Smile (David Gilmour song)

Last updated
"Smile"
David Gilmour - Smile.jpg
Single by David Gilmour
from the album On an Island
B-side "Island Jam"
Released13 June 2006 (2006-06-13)
Recorded2001
Genre Progressive rock, art rock
Length4:03
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
David Gilmour singles chronology
"On an Island"
(2006)
"Smile"
(2006)
"Arnold Layne"
(2006)
On an Island track listing
10 tracks
  1. "Castellorizon"
  2. "On an Island"
  3. "The Blue"
  4. "Take a Breath"
  5. "Red Sky at Night"
  6. "This Heaven"
  7. "Then I Close My Eyes"
  8. "Smile"
  9. "A Pocketful of Stones"
  10. "Where We Start"

"Smile" is a single by guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour, released on 13 June 2006. The song was on the UK charts for 1 week and peaked at 72. [1]

Contents

Live

The song was first performed at Gilmour's 2001 and 2002 live shows [2] [3] (and also on the accompanying DVD) where Gilmour introduced it as: "This is a new one so if you are bootlegging, start your machines now." It was eventually recorded at his houseboat studio, the Astoria, for the 2006 album On an Island . [4] The song is in 3/4 time.

During the three nights at the Royal Albert Hall during his On an Island Tour in 2006, empty CD wallets bearing the Smile single cover, and a CD-sticker were left on seats of audience members who would discover them on arrival, each one bearing a unique number. The idea was to download the single from iTunes, burn it to a CD-R, place the CD-shaped sticker onto the burnt CD and keep it in the wallet.[ original research? ]

"Island Jam" was initially available via Gilmour's website before being made more widely available.

An unmastered form of "Smile" can be heard briefly on the BBC2 show Three Men in a Boat which retraced a trip on the River Thames, and visited the houseboat.

Track list

  1. "Smile" (David Gilmour/Polly Samson) – 4:03
  2. "Island Jam" (Gilmour) - 6:33

Personnel

"Smile"

"Island Jam"

Related Research Articles

"A Saucerful of Secrets" is a multi-part instrumental composition by progressive rock band Pink Floyd from their 1968 album of the same name. It is nearly 12 minutes long and was composed by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and David Gilmour. The track features guitar feedback, a percussion solo section and wordless vocals.

<i>David Gilmour in Concert</i> 2002 David Gilmour solo concert DVD

David Gilmour in Concert is a DVD of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's solo concert that took place at the Royal Festival Hall, London in June 2001, as part of the Robert Wyatt-curated Meltdown festival. It also features footage filmed during three concerts at the same venue in January 2002. The track selection includes several Pink Floyd songs, in addition to Gilmour's solo works. Guest appearances are made by Floyd colleague Richard Wright, as well as Robert Wyatt and Bob Geldof. It includes the first performance of "Smile", a track that would appear almost five years later on Gilmour's third solo album, On an Island. Gilmour also plays two Syd Barrett songs.

High Hopes (Pink Floyd song) 1994 single by Pink Floyd

"High Hopes" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, composed by guitarist David Gilmour with lyrics by Gilmour and Polly Samson. It is the closing track on their fourteenth studio album, The Division Bell (1994), and was released as the second single from the album on 17 October 1994. An accompanying music video was made for the song and was directed by Storm Thorgerson.

Let There Be More Light song by Pink Floyd

"Let There Be More Light" is the opening track on Pink Floyd's second album, A Saucerful of Secrets. It was also released in edited form as the fourth American single by the group.

Flaming (song) 1967 single by Pink Floyd

"Flaming" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, featured on their 1967 debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Written and sung by Syd Barrett, the lyrics describe a childlike game with fantastical imagery, while prominent organ and driving bass guitar carry the uptempo music. The song remained in their set well into 1968, after David Gilmour joined the band and even after Barrett's departure.

Arnold Layne 1967 Pink Floyd single

"Arnold Layne" is the debut single released by the English rock band Pink Floyd on 10 March 1967, written by Syd Barrett.

<i>On an Island</i> 2006 studio album by David Gilmour

On an Island is the third solo studio album by Pink Floyd member David Gilmour. It was released in the UK on 6 March 2006, Gilmour's 60th birthday, and in the US the following day. It was his first solo album in 22 years since About Face in 1984 and 12 years since Pink Floyd's 1994 album The Division Bell.

Take It Back 1994 single by Pink Floyd

"Take It Back" is a song by the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released as the seventh track on their 1994 album The Division Bell. It was also released as a single on 16 May 1994, the first from the album, and Pink Floyd's first for seven years. The music for the song was written by guitarist David Gilmour and album co-producer Bob Ezrin, with lyrics by Gilmour, his wife Polly Samson and Nick Laird-Clowes.

"Coming Back to Life" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1994 album The Division Bell, and is the only track from the album to be credited solely to David Gilmour.

Keep Talking (Pink Floyd song) 1994 single by Pink Floyd

"Keep Talking" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1994 album, The Division Bell.

"Wearing the Inside Out" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1994 album, The Division Bell. It is the only song on the album for which David Gilmour receives no writing credit.

"Wot's... Uh the Deal?" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1972 album, