They All Laughed

By George & Ira Gershwin
1937

A charming classic written for the Astaire/Rogers musical Shall We Dance. Ginger was the one to introduce it in the movie. It's light-hearted melody and engaging, Porter-esque lyric (one of Ira Gershwin's best) has long made it a favorite of jazz and traditional pop vocalists.

Lyrics:

They all laughed at Christopher Columbus
When he said the world was round.
They all laughed when Edison recorded sound.
They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother
When they said that man could fly.

They told Marconi
Wireless was a phony.
It's the same old cry--
They laughed at me wanting you;
Said I was reaching for the moon.
But oh, you came through,
Now they'll have to change their tune.

They all said we never could be happy,
They laughed at us and how!
But ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh now?

They all laughed at Rockefeller Center,
Now they're fighting to get in.
They all laughed at Whitney and his cotton gin.
They all laughed at Fulton and his steamboat,
Hershey and his chocolate bar.

Ford and his Lizzie
Kept the laughers busy.
That's how people are.
They laughed at me wanting you,
Said it would be, "Hello, Goodbye."
And oh, you came through,
Now they're eating humble pie

They all said we'd never get together.
Darling, let's take a bow,
For ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh?
Hee, hee, hee!
Let's at the past laugh,
Ha, ha, ha!
Who's got the last laugh now?

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald
Frank Sinatra
Stacey Kent
Chet Baker
Tony Bennett