By Shannon Carlin
There are very few songs about laughter. There are songs about smiles and tears, and the way she moves and the way he talks, but laughter often eludes a description by songwriters. It’s best to just let it happen, whether on purpose or on accident.
Some of these laughs put to tape stand out on their very own, some are hidden and some are as noteworthy as the song itself. Could you ever listen to “Crazy Train” without thinking about Ozzy Osbourne’s maniacal laughter?
From Jay Z to Janet Jackson to Elvis Presley, some artists’ laughs have become as famous as they are. While other laughs will sound familiar because they’ve been used so often. Yes, that giggle on the “Macarena” is totally taken from another song, which also made this list.
Related: 79 Songs of the Summer, Ranked From Worst to Best
And when it comes to Grandmaster Flash’s famous chuckle, everyone’s just trying their hardest to imitate it.
Some artists have too many laughs to count (we’re looking at you, Lil Wayne), so for the purposes of this list, only one song from an artist is included—the one we consider to be the absolute best.
While there’s countless songs that feature a good laugh, both canned and totally off the cuff, here are the 63 that we think deserve some recognition.
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63. David Bowie “The Laughing Gnome”
On this novelty single, David Bowie teams up with a giggly little gnome, who sounds just like one of the Chipmunks. It’s all very fake until Bowie lets out a very real laugh in the final seconds of the song, perhaps in response to how ridiculous this whole thing is.
62. Eminem “My Dad’s Gone Crazy”
Eminem had to be crazy to let his little girl Hayley appear on this F-bomb filled track where she does as many voices as her good ol’ dad. She gets to show off her little kid giggle too, both at the beginning of the track and again at the 4 minute and 23 second mark, which is rather adorable. Unfortunately, not even Hayley could save this song though.
61. Pulp “Common People”
Jarvis Cocker throws off a laugh or two, nothing out of the ordinary, that expresses that rather uncomfortable feeling you have when you’re first dating someone and just want them to like you.
60. Annie Lennox “No More ‘I Love Yous'”
Annie Lennox brings her voice up a few octaves to play a group of very creepy laughers reading aloud a fairytale. What true nightmares are made of.
59. Pavement “Summer Babe (Winter Version)”
Stephen Malkmus’ snickers through a line about dropping the golden robe and then moves on like it never even happened.
58. New Order “Every Little Counts”
For those who think New Order is all doom and gloom, listen to this song where Bernard Sumner breaks 15 seconds in. The culprit for this laughing fit? Sumner says the words, which, in his opinion, were just so awful he couldn’t help but laugh.
57. Def Leppard “Rock of Ages”
Def Leppard do their very best Beavis and Butthead impression with the short stifled laugh that find its way onto this 1983 track.
56. Charli XCX “Doing It”
Taking a page from the Spice Girls, Charli XCX keeps things cheeky with the schoolgirl giggle that begins this Sucker track.
55. Flaming Lips “I Can Be A Frog”
For this silly song about being anything you want to be, even a frog, Wayne Coyne and the guys feature a recorded bit of a woman’s laugh that echoes the sentiment of the whole track.
54. Ben Folds “B—h Went Nuts”
The b—h may have went nuts, but Ben Folds sounds absolutely mad as he chuckles away after letting out a good expletive-filled recount of how she turned on him. Holy f—ing s–t is right.
53. The Pussycat Dolls feat. will.i.am “Beep”
Using ELO’s “Evil Woman” as its guide, Nicole Scherzinger uses her dark magic to laugh on cue as she makes it clear will.i.am needs to keep his hands off her beep.
52. Katy Perry “This Is How We Do”
Too cool to laugh out loud, but she just can’t hold back. That is how Katy do.
51. Faith No More “Land of Sunshine”
Like a creepy carnival clown, Mike Patton is sure to frighten children with this on-going bit of chuckles.
