Tag: Laughing

This was a great double-sided single… the B-side was Undun.

A hit in their native Canada, this song was written by Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings during their brief collaboration together in The Guess Who.

Their name came about when their label Quality Records released their first hit single (“Shakin’ All Over”) credited only to “Guess Who?” in an attempt to build a mystique around the band. They wanted the public to believe that this was a possible British band. The real name of the band was “Chad Allan & The Expressions,” but radio station DJs continued to refer to them as “The Guess Who.” when playing subsequent singles.

Laughing peaked at #1 in Canada and #10 in the Billboard 100 in 1969. The song was on the album Canned Wheat which peaked at #91 in the Billboard Album Charts.

For more about American Woman go read Dave from A Sound Day blog.

From Songfacts

While the team-up of Bachman and Cummings was short-lived, as Bachman split a year later citing conflicts with his Mormon beliefs, they have since reunited as either The Bachman-Cummings Band or, under the name of their backing band, The Carpet Frogs.

This song took about 10 minutes to write. Speaking with The Edmonton Journal in 1969, Bachman said: “We find that if we have to sit down and ponder, it doesn’t happen.”

Rolling Stone’s review of the album Canned Wheat sniffed that it “would be even more pleasurable if they didn’t sound a mite too much like the Airplane (instrumentally) and the Springfield (vocally and often instrumentally).”

Undun

Laughing

Laughing

I should laugh, but I cry
Because your love has passed me by
You took me by surprise
You didn’t realize, that I was waiting

Time goes slowly but carries on
And now the best years have come and gone
You took me by surprise
I didn’t realize that you were laughing

Laughing… the things you’re doin’ to me
Laughing… that ain’t the way it should be
You took away everything I had
You put the hurt on me

I go alone now, calling your name
After losing at the game
You took me by surprise
I didn’t realize, that you were laughing

Time goes slowly, but carries on
And now the best years, the best years have come and gone
You took me by surprise
I didn’t realize, that you were laughing

Laughing… the things you’re doin’ to me
Laughing… that ain’t the way it should be
You took away everything I had
You put the hurt on me

Laughing… the things you’re doin’ to me
Laughing… that ain’t the way it should be
You took away everything I had
You put the hurt on me

Oo!
Laughing…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Laughing…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Laughing, well you’re laughin’ at me
Laughing, well you’re laughin’ at me
Laughing, oh, what you’re doin’ to me, girl
Laughing, I’m a-lookin’, you’re laughin’
Laughing, I’m a-lookin’, you’re laughin’
Laughing, you’re a-lookin’, I’m a-laughin’
Laughing, laughin’ at me
Laughing, ah, but you’re a-laughin’, baby
Laughing