The Neil Young song sings about “The Old Laughing Lady”
What is the Old Laughing Lady? I have decided it’s either death or alcohol. Any interpretations out there?
Zette
At Euclid Beach Park when I was a young kid (an amusement park of Cleveland that closed in 1969), there was a life-size moving mannequin of a red-headed fat woman outside the fun house. “Laughing Sal” she was called. She shook all over, very spasmodically, while a recording of her demented laughter played endlessly.
She terrified the shit out of me.
My take on it is that the Old Laughing Lady is death. The alcohol comes in because it is going to be the death of the drunkard of the village.
Right or wrong I don’t know, but what do you expect for 2 cents?
I personally (haven’t heard the song in a while) figured that the Old Laughing Lady is death also. The verse about the drunkard might indicate alcohol, but the term “The Old Laughing Lady” brings up the image of death in my mind.
The only way to know for sure, I guess, would be to ask him himself. I found an e-mail address for him at this “celebrity e-mail” web page:
THE CELEBRITY E-MAIL DIRECTORY
(I won’t post the e-mail here because the SDMB has a policy against posting personal information)
Let us know if he answers!
ishmintingas, that’s what I thought of when I saw this thread, too. I’m not old enough to remember the Laughing Woman at her original home, but she’s still operational, and is now on display at the Western Reserve Historical Society. I’m sure that the song has deeper allegorical meaning, but is it possible that it was inspired by the Old Laughing Lady at Euclid Beach?
I don’t know the song, or when it was written, but if it is ‘Laughing Sal’, there’s one out in San Francisco, which is more likely to have been seen by Neil Young than at other places. Presently it resides at the Musee Mechanique, just below the Cliff House and next to the Camera Obscura. In previous years it might have been down at Playland (just down the beach, closed in early '70’s IIRC).
panama jack
Only love can break your heart.
My take has always been that the Old Laughing Lady represented ones demons and/or tragedy. First verse was death, second was loss, third was alcohol and the last vrse was violence. Who knows? It’s fun to speculate.
Seventeen years; must be a record of some sort.
Moderator Action
Since this thread is so old, I am going to put this poor zombie back into his grave instead of moving it to Cafe Society (which didn’t exist back then).
If anyone wishes to have a discussion about this song, feel free to start a new conversation in Cafe Society.
Thread closed.