smile, the song

Smile is one of the songs on the Madeleine Piroux album, Half a Perfect World, that I wrote about in a previous post. I knew it was a cover of a standard, a fantastic cover, but I was curious to find the original source of the song. I've heard two previous versions on the radio before, one by Tony Bennett, and another by Nat King Cole. (Washington, DC for all the jazz history that it has, does not have a dedicated classic jazz station. The closest we have is 89.3 FM, WPFW, Pacifica Radio, on certain evenings of the week.)

Although Nat King Cole's 1954 version, lyrics by by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, was the most famous rendition, the original composer of the song was Charlie Chaplin, yes, the silent film actor! Chaplin composed Smile for his 1936 movie Modern Times. Below is a clip of the closing scene of Modern Times I found on YouTube that features the song.



I get the feeling that this scene, among many others in the movie, set the bar for many years to come. Chaplin wrote, directed, starred in, and composed the score to Modern Times. (It really is a testament to one's work when people are still examining and enjoying it over 70 years later.)

Smile
Composed by Charlie Chaplin
Lyrics by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons

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
through your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow,
You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness,
Although a tear may be ever so near,

That's the time,
You must keep on trying,
Smile, what's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worth-while,

If you just smile.

Madeleine Peyroux has her full rendition available on her website, under the Media link, Half a Perfect World album, for all to listen and enjoy. (I'd directly link it if I could, but it's a Flash site and there's no specific URL.) I particularly like her version because it's not sugary sweet like some of the covers done by others (Michael Jackson's version comes to mind). In Peyroux's version, it feels like she's blue and encouraging the listener to cheer up.