| "Smile" | ||||
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| Single by Lily Allen | ||||
| from the album Alright, Still | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 3 July 2006 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:16 | |||
| Label | Regal | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Future Cut | |||
| Lily Allen singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Smile" on YouTube | ||||
"Smile" is the debut single by British recording artist Lily Allen from her debut studio album Alright, Still (2006). It was written by Allen, Iyiola Babalola and Darren Lewis, while sampling the Soul Brothers' "Free Soul". The song was released as the lead mainstream single of the album in July 2006. After signing a contract deal with Regal Recordings and gaining popularity on the social network website Myspace with demo songs, Allen released a limited edition of "LDN" to promote her work and afterwards announced the release of "Smile".
The song incorporates rocksteady music, while the lyric tackles her dealing with the betrayal of her boyfriend, while enjoying his misery. Most contemporary critics complimented the song, noticing the confidence it hides and the carnival-esque, yet melancholy, theme. On the other hand, some considered it was not one of the album's best tracks and it makes the singer a "theoretical pop princess". The single peaked inside the top 40 of the charts of some European countries and Australia, while staying on the summit of the UK Singles Chart for two consecutive weeks and ended the year as the country's 11th-most-successful song. It also charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it was certified gold.
For promotion, "Smile" was re-recorded in Simlish and played on shows. The accompanying music video portrayed a revenge theme, with Allen hiring a posse to beat her ex-boyfriend. It was directed by Sophie Muller and, afterwards, banned on MTV due to obscene language. The song was performed live many times, including on talk shows, her 2007 concert tour and also during her 2009 concert tour, though Allen claimed to be "sick" of it.[2] In 2008, it won a Pop Award at the London Broadcast Music Incorporated Awards.[3]
- ^ Rogers, Jude (31 May 2012). "The best No 1 records: Lily Allen - Smile". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013. "To a summery, rocksteady sample of The Soul Brothers' Free Soul, here was a 21-year-old Londoner berating an ex-boyfriend...Smile shines because we've all been there, as the best pop songs often have."
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "2008 BMI London Awards Winning Songs". Broadcast Music Incorporated. 7 October 2008. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2009.