"The Laughing Policeman" | |
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Song by Charles Penrose | |
Recorded | 1922 (original) 22 April 1926 |
Genre | Music hall |
Label | Columbia Records |
Songwriter(s) | George W. Johnson, Billie Grey |
Official audio | |
"The Laughing Policeman" on YouTube |
"The Laughing Policeman" is a music hall song recorded by British artist Charles Penrose, initially published under the pseudonym Charles Jolly in 1922. It is an adaptation of "The Laughing Song" first recorded in 1890 by American singer George W. Johnson with the same tune and form, but the subject matter was changed from a "dandy darky" to a policeman. Both "The Laughing Policeman" and "The Laughing Song" were highly popular songs in their times, and "The Laughing Policeman" remained popular in later decades as a children song.