Your Smiling Face
"Your Smiling Face" | ||||
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![]() Dutch cover | ||||
Single by James Taylor | ||||
from the album JT | ||||
B-side | "If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight" | |||
Released | September 1977 | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 2:30 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | James Taylor | |||
Producer(s) | Peter Asher | |||
James Taylor singles chronology | ||||
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"Your Smiling Face" is a hit single by singer James Taylor. First available on the album JT, and released as the album's sophomore single in September 1977, "Your Smiling Face" peaked at number 11 in Cash Box magazine and at 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 near year's end.[1] It reached number 11 on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada.[2] On Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, it reached number 6.[1][3]
Lines like "Isn't it amazing a man like me can feel this way?" reflect Taylor's surprise at his newfound happiness in his relationship with Carly Simon.[4] Rolling Stone critic Peter Herbst described it as being "unabashedly happy".[5] However, according to Taylor biographer Timothy White, the song was written for Taylor's and Simon's then three-year-old daughter Sally.[6] White described the song as a "pop sonnet".[6] Billboard Magazine described the song as a "strong followup" to "Handy Man" and described the melody as being "upbeat" and "infectious."[7] Taylor described it as a "good, light-hearted pop love song".[6] Herbst praises Taylor's vocal for being "a pretty convincing rock singer" on the song.[5]
"Your Smiling Face" was a fixture in Taylor's live shows, but he had to abandon it for a while because he went through a period where he had difficulty reaching the falsetto notes.[6]
Personnel[]
- James Taylor – lead vocals
- Danny Kortchmar – electric guitar
- Leland Sklar – bass guitar
- Dr. Clarence McDonald – piano
- Russell Kunkel – drums
- David Campbell – string arrangements, conducer
Chart performance[]
Weekly charts[]
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Year-end charts[]
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Popular culture[]
- The song was used in the 1978 film FM, starring Michael Brandon and Eileen Brennan.[11]
- It was parodied in the South Park episode "Fat Camp" as "The Prostitute Song."[12]
- On Sesame Street, Taylor sang a parody of the song to Oscar the Grouch titled "Whenever You See a Grouchy Face".[13][14]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "JT Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "RPM 100 Singles". Library and Archives Canada. December 24, 1977. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ "RPM Adult Oriented Playlist". Library and Archives Canada. December 10, 1977. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ Ruhlmann, W. "JT". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Herbst, P. (August 11, 1977). "JY". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d White, T. (2009). Long Ago And Far Away: James Taylor – His Life And Music. Omnibus Press. pp. 248–250. ISBN 9780857120069.
- ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. October 1, 1977. p. 94. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
- ^ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles Week ending DECEMBER 17, 1977.
- ^ "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. 11, December 31 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 380. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
- ^ "FM Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ O'Neal, S. "10 Underrated South Park Songs". nerve.com. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ "VH1 Music Studio: Past Programs and Lesson Plans". VH1. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ Brenner, J. (November 22, 2013). "Sesame Street Turns 44: Our Favorite Celebrity Moments!". Parade. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
External links[]
- 1977 singles
- James Taylor songs
- Songs written by James Taylor
- Song recordings produced by Peter Asher
- Columbia Records singles
- 1977 songs
- Songs about smiling