50. Justin Timberlake “Señorita”
Justin Timberlake sounds a little mischievous with this laugh that was way before he brought sexy back, but still enough to get a girl to go home with him.
49. Slim Gaillard “Laughing In Rhythm”
As the song implies, Slim Gaillard spends a lot of time laughing in rhythm, but the best comes near the end when he just naturally loses it with a hearty chuckle that sounds like he’s on laughing gas.
48. Led Zeppelin “You Shook Me”
Robert Plant‘s laugh is easy to miss, so faint you can barely hear it amidst Jimmy Page‘s guitar, but it’s there and it’s glorious.
47. Alice Cooper “School’s Out”
The sound of children laughing on Alice Cooper‘s 1972 ode to the last day of school will make you wish you were a kid again.
46. The Fugees ‘Fu-Gee-La”
Lauryn Hill‘s high-pitched ha-ha-ha is the perfect accent to her rhymes about respecting New Jersey, which make us all question if she’s serious or not.
45. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Puff Daddy “Hypnotize”
Puff Daddy would laugh many times throughout his career, but it’s this throwaway chuckle on Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 track with all its smugness that will forever be his calling card.
44. Jennifer Lopez “Let’s Get Loud”
J.Lo’s giggle is like an Easter egg hidden throughout this song, coming in just when you least expect, surprising you with its magnitude.
43. Beyoncé feat. Blue Ivy “Blue”
This is just little Blue Ivy and her mommy, Beyoncé having a good laugh. All the way to the bank.
42. Beach Boys “Barbara Ann”
It’s a simple mistake that causes these Boys to lose it, making this sound like a total party in that studio.
41. Spoon “Back To The Life”
Crazed demonic laughter launches listeners into Spoon‘s trippy Kill The Moonlight track that hinges on that devilish fervor it begins with.
40. The Rollins Band “Liar”
It’s like the devil himself came to Henry Rollins and anointed him with the power to laugh in the most evil way possible.
39. Kanye West “Power”
Kanye West‘s 10 seconds of laughter sounds like something from a terrible B horror movie, but like a really stylish one.
38. Taylor Swift “Hey Stephen”
Taylor Swift has a laugh that’s made for radio. She seems to know this too since she often throws it in to punctuate a line. On “Speak Now” it’s a LOL about a guy who is possibly going to marry the wrong girl if she doesn’t step in right away. On “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” it’s a snotty middle finger to a guy who just doesn’t think her record collection is up to snuff. But her best laugh comes on the cutesy “Hey Stephen” where the country girl gets adorably smirky over writing a song for a boy.
37. Britney Spears “Boys”
This is how you laugh when you know you’ve got every guy wrapped around your little finger.
36. R.E.M. “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite”
After a line about Dr. Seuss, Michael Stipe can’t hold it in anymore and lets out a slight laugh. Somehow though he manages to sing right through it, never missing a beat.
35. Yazoo “Situation”
While the “Macarena” may have made Alison Moyet’s laughter a novelty, it was this track that first made that girlish giggle famous, just not Bar Mitzvah famous.
34. Lily Allen “Knock ‘Em Out”
Lily Allen doesn’t even try to let this wanker down easy, choosing instead to laugh in his face as she runs through a long list of excuses including that she has herpes and is six months pregnant. How could she not laugh at those terrible brush-offs? Though it is a very endearing sweet giggle, if that’s any consolation to this guy.
33. Usher feat. Pitbull “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love”
One thing is very clear, Pitbull loves to laugh. He does it on his song “Give Me Everything,” then again on Jennifer Lopez’s “Dance Again.” But the best instance of Pitbull’s laughter is the one he puts on during this Usher song, a smug little guffaw which comes right after his terrible joke about TiVo. Sometimes you have to laugh at your own jokes. We get it. Dale.
32. The Waitresses “I Know What Boys Like”
Patty Donahue’s laugh is a very bratty, flippant response to this poor sucker who is holding on to her every word. But what we really want to know is, do boys like this laugh?
