Song:Laughter In The Rain
Album:Laughter In The Rain: The Best Of Neil Sedaka 1974-1980
Neil Sedaka's first number one hit was Breaking Up Is Hard To Do in 1962. His second number one hit was Laughter In The Rain in 1975. He seemed to disappear for ten years. Like many early 60s pop singer, Sedaka's career was killed by The Beatles and The British Invasion. He continued to record for RCA but he wasn't successful. Other artists still recorded his songs. His biggest hit as a songwriter in the late 60s was Workin' On A Groovy Thing by The 5th Dimension in 1969. After his 1971 album Solitaire, Sedaka left RCA and moved to England and signed with Polydor Records. He had worked on Solitaire with guys who would become known as 10cc, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley. Working with these guys gave Sedaka hope for the future. And the success of the album Tapestry by his old girlfriend Carole King made him think he could return to the charts. Sedaka recorded the 1973 album The Tra-La Days Are Over with 10cc. Love Will Keep Us Together, a big hit for The Captain and Tennille, was on this album. Sedaka also ended his long songwriting partnership with Howard Greenfield to work with Phil Cody. Sedaka felt Cody's lyrics were more contemporary. Cody hung around the Brill Building and was probably recommended by Don Kirshner. So they had known each other for a few years. In 1973, Elton John was starting his new record label Rocket Records. The two met at a party. When John discovered that Sedaka didn't have a US record deal, he signed him to Rocket. Sedaka was about to release a new album in England called Laughter In The Rain. This album was produced in Los Angeles by veteran recording engineer Robert Appere with studio musicians like Dean Parks and Danny Kortchmar on guitar, Leland Sklar on bass Russ Kunkel on drums. Jim Horn played the sax solo on Laughter In The Rain. Rocket decided to release a comp of Sedaka's three British albums as Sedaka's Back. It took several months but Laughter In The Rain topped the Billboard Hot 100 early in 1975. Then he scored another number one hit with Bad Blood, a duet with Elton John. And a top ten hit with a remake of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. The comeback was complete. Of course it didn't last and after three albums on Rocket, Sedaka moved to Elektra. He wasn't successful there. You can get all of Sedaka's 70s hits on this Varese comp. You gotta love Sedaka's mullet on the cover. Sedaka still tours and records occasionally. He has also turned up as a guest judge on American Idol. There's a campaign to get Sedaka into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I don't know why he isn't in already. Here's Neil Sedaka performing Laughter In The Rain on The Midnight Special 1975. You gotta love that red hat.
I loved his songs and his singing. Laughter in the Rain is a favorite of mine. As for the Rock and Roll hall of fame, its a shame, but there are others that also belong there as well. Its a sad state of affairs in my opinion.
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