Smile (movie song)

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Smile is a song by Charlie Chaplin from 1936 , which the latter initially composed without lyrics for his classic film Modern Times . In the film, the melody is heard in the final scene of the film, when Chaplin's tramp and his companion ( Paulette Goddard ) are optimistic about a hard future on a street.

Chaplin's Smile melody initially remained without the text we know today. This was only added in 1954 by the British songwriter duo John Turner (* 1932) and Geoffrey Parsons (1910–1987). The text advises the listener that even in difficult situations one should try to smile and see things positively ("what is crying for?" - "what's the use of crying?"). With this new text, Chaplin's song became a chart success in 1954 thanks to the interpretation of Nat King Cole . Since then, the song has become a well-known evergreen , recorded by numerous popular artists. These included Elvis Costello , Diana Ross , Michael Bolton , Michael Bublé , Judy Garland , Barbra Streisand , Josh Groban and Rickie Lee Jones . A well-known version also comes from Michael Jackson , who included his cover version in his album HIStory - Past, Present and Future Book I from 1995. At Jackson's funeral in 2009, Smile - which was considered Jackson's favorite song - was sung by his brother Jermaine Jackson .

The song was also used in films and television series. Jerry Lewis used it as the theme song for his television show Jerry Lewis Show (1967-1969).

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