"Smile" is the debut single of American singer

Vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...

, featuring vocals from Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

singer

Lady Saw Marion Hall, formerly known by the stage name Lady Saw, is a Jamaican singer and songwriter whose career has spanned over two decades. Formerly known as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Dancehall, she is known for her guest ap ...

. "Smile" was the first single released from Vitamin C's self-titled debut album on June 8, 1999. Using television exposure as a major form of promotion, the song became a top-40 hit in Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, and the United States.

Background and release

According to

, she had trouble coming up with the song's lyrics. On the day she wrote them, she was feeling sad about the breakup of her former band, Eve's Plum, and decided that she needed to write a happy song to move past her depression.

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

released "Smile" as a

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compa ...

on June 8, 1999, and as a CD, maxi-CD, and

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single (music), single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was introduced in 1980 in music, 1 ...

on June 29 of the same year. On June 22, 1999, Elektra Records serviced "Smile" to American pop and rhythmic radio stations.

Commercial performance

"Smile" became Vitamin C's highest-charting single in the United States to date, peaking at number 21 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

and number 18 on the ''Billboard''

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 ...

, becoming her only single to reach the top 20 and her first single to reach the top 40. Worldwide, "Smile" peaked at number 13 in New Zealand, number 24 in Iceland, and number 29 in Canada. In the US, the single received a gold certification from the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for shipments in excess of 500,000. ''Billboard'' attributed the song's success to its intense promotion via television, including featuring in advertisements for

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

series '' Movie Stars'', promos for the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

series ''

Cold Feet ''Cold Feet'' is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his 1997 Comedy Premieres, Comedy ...

'', and the season 9 finale of ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...

''.

Music video

The music video takes place in a multi-colored Sam Goody CD store which has several motifs from the album art. Lady Saw plays a DJ in the video, while Vitamin C dances with a few backup dancers to the song ("Smile") that Lady Saw is playing. The video was directed by Christopher Erskin.

Track listings

US CD single # "Smile" (album version) # "Smile" (Maserati mix) # "Smile" (video) US maxi-CD single # "Smile" (Mr. Mig's extended mix) # "Smile" (radio edit) # "Smile" (dub mix) # "Smile" (Maserati mix) # "Smile" (acapella) # "Smile" (album version) # "Smile" (video) US 12-inch single :A1. "Smile" (Mr. Mig's extended mix) :A2. "Smile" (radio edit) :B1. "Smile" (dub mix) :B2. "Smile" (Maserati mix) :B3. "Smile" (acapella) US cassette single # "Smile" # "Smile" (Maserati mix) UK CD single # "Smile" (radio edit) – 3:24 # "Smile" (rapless edit) – 3:34 # "Smile" (Maserati mix) – 4:03 European CD single # "Smile" (radio edit) – 3:24 # "Smile" (album version) – 3:57 European maxi-CD single # "Smile" (radio edit) – 3:24 # "Smile" (Mr. Mig's club mix) – 3:47 # "Smile" (rapless edit) – 3:34 # "Smile" (Maserati mix) – 4:03 Australian CD single # "Smile" (radio edit) # "Smile" (Maserati mix) # "Smile" (Mr. Mig's club mix) # "Smile" (LP version) # "Smile" (rapless edit) # "Smile" (video)

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the US CD single and ''

'' liner notes. Studios * Recorded at Axis Studios (New York City) * Mixed at Quad Recording Studios and

Avatar Studios Avatar Studios is an American production company and a division of Nickelodeon Animation Studio formed in February 2021 to oversee the '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'' franchise. Franchise co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzk ...

(New York City) * Mastered at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...

(New York City) Personnel * Vitamin C – writing (as Colleen Fitzpatrick) * Josh Deutsch – writing, production * Garry Hughes – production * Lloyd Puckitt – recording * Michael Patterson – mixing * Ann Mincieli – mixing assistance (Quad) * Greg Gasperino – mixing assistance (Avatar)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1999 debut singles 1999 songs Elektra Records singles Lady Saw songs Songs written by Vitamin C (singer) Vitamin C (singer) songs