody inspired by Aaron Copland.[6]
Cody recalled experiencing writer's block when initially attempting to write the lyrics at first, but after a two-hour outdoor nap aided by a small amount of marijuana, the lyrics came to him, allowing him to finish the song in about five minutes:
Neil and I started writing the song early in the day and I just wasn't getting it. So, I went for a walk, smoked a very small amount of weed and sat under a tree and took a short nap. It was a bright sunny day, not a cloud in the sky and yet, when I got back to my post at Sedaka's right elbow, the lyric just fell onto the page with very little effort from me. Somewhere, in my consciousness, I guess I was having a Gene Kelly moment.[7]
Chart performance
editIn the U.S., "Laughter in the Rain" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 1, 1975 (Sedaka's first single to top the Hot 100 since 1962).[8] The song spent two weeks at the top of the adult contemporary chart.
The record was also a major hit in Canada, reaching #2 on the pop singles chart and #1 on the adult contemporary chart. It was also released in the U.K., where it spent nine weeks on the Singles Chart, peaking at #15 on June 22, 1974.[9]
Weekly charts
editLea Roberts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100[10] | 109 |
| US Billboard R&B | 20 |
|
Neil Sedaka
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Personnel
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
- Neil Sedaka – lead vocal, piano
- Danny Kortchmar – electric guitar[20]
- Dean Parks - acoustic guitar
- Leland Sklar – bass guitar
- Russ Kunkel – drums
- Jim Horn – tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
- William "Smitty" Smith – Hammond organ, background vocals
- Abigail Haness, Brenda Gordon, Brian Russell – background vocals
- Artie Butler – orchestral arrangement[21]
References
edit- ^ "Billboard Top Soft Rock Hits: 1974 - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via AllMusic.
- ^ "Bob Weir & Neil Sedaka: West Meets East (Coast)" at elmoremagazine.com
- ^ https://www.45cat.com/record/mca40313 [bare URL]
- ^ https://www.45cat.com/record/2058494 [bare URL]
- ^ a b Professor of Rock - Neil Sedaka - The Story of Laughter In The Rain, retrieved December 2, 2019
- ^ "Today's Mini-Concert - 9/2/2020 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 2 September 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
- ^ "Songwriter Interviews: Philip Cody" at songfacts.com
- ^ a b "Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ^ "Neil Sedaka". officialcharts.com/. 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
- ^ a b "National Top 100 Singles for 1975". Kent Music Report. December 29, 1975. Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via Imgur.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- ^ "laughter in the rain | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Music Chart - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 2/01/75". cashboxmagazine.com.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1975". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^ https://bestclassicbands.com/danny-kortchmar-interview-kootch-10-14-211/
- ^ "Artie Butler | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic.
Other sources
edit- Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
External links
edit- "Laughter In The Rain" (Radio 2's Piano Room) on YouTube, recorded September 2017