Monday Music Appreciation #22 -- Smile

I've always loved this beautiful melody, sung by Nat King Cole. If I'm not mistaken, my parents had the recording when I was small, and another version sung by The Lettermen.

It wasn't until I worked at a jazz event at the Winspear that I learned that the originator of Smile was none other than Charlie Chaplin, the silent film star of the 1930s. He heard a line from a love duet in Puccini's Tosca that haunted him, and with the help of composer David Raksin, it developed into this piece of music. 

Tosca was the first opera I ever saw, with my best friend, Cathy. I remember hearing the Quale occhio al mondo duet between soprano and tenor and puzzling over why it sounded familiar. I never did figure it out, until today. It's interesting to see Chaplin's tune juxtaposed with images from his 1936 film, Modern Times, in the video below.

Hearing Smile in the Winspear concert hall over a year ago, played by a very talented bunch of jazz musicians, was a moment I'll never forget. And Nat King Cole's version is really beautiful, too. Enjoy!