Nat King Cole – Smile (1954)
Description
Nat King Cole – “Smile” (1954) | The Ed Sullivan Show
“Smile” is a popular song performed by American singer and pianist Nat King Cole. The melody originated as an instrumental theme composed by Charlie Chaplin for his 1936 film Modern Times, with lyrics later added by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons.
Cole recorded his version of “Smile” in 1954 with an arrangement by Nelson Riddle. He performed the song live on October 31, 1954, on CBS’s Toast of the Town, the television variety program later known as The Ed Sullivan Show. The appearance was broadcast from CBS Studio 50 in New York City. YouTube
Nat King Cole became a frequent guest on Ed Sullivan’s program, appearing 13 times during the show’s run. His television appearances were also significant in helping expand the visibility of African American performers on national American television during the 1950s. Ed Sullivan Show
Artist: Nat King Cole
Song: “Smile”
Television program: Toast of the Town / The Ed Sullivan Show
Broadcast date: October 31, 1954
Network: CBS
Location: CBS Studio 50, New York City
Genre: Traditional pop / vocal jazz
Year: 1954
Nat King Cole version
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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. This version was also used at the beginning of the 1975 movie Smile.
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
| Chart (1954) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop) | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
Michael Jackson version
| “Smile” | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Promotional single by Michael Jackson | |
| from the album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | |
| B-side |
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| Released | December 28, 1997 |
| Recorded | March 11–12, 1995 |
| Studio | The Hit Factory (New York)[4] |
| Genre | Soul |
| Length |
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| Label | Epic |
| Composer | Charlie Chaplin |
| Lyricists | |
| Producers |
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| Licensed audio | |
| “Smile” on YouTube | |
American singer Michael Jackson 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.[5] It is performed in the Michael Jackson: One Las Vegas production.
Entertainment Weekly called Jackson’s version of the song a “destined-for-Disney rendition.”[6] 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.”[7]
Jackson considered the original “Smile” to be one of his favorite songs.[5] In 2009 at Jackson’s memorial service, his brother Jermaine Jackson sang a version of the song in Michael’s honor.[8]
Track listing
CD maxi single (withdrawn)[9]
- “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)[9]
- 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
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (GfK)[10] | 71 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] | 70 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts)[12] | 74 |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[13] | 56 |
Other charting versions
- September 1954: Sunny Gale (with Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra) – RCA Victor 5836 (#19)[14]
- October 1954: David Whitfield – Decca F.10355 (#25)[14]
- In 1959, Tony Bennett recorded the song which in the US, peaked at #73 on the Hot 100.[15]
- In 1961, Timi Yuro released a version that reached #42 on the Hot 100.
- In late 1964, Jerry Butler and Betty Everett recorded and charted with the song as a duet.
- Robert Downey Jr. recorded 2 versions of the song–one was included in the soundtrack of the movie Chaplin[16][17] and released as a single in U.K. in 1992;[18] the other was included in his album The Futurist.[19][20][21] The U.K. version topped at #68.[22]
