Don't Laugh (I Love You)
| "Don't Laugh (I Love You)" | |||||
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| Song by Ween | |||||
| from the album GodWeenSatan: The Oneness | |||||
| Recorded | 1989/1990 | ||||
| Length | 2:50 | ||||
| GodWeenSatan: The Oneness track listing | |||||
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"Don't Laugh (I Love You)" is a song by Ween from the 1990 album GodWeenSatan: The Oneness.
Appearances
- Unknown 1988 tape (demo)
- Scraping the Palm for Guava (demo, 1988)
- GodWeenSatan: The Oneness (1990)
- Live in Chicago (DVD) (live, 2004)
- GodWeenSatan: Live (live, 2016)
- Bananas and Blow (compilation, 2018)
Song Details
Recording and Composition
"Don't Laugh" is a psychedelic pop song that ends with a layered collage of jarring vocal noises reminiscent of musique concrète. The studio version is in the key of E major (with the vocals sped-up because of tape speed manipulation), but during live performances they play it in D major.
The lead vocals are sung by Gene Ween.
Alternate Versions
An early recording appears on the 1988 Scraping the Palm for Guava demo tape.
Live Performances
"Don't Laugh (I Love You)" was first played live in early 1989.[1] For most of Ween's career, the song has been a rare inclusion in live sets; however, it was played somewhat commonly for a few years in the early 2000s, as well as in 2016 and 2017 following the band's reunion.[2] In addition, Gene Ween was known to perform it at solo acoustic shows during Ween's hiatus.[3]
Live performances are notable for having Dean Ween play bass, as demonstrated on Live in Chicago.
Two live recordings have been officially released:
- 9/14/2001 - GodWeenSatan: Live (special anniversary concert)
- 11/9/2003 - Live in Chicago (Quebec tour, DVD-exclusive)
Lyrics
Official lyrics, handwritten by Dean Ween, were printed in the GodWeenSatan liner notes:
And when the sun turns to snow
And the grass doesn't grow
Don't laugh, I love you
I could look outside my window every day
But you wouldn't be there to come out and play
Don't laugh, [I love you]
Ernest Hemingway would always be there 4 me
But now, Ernest Hemingway is dead
If I could get u back someday
Don't u say you're going away
[Don't laugh, I love you]
And if you licked (locked)[4] me in the sun
To the tinkle, I would run
[Don't laugh, I love you]
I love you[5]
Song Themes
Love, Screaming, Sung by Gene Ween, Tape Speed Manipulation
Further Reading
References
- ↑ https://brownbase.org/setlist.php?band=Ween&show_id=1261
- ↑ https://brownbase.org/every_time_played.php?band=all%20bands&song_id=44
- ↑ https://brownbase.org/every_time_played.php?band=all%20bands&song_id=44
- ↑ Written as printed in the liner notes.
- ↑ From the GodWeenSatan liner notes; lightly edited for clarity.