| "Laugh at Me" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Sonny | |
| B-side | "Tony" |
| Released | August 1965 |
| Recorded | 1965 |
| Studio | Gold Star, Hollywood |
| Genre | Psychedelic pop |
| Length | 3:00 |
| Label | Atco |
| Songwriter(s) | Sonny Bono |
| Producer(s) | Sonny Bono |
"Laugh at Me" was Sonny Bono's only hit song as a solo artist under the name Sonny. The song was written and produced by Bono.
"Laugh at Me' was written after Sonny Bono was refused entrance to Montoni's Restaurant in Hollywood because of his "hippie attire". The song begins with Sonny saying, "I never thought I'd cut a record by myself but I got somethin' I wanna say. I want to say it for Cher and I hope I say it for a lot of people."
Although Bono would have a great deal of success with Sonny & Cher, with his then-wife Cher, Bono had very little success as a solo artist with the exception of "Laugh at Me". Bono only released one other single as a solo artist, "The Revolution Kind"; however, his second single only scratched the Top 100 before disappearing from the charts (reaching no. 70); he also released an album in 1967, Inner Views , which failed to chart.
"Laugh at Me" has been released on the Sonny & Cher album The Wondrous World of Sonny & Cher (1966), the Sonny & Cher compact disc The Beat Goes On, as well as the Rhino handmade release of Bono's only solo album, Inner Views. A live version, originally from Sonny & Cher Live (1971), was also released on the Sonny & Cher collection All I Ever Need: Kapp/MCA Anthology, with Bono beginning the quip, "I'll do a medley of my hit."
"Laugh At Me" was also featured on the 1967 Sonny & Cher compilation album The Best of Sonny & Cher.
Mott the Hoople covered the song on their eponymous 1969 album. It was also covered by the Beach Boys on the Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged compilation and remix album released by Capitol Records on November 20, 2015.
The song was released in 1965 and reached #1 in Canada on the RPM national singles chart [1] (to be knocked off the top spot the following week by his own Sonny & Cher single, "Baby Don't Go"). It peaked at #10 on the U.S. Hot 100, [2] and at #9 in the United Kingdom. [3] Thus, Sonny hit the Top 10 in all three countries as a solo artist before Cher.
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republican Party, Bono served as the 16th mayor of Palm Springs, California, from 1988 to 1992, and served as the U.S. representative for California's 44th district from 1995 until his death in 1998.
All I Really Want to Do is the debut solo studio album by American singer-actress Cher and was released on August 16, 1965, by Imperial Records. The album was produced for Cher by her then husband and singing partner, Sonny Bono, with contributions from arranger Harold Battiste. The album is by-and-large a collection of cover versions but does contain three songs written by Bono. In 1992, All I Really Want to Do and Cher's follow-up solo album, The Sonny Side of Chér, were reissued on one CD by EMI Records. Later, in 1995, EMI released a collection titled The Originals, which included All I Really Want to Do, The Sonny Side of Chér, and Cher's third solo album, Cher. The album was again reissued on one CD with The Sonny Side of Chér by BGO Records in 2005 in the UK only. The original twelve track All I Really Want to Do album has never been issued on Compact Disc on its own. Upon its release, the album was well received by critics and garnered positive reviews.
The Sonny Side of Chér is the second studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on March 28, 1966, by Imperial, as her second album, Cher again collaborated with Sonny Bono and Harold Battiste. The album is by-and-large a covers album and contains two songs written by Bono. The title of the album is a pun on the name of Cher's first husband Sonny Bono. Cher's second successful album of the sixties, it was released on CD in 1992 by EMI together with Cher's first album as a 2fer. In 1995 EMI re-released this 2fer with the album Chér. The last version of the album was released in 2005 only in UK by BGO Records. These editions feature a different track order than the original LP.
"I Got You Babe" is a song performed by American pop and entertainment duo Sonny & Cher and written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from their debut studio album, Look at Us (1965). In August 1965, the single spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States where it sold more than one million copies and was certified Gold. It also reached number one in the United Kingdom and Canada.
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until 1977's anthology Looking Back. The best-known version of this song is the 1973 release by Aretha Franklin, who had a million-selling top 10 hit on Billboard charts. The song reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart in 1974. It became an RIAA Gold record.
"Oh No Not My Baby" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The song's lyrics describe how friends and family repeatedly warn the singer about a partner's infidelities. The song is regarded as an American standard due to its long-time popularity with both music listeners and recording artists.
