Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)
| "Smile" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Charlie Chaplin | |
| Published | 1936 (Instrumental theme), 1954 (Lyrics added to song) |
| Length | 2:52 |
| Writer(s) |
John Turner (Lyrics) Geoffrey Parsons (Lyrics) |
| Composer(s) | Charlie Chaplin (Music) |
| Language | English |
| "Smile" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Michael Jackson | ||||
| from the album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | ||||
| B-side | "Is It Scary" "Off the Wall" (Junior Vasquez Remix) |
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| Released | January 20, 1998 | |||
| Format | CD single, 12" single | |||
| Recorded | March 11–12, 1993 at the Olympic Studio, (London, England) | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 4:55 (album version) 4:10 (short version) |
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| Label | Epic | |||
| Writer(s) |
Charlie Chaplin (music) John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons (lyrics) |
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| Producer(s) | David Foster, Michael Jackson | |||
| Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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 Chaplin's original sound on YouTube: Modern Times. (0:40:22-, 0:42:44-, 0:52:16-, 1:06:39-, and full version 1:21:25-) |
"Smile" is a song based on an instrumental theme used in the soundtrack for the 1936 Charlie Chaplin movie Modern Times. Chaplin composed the music, 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.
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. It was also recorded by Deana Martin on her second studio album, Volare, released in 2009 by Big Fish Records.
Singer Michael Jackson often cited Smile as his favourite song and recorded it for his 1995 double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It was scheduled to be released as the seventh and final single from the album in 1998. However, it was cancelled at the last minute and only a few copies, mostly promos, went into circulation in the UK, South Africa and the Netherlands, making it one of the rarest and collectible of all Jackson's releases. 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."Entertainment Weekly called this version of the song a "destined-for-Disney rendition." In 2009 at Jackson's memorial, his brother Jermaine Jackson sang a version of the song in Michael's honor.
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Wikipedia