31. Miley Cyrus “Party In The U.S.A.”
Miley‘s cackle lets everyone know the party is over. Though, as we’d learn later, it doesn’t mean it has to stop. This is her house after all, it’s her rules.
30. Morrissey “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful”
Morrissey pulls off the smuggest of laughs on this bitter 1992 track. We bet his friends all hate it.
29. Genesis “Mama”
Phil Collins‘ laugh was inspired by the percussive chuckle Grandmaster Flash lets out on his 1982 song “The Message,” choosing here to put his own sinister, very English, take on the rapper’s classic.
28. Van Halen “Bottoms Up!”
David Lee Roth is certainly not one to stick to the script, filling in silent moments with his own mix of Rothisms, noises that include full on scat attacks and plain ol’ laughter. His best laughing moment though has to be on this Van Halen II track where he just lets it rip in a cool and confident way only Roth can, ending it all with an “alright” that would make Matthew McConaughey proud.
27. Kanye West feat. Jay Z “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)”
Pardon Jay Z, but he often feels like he has to laugh at things. He feels this way a lot. But this is the track where he truly lets everyone know about his constant need to laugh with a ha-ha that has become a bit of a trademark. It’s nearly as recognizable as Jay letting everyone know “he’s not a businessman, he’s a business, man,” which also appears on this Kanye remix.
26. Metallica “Master of Puppets”
Metallica‘s James Hetfield, who is known to throw in a laugh here and there, gets positively sinister on this track with a laugh that comes deep from within his gut. It makes us want to sleep with one eye open clutching our pillows tight.
25. Mariah Carey “Honey”
Sure, sure, that ghoulish laugh that kicks off “Fantasy” is pretty good, but it’s this absolutely giddy girlish giggle that gets at the essence of what Mariah‘s all about.
24. Sex Pistols “Anarchy in the UK”
Like any good anti-Christ anarchist, Johnny Rotten’s demonic laugh sounds like it comes from the darkest pit of his stomach.
23. Janis Joplin “Mercedes Benz”
Janis Joplin ends this a cappella number about why owning a fancy car does not make you a better person with a laugh that’s kookier than your great aunt Dolores with all the cats.
22. Lil Wayne “Mrs. Officer”
Lil Wayne‘s laugh is so common in his music, it’s earned its share of YouTube compilations. Often this improvisational master will just throw a little giggle or chuckle or full-on laugh onto a track for no other reason than he can. Though, smoking all that weed probably helps. But, when it comes to his best, it’s got to be “Mrs. Officer” where he seems to permeate every other line with his Weezy titter.
21. Neneh Cherry “Buffalo Stance”
This is the exact laugh—a snotty over-the-top chortle—one should give to any guy that just doesn’t cut the mustard.
20. The Clash “This Is Radio Clash”
This song starts off with a crazed and excited bang, or more accurately a whoop of high-pitched laughter from Joe Strummer, once again inspired by Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message,” that let’s you know The Clash is here.
19. Johnny Cash “A Boy Named Sue”
While performing this song at California’s San Quentin State Prison, Johnny Cash gave a knowing laugh while chugging along through this song about a boy out for revenge after being given such a feminine name.
18. Janet Jackson feat. Q-Tip “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”
Janet Jackson loves to laugh, and laugh she does on multiple tracks. But it’s this high-pitched burst on this Joni Mitchell-assisted track that gets at Janet’s bubbly nature and ranks as her personal best.
17. Los Del Rio “Macarena”
Love it or hate it, this girlish canned laugh, which originally appeared on Yazoo’s 1982 track “Situation,” is unmistakable. Once this alarm sounds you immediately know what you’re in-store for and approximately how much time you have to evacuate the premises if you don’t want to get pulled out onto the dancefloor.
16. Nicki Minaj “Anaconda”
It’s possible that you may have missed Nicki Minaj‘s wicked cackle the first time you watched the video for “Anaconda,” we get it, there’s a lot to take in. But once you hear it, you’ll never be able to un-hear it. That is a warning.
