A Certain Smile (song)

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"A Certain Smile"
A certain smile by johnny mathis US single.png
Artwork for the US 7-inch single
Single by Johnny Mathis
from the album More Johnny's Greatest Hits
B-side "Let It Rain"
ReleasedJune 1958
Genre Popular
Length2:47
Label Columbia (US)
Fontana (UK)
Songwriter(s) Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster
Producer(s) Mitch Miller
Johnny Mathis singles chronology
"Teacher, Teacher"
(1958)
"A Certain Smile"
(1958)
"Call Me"
(1958)

"A Certain Smile" is a popular song from the 1958 film of the same name. The song was written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. Johnny Mathis performed the song in the film, and the song reached number 4 on the UK chart.

Contents

The song was nominated for the 1958 Academy Award for Best Original Song. [1]

Background

The music was written by Sammy Fain with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster for the 1958 film of the same name, based on the novel, also titled A Certain Smile , by Françoise Sagan. Johnny Mathis, who appeared in the 1958 film as a bar singer, performing the title song. Mathis's recording, with backing orchestration by Ray Ellis and released in June 1958 (4-41193), backed with "Let It Rain". [2] The song reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the US chart. [3] [4]

Charts

Chart (1958)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [5] 30
Norway (VG-lista) [6] 7
UK Singles (OCC) [3] 4
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] 22

Other recorded versions

The song has been covered by artists such as:

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<i>Faithfully</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1959 studio album by Johnny Mathis

Faithfully is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on December 21, 1959, by Columbia Records and continues his trend toward covering ballads alongside an orchestra. While his previous LPs usually offered one or two songs that had not been previously recorded, that number on this project leaped to five, and although the other seven selections were established by other artists, even some of those were lesser-known, such as Jeri Southern's number 30 pop hit "You Better Go Now" and the title song from the 1953 film The Blue Gardenia.

<i>Ill Search My Heart and Other Great Hits</i> 1964 greatest hits album by Johnny Mathis

I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits is a compilation album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released by Columbia Records in April 1964 and gathered up five A-sides that reached the Billboard Hot 100, a corresponding B-side, and six songs that had previously been unreleased.

<i>The Great Years</i> 1964 greatest hits album by Johnny Mathis

The Great Years is a compilation album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released by Columbia Records in July 1964. Billboard magazine described the two-LP set, which included chart hits and album tracks, as "the best of Mathis".

<i>Tender Is the Night</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1964 studio album by Johnny Mathis

Tender Is the Night is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released by Mercury Records on January 23, 1964, and included selections from stage and screen as well as two new songs from "Fly Me to the Moon" composer Bart Howard.

<i>The Wonderful World of Make Believe</i> 1964 studio album by Johnny Mathis

The Wonderful World of Make Believe is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released by Mercury Records on July 10, 1964, and described by Greg Adams of Allmusic, who wrote, "The theme is fantasy, from imaginary locations to fanciful yearnings to vague, idealized realms ."

<i>The Shadow of Your Smile</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1966 studio album by Johnny Mathis

The Shadow of Your Smile is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis, released in 1966 by Mercury Records.

<i>Johnny Mathis All-Time Greatest Hits</i> 1972 compilation album by Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis' All-Time Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in the spring of 1972 by Columbia Records and, despite its title, overlooks a good number of his Top 40 hits in favor of his singles that did not make the Billboard Hot 100 and album tracks that were not released as singles.

<i>Live</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1984 live album by Johnny Mathis

Live is a live album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in October 15, 1984, by Columbia Records and includes performances of some of his classics, songs from recent albums, and three selections that have never appeared on a Mathis studio album.

<i>The Mathis Collection</i> 1977 compilation album by Johnny Mathis

The Mathis Collection is a compilation album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in the UK in 1977 by CBS Records. The subtitle on the cover reads, "40 of my favorite songs", and a statement from Mathis in the liner notes says, "Songs are very personal things. On this double album I have attempted to put together a collection of those which are most meaningful for me. I hope they mean as much to you." The compilation includes six of the 12 songs that had reached the UK singles chart by the time of its release but focuses mainly on album tracks.

<i>16 Most Requested Songs</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1986 compilation album by Johnny Mathis

16 Most Requested Songs is a compilation album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in 1986 by Columbia Records and features 12 tracks representing his time with the label from 1956 to 1963, including his Billboard top 10 hits "Chances Are", "It's Not for Me to Say", "The Twelfth of Never", "Gina", and "What Will Mary Say" as well as his signature song, "Misty". The remaining four selections were recorded with Columbia between 1969 and 1977.

<i>The Very Best of Johnny Mathis</i> 2006 compilation album by Johnny Mathis

The Very Best of Johnny Mathis is a compilation album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in the UK in 2006 by Sony BMG and peaked at number six on the UK albums chart that same year. This collection has nine of his 17 UK singles chart entries, including his number-one solo version of "When a Child Is Born" and his number-three duet with Deniece Williams, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late".

<i>Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration</i> 2006 compilation album by Johnny Mathis

Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration is a compilation album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on November 21, 2006, by Columbia Records and takes the first 13 of its 18 tracks from the first four years of his recording career. The collection then jumps ahead 27 years for the remaining five songs, two of which had not been released elsewhere: "So Many Stars" comes from the recording date of an unfinished Sergio Mendes project, and "The Shadow of Your Smile" was later featured on the 2007 Dave Koz album At the Movies.

<i>The Ultimate Collection</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 2011 compilation album by Johnny Mathis

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<i>Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful!</i> 2007 television programme

Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful! is a television concert by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was recorded on October 27, 2006, at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City and aired that December on most PBS stations. In addition to singing some of his biggest hits, he covers tracks from his live albums, songs from Brazil, and two exclusives that have never appeared on a Mathis album. Interview clips with Mathis were inserted at intervals throughout the concert along with live performance excerpts from programs such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Andy Williams Show.

References

  1. Vogel, Frederick G. (2015). Hollywood Musicals Nominated for Best Picture. McFarland. p. 333. ISBN   9781476611570.
  2. "Review Spotlight on ... Pop Records". Billboard. Vol. 70, no. 21. June 2, 1958. p. 42.
  3. 1 2 "Johnny Mathis: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  4. Johnny Mathis charting singles Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  5. "Johnny Mathis – A Certain Smile" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  6. "Johnny Mathis – A Certain Smile". VG-lista.
  7. "Johnny Mathis Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  8. Astrud Gilberto, A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  9. Jay and the Americans, At the Cafe Wha? Retrieved February 4, 2012