All My Love's Laughter
| "All My Love's Laughter" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Ed Ames | ||||
| from the album The Very Best of Ed Ames | ||||
| B-side | "I'll Stay Lonely" | |||
| Released | July 1968 | |||
| Studio | RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:32 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor Records | |||
| Songwriter | Jimmy Webb | |||
| Producer | Jim Foglesong | |||
| Ed Ames singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"All My Love's Laughter" is a 1968 song written by popular country pop composer and singer Jimmy Webb. It was most notably performed by Ed Ames, whose version was released as a single and hit the charts in the summer of 1968. It received positive reviews from music publications and critics and was later included on several RCA Records compilation albums.
Background and release
American singer Ed Ames achieved easy listening success with "Try to Remember" and "My Cup Runneth Over" in 1965 and 1967.[4] Wanting to repeat the success, he collaborated with hit songwriter Jimmy Webb, whose song "Up, Up and Away" had just won multiple awards at the 10th Annual Grammy Awards hosted in February 1968. He subsequently wrote "All My Love's Laughter" especially for Ames.[3] It was released as a seven-inch single in July 1968 by RCA Victor Records.[5] The B-side, "I'll Stay Lonely" was later included as a track on his The Windmills of Your Mind album, while "All My Love's Laughter" remained a non-album single.[5] The song was noted by critics as to having "strong bass lines with light touches behind key phrases".[2] The single was produced by Jim Foglesong, and arranged by Perry Botkin Jr. on both sides.[5]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Billboard | Positive (Special Merit Spotlight)[1] |
| Cashbox | Positive (Pick of the Week)[2] |
| Record World | Positive (Single of the Week)[6] |
The single received a positive critical reception upon its release. Billboard magazine stated that "Penned by Jim Webb and performed beautifully by Ames, this potent ballad is a fine topper for his recent 'Apologize.'"[1] Cashbox described it as a "Mysterious love imagery of Jim Webb is presented in a hymn-like melodic piece that brings Ed Ames back in the running with his newest single." The publication concluded that it's an "especially powerful outing that is bound to click with teen and adult format shows."[2] Record World put the song in its "Singles of the Week" section, and said that "Ed Ames introduces a gorgeous, rolling new Jim Webb song called 'All My Love's Laughter.'"[6]
Chart performance
"All My Love's Laughter" debuted on the US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 in the issue dated August 10, 1968, peaking at No. 122 during a four-week run on the chart.[4] The single reached a higher No. 106 on the Cashbox Looking Ahead Top 100 Singles.[7] The single also climbed to No. 12 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.[8] The single was ranked higher on the Record World Top-Non Rock survey at No. 10.[9]
Charts
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100[4] | 122 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[8] | 12 |
| US Cashbox (Looking Ahead) Top 100 Singles[7] | 106 |
| US Record World Top-Non Rock[9] | 10 |
References
- 1 2 3 "Singles Reviews: Special Merit Spotlight" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 80, no. 30. July 27, 1968. p. 77. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Albert, George (July 27, 1968). "Record Reviews: Picks of the Week" (PDF). Cashbox. Vol. XXIX, no. 52. p. 34. Retrieved May 18, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- 1 2 "Webb of Hits" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 23, no. 1104. August 3, 1968. p. 54. Retrieved May 18, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (1982). Joel Whitburn's Bubbling under the hot 100, 1959-1981. Menomonee Falls, Wis: Record Research. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-8982-0047-8. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Ames, Ed (July 1968). ""All My Love's Laughter"/"I'll Stay Lonely" (7" single Information)". RCA Victor. 47-9589.
- 1 2 "In the opinion of the editors, this week the following records are the Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 23, no. 1103. July 27, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved May 18, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- 1 2 Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. p. 6. ISBN 1-56308-316-7. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
- 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn presents Billboard top adult songs, 1961-2006. Menomonee Falls, Wis. : Record Research Inc. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
- 1 2 "Top-Non Rock Chart" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 23, no. 1110. September 14, 1968. p. 20. Retrieved May 18, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.