15. Jimi Hendrix “If 6 Was 9”
Jimi Hendrix is on the verge of laughing throughout this whole song, but it’s at the one minute and 38 second mark where he just lets loose and finally gives a snicker at those white collared conservatives who don’t want him to let his freak flag fly.
14. Spice Girls “Wannabe”
Mel B, a.k.a. Scary Spice, doesn’t sound too frightening, just absolutely over the moon to have such good girl friends around her.
13. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf”
That 23-second girlish scream that begins Duran Duran’s 1982 single was courtesy of Nick Rhodes’ girlfriend at the time. She’s also the one who records those memorable screams that fill the rest of the track. Like Liam Neeson, she had a very specific set of skills, which she put to good use here.
12. Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”
Whitney Houston‘s hearty laugh on this 1987 track hits all the right notes. Who wouldn’t want to dance with her?
11. Gorillaz “Feel Good, Inc.”
Laughter is synonymous with feeling good, so it’s no surprise that this 2005 track from the British band is filled with all different kinds of laughs, all very loud, from a guffaw to a full-on rolling in the aisles chuckle fest.
10. Pink Floyd “Brain Damage”
Thanks to Pink Floyd, the lunatic in your head will always sound like this—the band’s late road manager, Peter Watts, who just so happens to be the father of actress Naomi Watts.
9. Joni Mitchell “Big Yellow Taxi”
After giving her soliloquy on the impending depletion of paradise, Joni Michell closes with a rather hearty ha-ha-ha that sounds like she’s already gone mad thinking of the terrible possibilities.
8. The Surfaris “Wipe Out”
This maniacal laugh, which initiates the instrumental track from 1963, almost makes falling off your surfboard seem less terrible. Almost.
7. Ozzy Osbourne “Crazy Train”
With an enthusiastic scream of “all aboard!,” Ozzy lets out a jolly roar and becomes the conductor from hell. We’re gonna wait for the next one, thanks.
6. Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five “The Message”
Often imitated (Phil Collins, The Clash—who both make this list), but never duplicated, this syncopated laugh is still the best hip-hop’s ever heard.
5. The Beatles “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
The Beatles ho-ho-ho, he-he-he, ha-ha-ha in time on “I Am the Walrus,” but it’s the chortle near the end of the silly “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” that stands out as the Fab Four’s best laughing moment, even if John Lennon truly hated it.
4. Cyndi Lauper “She Bop”
That bubbly laugh Cyndi Lauper lets out on this track all about self-pleasure was the result, of well, her pleasuring herself. While recording the song topless in a dark room, Lauper decided to tickle herself right under her arms. The rest is history.
3. Bob Dylan’s “115th Dream”
After his band missed their cue, Bob Dylan couldn’t stop cracking up making his surreal “115th Dream” a rather hilarious ride from the get-go. He would give us another taste of his belly laugh on “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.” We’ll chalk that one up to having a little too much fun getting stoned.
2. Elvis Presley “Are You Lonesome Tonight (Vegas 1969)”
In 1969, Elvis Presley played Las Vegas and lost it completely. According to legend, Presley found himself breaking after singing the line “Do you gaze at your bald head and wish you had hair?” after spotting a bald man in the audience. This chuckle-fest begins at the one minute and 16 second mark, but from then on The King can’t seem to stop his fits of laughter, which sound so genuine one can’t help but laugh right along with him. Bless Cissy Houston, the falsetto singing back-up singer and Whitney’s mom, who just keeps going while he can’t seem to contain himself. A real professional.
1. Michael Jackson “Thriller”
It’s not Michael Jackson, but Vincent Price that has the most iconic laugh ever put to tape and definitely the most evil. With that wicked cackle of his, the horror legend soundtracked the big reveal: MJ isn’t the King of Pop, he’s a werewolf.