"All I Ever Need Is You" is a popular song written by Jimmy Holiday and Eddie Reeves, and initially recorded by Ray Charles for his 1971 album, Volcanic Action of My Soul. The most well-known version of the song is the hit single by Sonny & Cher which, in 1971, reached No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and was their single of greatest chart longevity, spending 15 weeks on that chart. Their album by the same title sold over 500,000 copies reaching RIAA gold status.
"Rescue Me" is a rhythm and blues song first recorded and released as a single by Fontella Bass in 1965. The original versions of the record, and BMI, give the songwriting credit to Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith, although many other sources also credit Bass herself as a co-writer. It would prove the biggest hit of Bass's career, reaching #1 on the R&B charts for four weeks and placing at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Rescue Me" also peaked at #11 on the UK Singles Chart.
The discography of American pop rock duo Sonny & Cher consists of five studio albums, eight compilation albums, one soundtrack album, two live albums and twenty-one singles. Sonny and Cher had released three albums and one single which achieved Gold status in the United States: Look At Us, Sonny & Cher Live, All I Ever Need Is You and I Got You babe. In the decade they spent together, Sonny and Cher sold over 40 million records worldwide.
"You Better Sit Down Kids" is a major hit single by American singer/actress Cher in 1967 from her fourth studio album With Love, Chér, released in November 1967 by Imperial Records. The song was written by her then-husband Sonny Bono. Sung from a father's perspective, the lyrics tell the story of a divorce as explained to the couple's children. The song is featured on the compilation albums Cher's Golden Greats (1968), Superpack Vol. 1 (1972) and Gold (2005).
"Make It with You" is a song written by David Gates and originally recorded by American pop-rock group Bread, of which Gates was a member. Gates and drummer Mike Botts are the only members of the group to appear on the recording which was a No.1 hit.
"We'll Sing in the Sunshine" is a 1964 hit song written and recorded by Gale Garnett which reached No. 2 in Canada, and No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending 17 October 1964. It also enjoyed success on easy listening and country music radio stations, spending seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and No. 42 on the country chart. The Cash Box Top 100 ranked "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" at No. 1 for the week of 31 October 1964, and it also reached No. 1 in Garnett's native New Zealand that November. In Australia, "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" afforded Garnett a Top Ten hit with a No. 10 peak in October 1964. Garnett's sole Top 40 hit, "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" won the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording in 1965.
"Baby Don't Go" is a song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by Sonny & Cher. It was first released on Reprise Records in 1964 and was a minor regional hit. Subsequently, following the duo's big success with "I Got You Babe" in the summer of 1965, "Baby Don't Go" was re-released by Reprise later that year and became another huge hit for Sonny & Cher, reaching the top ten in the U.S. and doing well in the UK and elsewhere, going as far as reaching number one in Canada.
"With You I'm Born Again" is a 1979 duet written by Carol Connors and David Shire that originated on the soundtrack of the 1979 motion picture Fast Break. It was performed by Motown recording artists Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright and became an international hit for the duo, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK singles chart.
Inner Views is the only album by American singer Sonny Bono as a solo artist, released in November 1967 by ATCO Records.
Sonny & Cher Live is the first live album by American pop duo Sonny & Cher, released in 1971 by Kapp/MCA Records. The album reached #35 on the Billboard chart and was certified Gold for the sales of 500,000 copies.
The Beat Goes On: The Best of Sonny & Cher is the sixth compilation album by American pop rock duo Sonny & Cher, released in 1991 by Atco/Atlantic Records.
The Definitive Pop Collection is the seventh compilation album by American pop rock duo Sonny & Cher, released in 2006 by Rhino Records.
"I Love How You Love Me" is a song written by Barry Mann and Larry Kolber. It was a 1961 Top Five hit for the pop girl group The Paris Sisters, which inaugurated a string of elaborately produced classic hits by Phil Spector. Bobby Vinton had a Top Ten hit in 1968 with a cover version. The song has been recorded by many other artists over the years.
"(Till) I Kissed You" is a song written by Don Everly of The Everly Brothers. It was released as a single in 1959 and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Chet Atkins played guitar on this record and Jerry Allison played drums. Recorded 7 July 1959 at RCA Victor Studio, Nashville, Tennessee, and issued as a single July/August 1959 coupled with ‘Oh, What A Feeling’. Don Everly (guitar); Phil Everly (guitar); Chester B. “Chet” Atkins ; Sonny Curtis (guitar); Floyd T. “Lightnin’” Chance (bass); Jerry “J.I.” Allison (drums); Floyd Cramer (piano). Producer: Archie Bleyer.
