The 25 Best Neil Sedaka Songs, from Oh! Carol to Laughter in the Rain

What is Neil Sedaka's most famous song?

"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" is Neil Sedaka's most famous song: it went to number one in 1962, and his slow 1975 version returned it to the top ten. "Oh! Carol", "Calendar Girl", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen", "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood" were also big hits, and he wrote "Love Will Keep Us Together", a number one for Captain and Tennille.

Neil Sedaka's biggest hits of the 50s and 60s

1. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", 1962: his signature song and a number one hit.
2. "Oh! Carol", 1959: his first top ten hit, named for Carole King, a friend from his teenage years.
3. "Calendar Girl", 1961: a bouncy number four hit that takes a tour through the year.
4. "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen", 1961: a number six hit and a birthday party classic.
5. "Next Door to an Angel", 1962: a top five hit about the girl next door.
6. "Stairway to Heaven", 1960: a top ten hit, not to be confused with the Led Zeppelin song.
7. "Little Devil", 1961: a playful near-top-ten hit.
8. "The Diary", 1958: his first chart single as a singer.

Neil Sedaka's 70s comeback songs

9. "Laughter in the Rain", 1975: a warm, romantic number one written with Phil Cody.
10. "Bad Blood", 1975: a number one with Elton John on backing vocals.
11. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", 1975 version: a slow, tender remake that reached the top ten.
12. "The Immigrant", 1975: a gentle song about newcomers to America.
13. "The Hungry Years", 1975: the wistful title song of one of his best albums.
14. "Should've Never Let You Go", 1980: a duet with his daughter Dara Sedaka.

Neil Sedaka songs written for other artists

15. "Stupid Cupid", Connie Francis, 1958: a hit in the US and a number one in the UK.
16. "Where the Boys Are", Connie Francis, 1961: the top five theme of the beach film of the same name.
17. "Love Will Keep Us Together", Captain and Tennille, 1975: a number one and Billboard's biggest song of 1975.
18. "Solitaire", the Carpenters, 1975: Karen Carpenter's haunting top 20 version of his ballad.
19. "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo", Tony Christie, 1971: a UK hit that returned to number one in 2005.
20. "It Hurts to Be in Love", Gene Pitney, 1964: a dramatic number seven hit.
21. "Puppet Man", the 5th Dimension and Tom Jones, 1970 and 1971: a groovy song recorded by two stars.
22. "Ring Ring", ABBA, 1973: Sedaka and Howard Greenfield helped write the English lyrics.

More Neil Sedaka favorites

23. "Love in the Shadows", 1976: a disco-flavored single.
24. "Steppin' Out", 1976: the upbeat title track of his 1976 album.
25. "Our Last Song Together", 1973: his farewell to his partnership with Howard Greenfield, later recorded by Bobby Sherman and others.

Who was Neil Sedaka?

Neil Sedaka was born on March 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York. A gifted pianist, he trained in classical music at the Juilliard School's preparatory division, but as a teenager he fell in love with rock and roll and began writing songs with his neighbor, lyricist Howard Greenfield. The two became stars of the Brill Building, the New York hit factory where Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Burt Bacharach and others wrote the pop songs of the era. Sedaka died in Los Angeles on February 27, 2026, at the age of 86.

Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield

Sedaka and Greenfield started writing together as teenagers and stayed partners for nearly two decades, with Sedaka writing the music and Greenfield the words. Together they wrote "Oh! Carol", "Calendar Girl", "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", "Stupid Cupid", "Where the Boys Are" and "Love Will Keep Us Together". In the 70s Sedaka also wrote with lyricist Phil Cody, starting with "Solitaire" and including "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood".

The comeback: Sedaka's Back

When the Beatles and the British Invasion arrived in 1964, Sedaka's run of hits dried up in America, though he kept writing for others and stayed popular in Britain. In the 70s Elton John signed him to his Rocket Record Company, and the 1974 album Sedaka's Back relaunched him in the US. Within a year he had two number ones, "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood", and he wrote Captain and Tennille's "Love Will Keep Us Together", one of the biggest comebacks in pop history.

The story behind Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

The original 1962 "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" was a bright, doo-wop flavored pop song that went to number one. In 1975 Sedaka slowed it down into a tender piano ballad, revealing the sadness in the song, and the new version reached the top ten. He became one of the few artists to reach the top ten with two very different versions of the same song.

The songwriter's honors

Sedaka was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His songs have been recorded by artists from Elvis Presley, who sang "Solitaire", to the Carpenters and ABBA, and many of them, from "Calendar Girl" to "Amarillo", are still sung at parties and family gatherings.

Neil Sedaka albums to start with

• Any greatest hits collection of his RCA years: the easiest way to hear the 50s and 60s singles together.
• Sedaka's Back (1974): the comeback collection, with "Laughter in the Rain" and "Solitaire".
• The Hungry Years (1975): with "Bad Blood" and the slow "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do".

Neil Sedaka songs for a singalong

Few songs get a room of every age singing like "Calendar Girl", "Oh! Carol" and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", with their bright doo-wop backing vocals. For a family road trip or a retirement party, add "Amarillo", "Stupid Cupid" and "Love Will Keep Us Together", and save "Laughter in the Rain" for the drive home.

Neil Sedaka songs for a birthday or an anniversary

"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" is the classic choice for a sweet sixteen party, and "Calendar Girl" is a fun pick for any birthday. For an anniversary, "Laughter in the Rain" and "Love Will Keep Us Together" celebrate a love that lasts, and "Solitaire" is a beautiful slow song. For more, see our sweet 16 songs and old love songs.

Neil Sedaka songs for a memorial

For a memorial for someone who loved the pop music of the 50s, 60s and 70s, "Laughter in the Rain" is a gentle, hopeful choice, and the slow version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "Solitaire" are tender, reflective songs to play as family and friends gather. For more, see our 60s songs.

A song written for them

Neil Sedaka spent his life writing songs for other people to sing. A personalized song can be written just for someone you love: their name, the memories you share and the moments that matter, with a classic pop or piano ballad sound. It makes a heartfelt gift for a parent's anniversary, a grandparent's birthday or a sweet sixteen.

How to create a personalized song

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: pop, acoustic, jazz and more.
2. Add their name.
3. Share three memories or details about them.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $35.99, or $40.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Give them a song of their own: create a song and hear four previews for free.