THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

327-Nat King Cole-Smile.

1954-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 0.08. Michael Jackson (1958-2009) (see also best songs 812-511-249-191 and 137) often cited ‘Smile’ as his favourite song. In 2009 at Jackson’s memorial, his brother Jermaine (see best songs 570) sang a version in Michael’s honour.

The original version of ‘Smile’ was written by Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) for the 1936 American silent comedy ‘Modern Times.’ The film which was also written, produced, and directed by Chaplin is a comment on the desperate employment and financial conditions many people faced during the ‘Great Depression.’ In 1989 the film was one of the first 25 films selected by the ‘Library of Congress,’ for preservation in the United States ‘National Film Registry,’ for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. was born on April 16th, 1889, in London, England, he died after suffering a stroke in his sleep on December 25th, 1977, at the age of 88. Chaplin who had been born in to severe poverty, went on to become the ultimate ‘rags to riches’ story. Through his onscreen persona of ‘The Tramp’ Chaplin became a worldwide icon. Chaplin was a perfectionist, and due to his high profile and financial position was able to spend as long as he wished perfecting his films.

Although Charlie Chaplin is given sole credit for the writing of ‘Smile,’ and the film score for ‘Modern Times,’ this has been hotly disputed by Alfred Newman, (1900-1970) and David Raskin (1912-2004.) Newman had collaborated with Chaplin on a previous film ‘City Lights’ in 1931, and towards the end of the ‘Modern Times’ soundtrack recording sessions Chaplin and Newman had a falling out, leading to Newman’s angry departure. According to David Raskin, it was he who wrote the music as a young man. He said that Chaplin would often sit in the washroom, humming tunes and telling Raskin to ‘take this down.’ Raskin said his job was to turn the humming into a score, and create timings and synchronisation that fit the situations. David Raskin who was born on August 4th, 1912, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and died on August 9th, 2004, at the age of 92, was noted for his work in film and television, he had more than 100 film scores, and 300 television scores to his credit. Some sources called him the ‘Grandfather of Film Music.’ David Raskin is probably best remembered for his score for the 1944 American film ‘Laura.’

In 1954 the lyricists John Turner, (1902-1982) and Geoffrey Parsons, (1910-1987) wrote the lyrics for ‘Smile.’ John Turner ran the ‘Peter Maurice Music Company’ who employed Geoffrey Parsons, the company specialised in adapting songs originally written in foreign languages into English, Parsons would work on the translation and Turner would suggest some changes. Other well known translations by Turner and Parsons include ‘O mein Papa,’ which when recorded in English by Eddie Fisher (1928-2010) in 1954, became an American Billboard Number 1, and ‘Auf Wiederseh’n, Sweetheart,’ which became an American Billboard Number 1 single for Vera Lynn (1917-2020) (see also best songs 172 and 49) in 1952.

‘Smile’ has been recorded by many of the world’s top artists, with the first version with lyrics being this version by Nat King Cole (1919-1965) (see also best songs 988-226 and 161) in 1954, with the orchestration being by Nelson Riddle (1921-1985) (see also best songs 877-286 and 73.) The Nat King Cole recording which was issued as a stand alone single, reached Number 10 on Billboard in America, and Number 2 in the UK. Other notable recordings include the one from Michael Jackson, (1958-2009) (see also best songs 812-511-249 and 191) who included the song on his 1995 Album ‘HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1.’ Shortly after Michael Jackson’s death, his brother Jermaine (see also best songs 570) appeared on the American ‘NBC’ television programme ‘The Today Show,’ where the shows host Matt Lauer asked him what song he hears Michael singing when he closes his eyes at night, Jermaine Jackson replied, ‘I love ‘Smile’ and I’ll tell you why. We were very close to the Chaplin family. Charlie Chaplin wrote that song, and Michael loved Charlie Chaplin. I sing it all the time in the shower.’ The other charting versions of ‘Smile’ are the September 1954 recording by the American Pop singer Sunny Gale, (1927-2022) which made Number 19 on Billboard in America, the song also charted on Billboard a month later, reaching Number 25, for the British singer David Whitfield (1925-1980.)

‘Smile’ is a song of positivity, it tells us that we must never lose faith in the hope that things will get better. Smile and you will feel better, smile and you will make others feel better as well.

‘Smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it’s breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by if you smile.’