Smile was written by the actor, filmmaker, and composer Charlie Chaplin. It was first used as an instrumental piece in Chaplin’s 1936 film “Modern Times”, and lyrics were later written by Geoffrey Parsons and John Turner. Nat King Cole was the first to sing it in 1954. The tune became a hit and has been covered by an assortment of artists such as Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett, and many others. It is important to note that this tune has a 34-bar form as apposed to a 32-bar form, which is a common mistake. The extra two bars are a turnaround back to the top of the form (Fmaj7-Dm7-Gm7-C7). There are many different interpretations of the chord changes, and several are noted in the chord charts provided. This tune is most commonly played in the key of F major among instrumentalists.
