DAY SEVEN: SMILE

"Smile" is a song based on the theme song used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times.

Chaplin, who composed the song with the help of composer David Raksin, was inspired by a sequence in the first act love duet from Puccini's opera Tosca. John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons later added the lyrics and title to Chaplin’s melody 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 since become a part of “The Great America Songbook” after its original use in Chaplin's film and has been recorded by numerous artists, most notably Nat King Cole.

Cole’s recording is the first to include the lyrics and charted in 1954, reaching number 10 on the Billboard charts and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.