Laughter in the Rain explained

Laughter in the Rain
Cover:Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka Australian single side-A.png
Caption:Side A of Australian single
Type:single
Artist:Neil Sedaka
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)
Producer:Neil Sedaka and Robert Appere
Prev Title:The Way I Am
Prev Year:1974
Next Title:The Immigrant
Next Year:1975

"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.

Background

The 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.

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." He combined that with a pentatonic melody inspired by Aaron Copland.[5]

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.[6]

Chart performance

In 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).[7] 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.[8]

Weekly charts

Lea Roberts

Chart (1974)Peak
position
US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100[9] 109
US Billboard R&B20
Neil Sedaka
Chart (1974–1975)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 17
Canada RPM Top Singles[11] 2
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[12] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)35
UK Singles Chart[13] 15
US Billboard Hot 1001
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[14] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[15] 1
Yugoslavian Singles Chart2

Year-end charts

Chart (1975)Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)79
Canada [16] 61
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [17] 8
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [18] 20

Personnel

Other sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Billboard Top Soft Rock Hits: 1974 - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic. AllMusic.
  2. http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2007/06/influences/bob-weir-neil-sedaka "Bob Weir & Neil Sedaka: West Meets East (Coast)"
  3. https://www.45cat.com/record/mca40313
  4. https://www.45cat.com/record/2058494
  5. Web site: Today's Mini-Concert - 9/2/2020 - YouTube. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7VaUECCJHW0 . December 21, 2021 . live. www.youtube.com. 2 September 2020 .
  6. http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/philip_cody/ "Songwriter Interviews: Philip Cody"
  7. Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart. . October 8, 2016.
  8. Web site: Neil Sedaka . officialcharts.com/ . 2013 . August 16, 2013.
  9. Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
  10. Web site: National Top 100 Singles for 1975. . 79 . . December 29, 1975 . January 15, 2022 .
  11. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . October 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161010044827/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6154a&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=3lreac244n3532980htogcnja2 . October 10, 2016 . dead .
  12. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . October 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160817102354/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3886&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=3lreac244n3532980htogcnja2 . August 17, 2016 . dead .
  13. Web site: laughter in the rain | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. www.officialcharts.com.
  14. Adult Contemporary Music Chart - Billboard. . October 8, 2016.
  15. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 2/01/75. cashboxmagazine.com.
  16. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . October 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161010044451/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4057a&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=amv549ogolarpj46n9eekvv235 . October 10, 2016 . dead .
  17. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975. October 8, 2016.
  18. Web site: Top 100 Year End Charts: 1975 . . January 17, 2015 . August 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120819231700/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1975YESP.html . dead .
  19. Web site: Artie Butler | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links. .