Laughter In The Rain – Neil Sedaka | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1) & Adult Contemporary (#1) ; 1975
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
From 1958 to 1963 Neil Sedaka was hotter-than-hot with a string of teen-oriented hits, such as Calendar Girl and Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen. Yet, unlike many other singing idols of the day, Neil was a multi-talented artist.
His first appearance on vinyl came with The Willows’ seminal doo-wop record, Church Bells May Ring (#11 R&B, 1956), on which Neil played chimes. In the late summer of 1958, one of many songs penned by Neil with partner Howard Greenfield, Stupid Cupid, became Connie Francis’ second smash hit.
In 1959 Neil’s own recording career took off and soared…until The Beatles and the British Invasion. When Laughter In The Rain became a surprise U.K. hit in mid-1974, Elton John signed Neil to his new U.S. label, Rocket Records, which carried Laughter to #1 America – more than 12 years after Breaking Up Is Hard To Do had given Neil his first chart topper.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Neil Sedaka
- Robert Appere
Lyrics Written by:
- Neil Sedaka
- Phil Cody
Awards:
- Reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on February 1, 1975
- Grammy Award nomination for Song of the Year
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).