Smile Like You Mean It
Encyclopedia
"Smile Like You Mean It" is a song by American rock
band The Killers. The song is featured on their debut album Hot Fuss
, and is the fourth single from it in the United Kingdom
and the third single in United States
. It was written by lead vocalist
Brandon Flowers
and bassist
Mark Stoermer
.
It reached #11 in the UK single chart and #15 in the Billboard U.S. Modern Rock Chart. It also received substantial radioplay in Australia, where it was ranked #39 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004
.
The band claims that they wrote the song in 8 minutes.
The song originally featured on the Mr. Brightside
EP released in September 2003.
The music video for this song shows ghostly figures of the band wandering around a house that the characters of the song presumably used to live in. While Flowers sings to the camera, flashbacks of the old house are shown behind him, including a children's party, a Christmas morning, a high school party, and a funeral. While these extras are oblivious to being watched, at the end they turn to the camera to look at the viewer while the band fades away.
Billboard said the song "seems to deal with coming to terms with growing up and getting older."
Chuck Arnold
with People
magazine called the song "a sardonic moper worthy of the Smiths." Billboard said the single is "more restrained and downtempo compared with the band's previous hits" but otherwise "pretty upbeat and is awash with soaring new wave synthesizers and 'killer' guitars." In the UK the song was voted at 91 on Absolute Radio's 100 Best Songs of the Decade.
David Gray
performed an acoustic version
of "Smile Like You Mean It" on BBC's Radio 1 in the Live Lounge. Tally Hall
covered the song for the sixth The O.C.
soundtrack: Music from the OC: Mix 6.
The song was released as a downloadable track for the music video game series Rock Band on November 25, 2008.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Killers. The song is featured on their debut album Hot Fuss
Hot Fuss
Hot Fuss is the debut studio album by Las Vegas based American rock band The Killers, released on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004 in the United States.-Background:...
, and is the fourth single from it in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the third single in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was written by lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.-Early life:...
and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Mark Stoermer
Mark Stoermer
Mark Stoermer is an American musician, best known for being the bassist for alternative rock band The Killers, in 2011 he released his debut solo album Another Life.-Personal life:...
.
It reached #11 in the UK single chart and #15 in the Billboard U.S. Modern Rock Chart. It also received substantial radioplay in Australia, where it was ranked #39 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004
Triple J Hottest 100, 2004
The 2004 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 26 January 2005. It was the twelfth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....
.
The band claims that they wrote the song in 8 minutes.
The song originally featured on the Mr. Brightside
Mr. Brightside
"Mr. Brightside" is a song performed by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. The song is featured on the group's debut album Hot Fuss and was written by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning....
EP released in September 2003.
The music video for this song shows ghostly figures of the band wandering around a house that the characters of the song presumably used to live in. While Flowers sings to the camera, flashbacks of the old house are shown behind him, including a children's party, a Christmas morning, a high school party, and a funeral. While these extras are oblivious to being watched, at the end they turn to the camera to look at the viewer while the band fades away.
Billboard said the song "seems to deal with coming to terms with growing up and getting older."
Chuck Arnold
Chuck Arnold
Chuck Arnold was an American racecar driver. Arnold drove sporadically in the USAC Championship Car series, racing between 1959 and 1968, with 11 starts, including the 1959 Indianapolis 500...
with People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine called the song "a sardonic moper worthy of the Smiths." Billboard said the single is "more restrained and downtempo compared with the band's previous hits" but otherwise "pretty upbeat and is awash with soaring new wave synthesizers and 'killer' guitars." In the UK the song was voted at 91 on Absolute Radio's 100 Best Songs of the Decade.
David Gray
David Gray (musician)
David Gray is an English singer-songwriter. He released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later...
performed an acoustic version
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
of "Smile Like You Mean It" on BBC's Radio 1 in the Live Lounge. Tally Hall
Tally Hall (band)
Tally Hall is an American rock band formed in December 2002 based in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a relatively significant cult following. Once under the Atlantic Records recording label, Tally Hall is, again, signed to indie label Quack! Media who previously helped finance and nationally distribute...
covered the song for the sixth The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
soundtrack: Music from the OC: Mix 6.
The song was released as a downloadable track for the music video game series Rock Band on November 25, 2008.
UK Translucent Pink 7"
- "Smile Like You Mean It"
- "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to TownRuby, Don't Take Your Love To Town"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis. The song was made famous by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition in 1969. "Ruby" was originally recorded in 1967 by Johnny Darrell, who scored a number nine country hit with it that year....
(Zane LoweZane LoweZane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
Radio 1 Session)"
UK 12"
- "Smile Like You Mean It (Ruff & Jam Eastside Mix)"
- "Mr Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Dub Mix)"
UK Digital Single
- "Smile Like You Mean It (FischerspoonerFischerspoonerFischerspooner is an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York. The name is a portmanteau of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner...
Remix)" - "Smile Like You Mean It (Zip Remix)"
Australian CD
- "Smile Like You Mean It"
- "Change Your Mind"
- "Mr Brightside" (The Lindbergh Palace Radio Remix)"
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
11 |
| UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
1 |
| Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 15 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
20 |
| Australian ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... Singles Chart |
47 |