When the Lady Smiles
Encyclopedia
"When the Lady Smiles" is a 1984 song by Dutch band Golden Earring
. It was the first single from their album N.E.W.S.
(NorthEastWestSouth). Following their top 10 "Twilight Zone", "When the Lady Smiles" was a U.S. chart disappointment, only reaching #76 on The Billboard Hot 100 chart. With a total of 5 "Hot 100
"-releases, Golden Earring are by far the most successful Dutch band on the international charts.
Dutch actor Huub Stapel
has a cameo in the music video as an elevator mechanic, referencing the movie De Lift
.
, was controversial. In one scene, a man attempts to rape a nun. This particular scene was quickly removed from the video (the full cut was only shown after midnight). The bold video may have hurt the sales of the single in the New World, although it climbed to number 3 position in the charts in Canada
. In The Netherlands, however, "When the Lady Smiles" became Golden Earring's fifth number one.
, baffling the band given the song's lyrics and controversial video .
!align="left"|Chart (1984)
!align="center"|Peak
position
|-
|Dutch Top 40
|align="center"|1
|-
|US Billboard Hot 100
|align="center"|76
|-
Golden Earring
Golden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...
. It was the first single from their album N.E.W.S.
N.E.W.S.
N.E.W.S. is an album by Dutch hard rock band Golden Earring, released in 1984 .-Side one:#"Clear Night Moonlight" - 3:25#"When the Lady Smiles" - 5:12#"Enough Is Enough" - 3:43#"Fist in Glove" - 3:27-Side two:...
(NorthEastWestSouth). Following their top 10 "Twilight Zone", "When the Lady Smiles" was a U.S. chart disappointment, only reaching #76 on The Billboard Hot 100 chart. With a total of 5 "Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
"-releases, Golden Earring are by far the most successful Dutch band on the international charts.
Dutch actor Huub Stapel
Huub Stapel
Hubertus Wijnandus Jozef Marie Stapel is a Dutch actor. He is especially known from the films De Lift , Flodder and Amsterdamned by Dick Maas. He also appeared in the Golden Earring video When the Lady Smiles.- External links :* at the New York Times Movies & TV...
has a cameo in the music video as an elevator mechanic, referencing the movie De Lift
De Lift
De Lift is a 1983 film by the Dutch director Dick Maas about a killer elevator. In 2001, an English language remake, Down, was made and was also directed by Dick Maas....
.
Controversy
The video for this song, shot by Dick MaasDick Maas
Dick Maas is Dutch film director, screenwriter, film producer and movie music composer.He achieved national fame after the success of the movies De Lift, Amsterdamned and Flodder.-Shorts:* Adelbert* De overval...
, was controversial. In one scene, a man attempts to rape a nun. This particular scene was quickly removed from the video (the full cut was only shown after midnight). The bold video may have hurt the sales of the single in the New World, although it climbed to number 3 position in the charts in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In The Netherlands, however, "When the Lady Smiles" became Golden Earring's fifth number one.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton used this song during her campaign for the US presidency of 2008Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2008
New York junior Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton had expressed interest in the 2008 United States presidential election since at least October 2002, drawing media speculation on whether she would become a candidate. No woman has ever won the nomination of a major party in the...
, baffling the band given the song's lyrics and controversial video .
Chart performance
{|class="wikitable sortable"!align="left"|Chart (1984)
!align="center"|Peak
position
|-
|Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
|align="center"|1
|-
|US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|align="center"|76
|-