"Smile" is a song based on the theme song used in the soundtrack for

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

'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 ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'', beginning with Cavaradossi singing "Quale occhio al mondo può star di paro". 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

Nat King Cole version

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

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 A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...

''. 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 Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

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. Jackson considered the original "Smile" to be one of his favorite songs. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' called this version of the song a "destined-for-

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

rendition." James Hunter of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' 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." In 2009 at Jackson's memorial service, his brother Jermaine Jackson sang a version of the song in Michael's honor. It is performed in the '' Michael Jackson: One'' Las Vegas production.

Track listing

CD maxi single (withdrawn) # "Smile" (short version) – 4:10 # " Is It Scary" (radio edit) – 4:11 # "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Love Mix Edit) – 3:50 # "Is It Scary" (Downtempo Groove Mix) – 4:50 # "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark and Scary Radio Edit) – 4:34 12" maxi single (withdrawn) * 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

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 Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

recorded the song which in the US, peaked at #73 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. *In 1961, Timi Yuro released a version that reached #42 on the

. *In late 1964,

Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (December 8, 1939 – February 20, 2025) was an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and ...

and Betty Everett recorded and charted with the song as a duet.

Other notable recordings

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

sang a version of Nat King Cole's song on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' in 1963. * The song was also recorded by

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side New York accent, accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

as part of his album '' Jackie Barnett Presents Hello Young Lovers'' in 1965. * In 2012, a few months before her death,

Phyllis Diller Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, Actor, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric stage persona, Self-deprecation, se ...

recorded a version of the song in her living room with Thomas Lauderdale of

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as Classical music, classical, Latin music, Latin, traditional pop, and ...

on piano. The song was issued as the closing track of Pink Martini's 2013 album '' Get Happy''. *

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

recorded her own version for '' The Movie Album'' as well as for the soundtrack of '' Mona Lisa Smile'' in 2003. *

Westlife Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...

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,

did his own version of the song in his album '' Duets: An American Classic'' with Barbra Streisand. *

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

recorded a version of the song for ''

Harlequin Harlequin (, , ; , ) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan ...

'' (2024), her companion album to the American musical thriller film '' Joker: Folie à Deux'' (2024).

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 Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...

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 Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

. *A recording by Frank Chacksfield and his orchestra was used over the closing titles of the last episode of the original run of ''

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead g ...

'' on January 3, 1975. *The song was also used as the opening for

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

' live Labor Day MDA telethon.

References

External links

Lyrics to "Smile"
on CharlieChaplin.com (accessed 4/21/2018) * * {{Authority control 1936 songs Compositions by Charlie Chaplin Lady Gaga songs Nat King Cole songs Michael Jackson songs Tony Bennett songs British pop songs Jazz compositions in D minor Joker (2019 film) Songs with lyrics by Geoffrey Parsons (lyricist) Songs with lyrics by John Turner (lyricist) Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson Music published by Bourne Co. Music Publishers Epic Records singles Pop standards