| Smile | ||
|---|---|---|
A picture of Charlie Chaplin smiling
| ||
| Song by Charlie Chaplin | ||
| Released | 1954 | |
| Length | 2:52 | |
| Label(s) | Bourne | |
| Written | 1936 (instrumental theme) 1954 (lyrics) | |
| Composer(s) | Charlie Chaplin | |
| Lyricist(s) | John Turner - Geoffrey Parsons | |
"Smile" is a song based on an instrumental theme used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times.
Chaplin, who composed the song, was inspired by Puccini's Tosca. John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and title in 1954. In the lyrics, based on lines and themes from the film, the singer is telling the listener to cheer up and that there is always a bright tomorrow, just as long as they smile.
"Smile" has become a popular standard since its original use in Chaplin's film and has been recorded by numerous artists.
Cover versions[]
First version with lyrics[]
Nat King Cole recorded the first version with lyrics. It charted in 1954, reaching number 10 on the Billboard charts and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. This version was also used at the beginning of the 1975 movie Smile.
In the final scene of Modern Times, Charlie and the gamine set off down the road to a new life. When they get up off the grass verge to go, he pauses and points to the corners of his mouth, indicating that she should smile. The film soundtrack is only instrumental, but the Turner and Parsons lyrics must have been inspired by this scene.
Other charting versions[]
- September 1954: Sunny Gale (with Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra) - RCA Victor 5836 (#19)
- October 1954: David Whitfield - Decca F.10355 (#25)
- In 1959: Tony Bennett - Hot 100 (#73)
- In 2009: Michael Jackson - Official German Charts (#71) - Schweizer Hitparade (#70) - UK's Official Charts Company (#74) - US's Billboard Digital Song Sales (#56)
Other notable versions[]
Since a standard is a musical composition of established popularity, considered part of the "standard repertoire" of one or several genres, "Smile" has been performed by many artists, this is an incomplete list of the most popular versions.
- In 1961: Neil Sedaka in his album Circulate. He also recorded an Italian-language version of the song as "Sorridi"
- In 1961: The Lettermen released it as the b-side of their single "When I Fall in Love"
- In 1963: Judy Garland sang a version of Nat King Cole's song on The Ed Sullivan Show
- In 1964: The song was also a hit when released as a duet by Betty Everett and Jerry Butler
- in 1965: Sammy Davis Jr. recorded a cover version of the Cole original, as part of his tribute album The Nat King Cole Songbook
- In 1965: Jimmy Durante for his album Hello Young Lovers (featured in the film Joker in 2019)
- 1966–2012: Used as the opening for Jerry Lewis' live Labor Day MDA telethon
- In 1974: Eric Clapton during his "comeback" tour. The song appears on the live CD of the deluxe edition of 461 Ocean Blvd and is also on the Time Pieces Vol.II Live in the Seventies release
- In 1989: Used in a public information film from the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection in 1989, before another version of the PIF was shot using The Thinner The Air by Cocteau Twins
- In 1989: Roberto Carlos for his album Sonrie (Spanish version)
- In 1992: It was included in the soundtrack of Chaplin's biographical film, as covered by its lead actor Robert Downey Jr
- In 1994: It was on the film My Girl 2, as well as on the soundtrack
- In 2005: Chris Botti with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performing vocals, on the album To Love Again: The Duets
- In 2009: The cast of the Fox drama Glee in the episode Mattress which was featured on the Glee: The Music, Volume 2 soundtrack
- In 2009: For his tour Einfach Ich, Austrian composer Udo Jürgens, in a duet with Stevie Woods, together with his own composition "Nur ein Lächeln" ("Just a Smile")
- In 2010: Latin, salsa singer La India on her album Unica in a Salsa version in Spanish as a tribute to Michael Jackson after his death.
- In 2011: Japanese R&B singer Misia with three choirs of children who were affected by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It served as theme song to the Takashi Yamazaki-directed computer-animated film Friends: Naki on Monster Island.
- In 2021: Scarlett Estevez in the 10th episode of the 5th season of TV series Lucifer.