Laughter in the Rain


"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. The song hit No. 1 on the [Billboard Hot 100|Billboard Hot 100] in February 1975.

Background

The song was first released by English singer Peter Gordeno in May 1974. Several months later, a version by singer Lea Roberts was released. After hearing Roberts' version of "Laughter in the Rain" 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.
Sedaka's version was released on Elton John's Rocket Record Company|Rocket] label in the US and on the Polydor label in the UK and elsewhere.
The opening chord of the chorus was based on that used by John in Goodbye [Yellow Brick Road (song)|"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"], which Sedaka has described as a "drop-dead chord." He combined that with a pentatonic melody inspired by Aaron Copland.
Cody conceived the idea of the lyrics describing a couple frolicking during rainy weather; he noted that the skies were sunny when he wrote the song. He also 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.

Chart performance

In the U.S., "Laughter in the Rain" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 1, 1975. The song spent two weeks at the top of the Adult Contemporary Tracks|Adult Contemporary chart].
The record was also a major hit in Canada, reaching No. 2 on the pop singles chart and No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart. It was also released in the UK, where it spent nine weeks on the Singles Chart, peaking at No. 15 on June 22, 1974.

Weekly charts

Lea Roberts
Chart Peak
position
US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100109
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles20

Neil Sedaka
Chart Peak
position
Australia 17
Canada RPM Top Singles2
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary1
Netherlands 35
UK Singles 15
US Billboard Hot 1001
US Billboard Adult Contemporary1
US Cash Box Top 1001
Yugoslavian Singles Chart2

Personnel