Peak UK Chart Position: #15 in July 1974.

A very happy 78th birthday to Brooklyn, New York-born singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka. In a solo career celebrating its sixtieth year, he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and others, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard Greenfield and Phil Cody. He scored three American number one singles – “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”, “Laughter In The Rain”, and “Bad Blood” (which featured an uncredited Elton John on backing vocals) – whilst in the UK, “Oh Carol”, and “Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen” charted highest, both peaking at number three.

Sedaka, together with Greenfield, were the writers behind “(Is This The Way To) Amarillo?”, as recorded by Tony Christie in 1971, and – with the help of Peter Kay – turned into a Comic Relief charity release which finally hit the top of the charts 34 years later in 2005.

Last August, he released a brand new acoustic album, entitled “I Do It For Applause”, which includes eleven new tracks and a bonus of his first symphony that was debuted in Australia in 2008, “Joie de Vivre (Joy of Life)”; the recording features the London Philharmonia Orchestra.

“Laughter In The Rain” has also been recorded by Donny Osmond, and the Weather Girls, amongst others – but here is Sedaka, in concert, with his own beautiful rendition of the track.