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Composition by Charlie Chaplin

"Smile" is a song based on the theme song used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin`s 1936 film Modern Times.

Background

Chaplin, who composed the song with the help of composer David Raksin, was inspired by a sequence in the first act love duet from Puccini`s opera Tosca, beginning with Cavaradossi singing "Quale occhio al mondo può star di paro".[1] John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and title in 1954.[2] 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.[3]

Cover versions

Nat King Cole version

Nat King Cole

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.

Sammy Davis Jr. recorded a cover version of the Cole original, as part of his tribute album The Nat King Cole Songbook in 1965.

Charts

Michael Jackson version

American singer Michael Jackson recorded "Smile" for HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). It was scheduled to be released as the final single from the album in 1997, but was withdrawn before its intended commercial release and was only released promotionally in limited quantities.[5] Jackson considered the original "Smile" to be one of his favorite songs.[5]

Entertainment Weekly called this version of the song a "destined-for-Disney rendition."[6] James Hunter of Rolling Stone wrote a negative review: "the climactic version of Charlie Chaplin`s "Smile" has zero point of view on itself; its blend of rampaging ego and static orchestral pop is a Streisand-size mistake."[7] In 2009 at Jackson`s memorial service, his brother Jermaine Jackson sang a version of the song in Michael`s honor.[8] It is performed in the Michael Jackson: One Las Vegas production.

Track listing

CD maxi single (withdrawn)[9]

1. "Smile" (short version) – 4:10
2. "Is It Scary" (radio edit) – 4:11
3. "Is It Scary" (Eddie`s Love Mix Edit) – 3:50
4. "Is It Scary" (Downtempo Groove Mix) – 4:50
5. "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark and Scary Radio Edit) – 4:34

12" maxi single (withdrawn)[9]

• A1. "Smile" – 4:55
• A2. "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark and Scary Remix) – 12:07
• B1. "Is It Scary" (Eddie`s Rub-a-Dub Mix) – 5:00
• B2. "Is It Scary" (Eddie`s Love Mix) – 8:00
• B3. "Off the Wall" (Junior Vasquez Remix) – 4:57

Charts

Chart performance for "Smile" by Michael Jackson

Other charting versions

• September 1954: Sunny Gale (with Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra) – RCA Victor 5836 (#19)[14]
• October 1954: David Whitfield – Decca F.10355 (#25)[14]
• In 1959, Tony Bennett recorded the song which in the US, peaked at #73 on the Hot 100.[15]
• In 1961, Timi Yuro released a version that reached #42 on the Hot 100.
• In late 1964, Jerry Butler and Betty Everett recorded and charted with the song as a duet.

Other notable recordings

• Judy Garland sang a version of Nat King Cole`s song on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1963.
• The song was also recorded by Jimmy Durante as part of his album Jackie Barnett Presents Hello Young Lovers in 1965.
• In 2012, a few months before her death, Phyllis Diller recorded a version of the song in her living room with Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini on piano. The song was issued as the closing track of Pink Martini`s 2013 album Get Happy.
• The song was included on the soundtrack of the 1992 biographical film Chaplin (as covered by its lead actor, Robert Downey Jr.).
• Lyle Lovett covered the song for the 1998 film Hope Floats; it was later included as the title track on his 2003 album Smile: Songs from the Movies.
• Barbra Streisand recorded her own version for The Movie Album as well as for the soundtrack of Mona Lisa Smile in 2003.
• Westlife covered the song on their 2004 album ...Allow Us to Be Frank. The song was released as the first single from the record on 4 November 2004.
• In 2006, Tony Bennett did his own version of the song in his album Duets: An American Classic with Barbra Streisand.
• Lady Gaga recorded a version of the song for Harlequin (2024), her companion album to the American musical thriller film Joker: Folie ? Deux (2024).[16]

In popular culture

• The Jimmy Durante recording is part of the soundtrack to the 2019 film Joker. The titular lead character also watched scenes from Modern Times (the film from which the instrumental track that would become "Smile" originated) during a scene in which he sneaks into a movie theatre.
• The song was used in The Middle episode "The Smile".
• A version of the song was 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.
• A recording by Frank Chacksfield and his orchestra was used over the closing titles of the last episode of the original run of Jeopardy! on January 3, 1975.
• The song was also used as the opening for Jerry Lewis` live Labor Day MDA telethon.