"Smile Like You Mean It" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

the Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...

, written by lead vocalist

Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician. He serves as the co-founder, lead vocalist, primary songwriter, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers, which he formed with Dave Ke ...

and bassist

Mark Stoermer Mark August Stoermer (born June 28, 1977) is an American musician. He is best known as the bassist for the rock band the Killers, with whom he has recorded six studio albums. In addition to his work with the Killers, Stoermer has released three ...

. Originally included as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

on the "

Mr. Brightside "Mr. Brightside" is the debut single of American rock band the Killers. It appears on their debut studio album, '' Hot Fuss'' (2004). Written by band members Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, it was one of the first songs the Killers ever wrot ...

" single, it also appears on their debut studio album, ''

Hot Fuss ''Hot Fuss'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Killers, released on June 7, 2004, in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004, in the United States by Island Records. The album's music is mostly influenced by new wave and pos ...

'' (2004). It was the third single from the album released in the United States and the fourth in the United Kingdom, reaching number 15 on the US ''

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 ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. It also received substantial radio airplay in Australia, where it was ranked number 39 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.

Background

The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...

state that the song was written in just eight minutes. According to Brandon Flowers, the lyric "Looking back at sunsets on the East side" refers to the East side of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Critical reception

''Billboard'' said the song "seems to deal with coming to terms with growing up and getting older."Caulfield, Keith; Paoletta, Michael (March 26, 2005), "Smile Like You Mean It".'' Billboard''. 117 (13):29

Chuck Arnold Charles "Chuck" Russell Arnold (May 30, 1926, Stamford, Connecticut – September 4, 1997, Santa Ana, California) was an American racecar driver. Arnold drove sporadically in the USAC Championship Car series, racing between 1959 and 1968, with 11 ...

with ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' magazine called the song "a sardonic moper worthy of

the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

." ''Billboard'' said the single is "more restrained and downtempo compared with the band's previous hits" but otherwise "pretty upbeat and is awash with soaring new wave synthesizers and 'killer' guitars." In the UK, the song was voted at 91 on

Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via digital audio broadcasting. The station focuses on alternative ...

's 100 Best Songs of the Decade. ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

'' and ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' both ranked the song number seven on their lists of the greatest Killers songs.

Music video

The music video for the song shows ghostly figures of the band wandering around a house that the characters of the song presumably used to live in. While Flowers sings to the camera, flashbacks of the old house are shown behind him, including a children's party, a Christmas morning, a high school party, and a funeral. While these extras are oblivious to being watched, at the end they turn to the camera to look at the viewer while the band fades away.

Track listing

UK 7-inch red vinyl single :A. "Smile Like You Mean It" :B. "

Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis about a paralyzed veteran who lies helplessly as his wife "paints up" to go out for the evening without him; he believes that she is going in search of a lover. As he hears th ...

" UK CD single # "Smile Like You Mean It" # "Get Trashed" UK 12-inch single # "Smile Like You Mean It" # "

Mr Brightside "Mr. Brightside" is the debut single of American rock band the Killers. It appears on their debut studio album, ''Hot Fuss'' (2004). Written by band members Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, it was one of the first songs the Killers ever wrote. ...

" UK digital single # "Smile Like You Mean It" – 6:26 # "Smile Like You Mean It" – 7:34 # "Get Trashed" – 3:39 Australian CD single # "Smile Like You Mean It" # "Change Your Mind" # "Mr Brightside"

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Hot Fuss''. The Killers *

– vocals, synthesizer *

Dave Keuning David Brent Keuning (born March 28, 1976) is an American musician, best known for being the lead guitarist of the rock band The Killers, which he founded alongside frontman Brandon Flowers in 2001 and with whom he has recorded six studio albums. ...

– guitar *

– bass *

Ronnie Vannucci Jr. Ronald Vannucci Jr. (born February 15, 1976) is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for the rock band the Killers. He is also involved in a side project called Big Talk and became the drummer of the Rentals in 2018. Early ...

– drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Covers and remixes

David Gray performed an

acoustic version Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the adv ...

of "Smile Like You Mean It" on BBC's Radio 1 in the Live Lounge. "Smile Like You Mean It" was remixed by French music producer

Madeon Hugo Pierre Leclercq (; born 30 May 1994), better known by his stage name Madeon (), is a French musician, DJ, songwriter, singer and music producer from Nantes, based in Los Angeles. He initially came to widespread public attention at age 17 th ...

Tally Hall Tally Hall (sometimes stylized as tallyhall) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in December 2002, and publicly active until the conclusion of their Good & Evil (album), ''Good & Evil'' tour in 2011. The band is ...

also covered the song for

The O.C ''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on Fox in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, with a total of four seasons consisting of 92 episodes. The series ...

References

External links

MusicOMH Song Review
{{Authority control Island Records singles The Killers songs 2005 singles Songs written by Brandon Flowers Songs written by Mark Stoermer 2003 songs UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles