Frank pulls no punches

Sinatra's 1979 recording of this often-recorded, nearly-classic tune gave it a real shot in the arm and aggressivness lacking in previous versions by other artists. The song's lyrics could have been written for Sinatra, who loved statement songs of any kind, particularly those which involved proving people wrong. Sinatra was at the perfect age to sing this song: his weathered voice had an edge that he lacked in his youth and his use of an occasional rasping sound in his delivery only added to the overall effect. "They laughed at me wanting you, said it would be hello and bye bye, but oh, you came through - and now they're eating humble pie" - Sintara really got into the spirit of the I'll-show-you message of the song. Recorded around the same time as New York, New York (another statement song), They All Laughed may only be a small footnote in the Sinatra catalogue, but in its own way is as impressive a performance as many of his better-known classics.