Laugh At Me

Album: Inner Views (1965)
Charted: 9 10
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Songfacts®:

  • "Sonny" is Sonny Bono. He wrote the song after being refused service at an Italian restaurant in Hollywood because of his hippie clothes.
  • Bono produced this in the style of Phil Spector. When he was working as a record producer, Bono often crossed paths with Spector, and even got his future wife Cher a job as a session singer for Spector.
  • Bono wanted Cher to sing this, but was persuaded to record it himself. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Brad Wind - Miami, FL, for all above
  • Cher discussed the tune in a 2001 interview with Rock's Backpages: "It was inspired by such a terrible experience. We were so tired of getting beaten up and having people call us faggots, and then our own friends kicked us out of their restaurant, Martoni's. This other guy had been the one to blame, but they said, 'We always have trouble when you come in here.'"

Comments: 5

  • Jennifur Sun from RamonaHave felt like this before myself.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 11th 1965, Sonny, aka Sonny Bono, performed "Laugh at Me" on the ABC-TV program "Shindig!'...Four days later on August 15th, 1965 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #83; and on September 19th, 1965 it peaked at #10 {for 2 weeks} and also spent 10 weeks on the Top 100... He had one other Top 100 record, "The Revolution Kind", it stayed on the Top 100 for 4 weeks, peaking at #70...R.I.P. Mr. Bono, born Salvatore Phillip Bono, {1935 - 1998} and Jimmy O’Neill {Shindig’s host, 1940 – 2013}.
  • Dan from Winthrop, MaAlso recorded by Mott The Hoople
  • Jim from Bay Area, CaLyrics correction: I am pretty sure it is NOT "I'll make sure that she's mine", but rather "I'll make that other cheek mine", which is much more fitting given the theme of the song. Sonny is saying that he is willing to, as the Bible says, "turn the other cheek" in the spirit of getting along with people who don't like his style. Other lyrics websites also seem to have this wrong.
  • George from Richmond, VaProbably the only song solo that Sonny sang that I liked.
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