The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Smile

On the third day of The Tony Bennett 90th Birthday Bash, August 2, 2016, the song of the day is “Smile.”

About This Song

Charlie Chaplin wrote “Smile” in 1936 for his last silent film, Modern Times, which shows Chaplin and his costar Paulette Goddard, walking hand-in-hand up the road as the sun rises and as this song plays, in one of the most iconic scenes ever filmed. The lyrics by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons were written later.

This song is a favorite of Tony Bennett’s and he sings “Smile” followed by “When You’re Smiling” at the end of his concerts.

About This Version

Today, we feature Bennett’s 1965 recording of “Smile” from Bennett’s The Movie Song Album. The very nice arrangement is by Al Cohn.

Smile

Tony Bennett · The Movie Song Album · Song · 1966


“Smile,” as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Smile

The song of the day for Friday, July 17, 2015 is “Smile.”

About This Song

Charlie Chaplin wrote “Smile” in 1936 for his last silent film, Modern Times, which shows Chaplin and his costar Paulette Goddard, walking hand-in-hand up the road as the sun rises and as this song plays, in one of the most iconic scenes ever filmed.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded “Smile” several times, first in 1959. I chose his second studio recording from 1965 for The Movie Song Album. This version was arranged by Al Cohn and conducted by Johnny Mandel. This song is a favorite of Tony Bennett: he sings at virtually all of his concerts. Your author tears up every time. Mr. Chaplin loved Bennett’s singing of his song that he gave Bennett a copy of the film Modern Times.

If you’ve never seen the film (and I encourage you to see it), here’s that final scene with Chaplin and Goddard. Pure genius.

Smile

Tony Bennett · The Movie Song Album · Song · 1966


“Smile,” as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Smile

The song of the day for Wednesday, April 16, 2014 is “Smile.”

About This Song

The Year of Tony Bennett is proud to honor the composer of “Smile,’ the filmmaker Charlie Chaplin, who was born on this day in 1889 in Walworth, UK. In addition, this year, 2014, marks the 100th anniversary of The Little Tramp. You can read more about Mr. Chaplin at this excellent official website at www.charliechaplin.com.

Chaplin wrote “Smile” for his last silent film, the 1936 masterpiece Modern Times, starring Chaplin and Paulette Goddard. The lyrics by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons were added in 1954.

About This Version

This song is a favorite of Tony Bennett’s. He has sung it at each and every concert of his that I have attended. He tells the story, also included in his autobiography The Good Life, that Mr. Chaplain sent him a copy of the end of Modern Times as this song plays in the background.

Tony Bennett has recorded this song several times: a single in 1959, live at his 1962 Carnegie Hall concert and as a duet with Barbra Streisand on the first Duets album. But my favorite is his version for The Movie Song Album, released in 1966.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4VVW7zufMomMHQ3gg6VljG
“Smile,” as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes.

We leave you with this film clip from Modern Times. Happy birthday, Charlie Chaplin.

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Song of the Day: Smile

The song of the day for Friday, February 8, 2013, is Smile.

About Smile

This beautiful song was written as an instrumental by Charles Chaplin and was used in the soundtrack for his 1936 film Modern Times. In 1954, John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons wrote the lyrics. The first recording was made in 1954 by Nat King Cole and has been steadily recorded ever since.

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About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded Smile in 1959; it was released as a single in 1959 and was included in his wonderful 1962 I Left My Heart In San Francisco album. Today’s version is from the 1966 The Movie Song Album and was recorded in late 1965 with an arrangement by Al Cohn and orchestra conducted Johnny Mandel. Mr. Bennett sings this song regularly in concert and it is always perfect.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4VVW7zufMomMHQ3gg6VljG
Smile, as well as the full The Movie Song album, is available from iTunes.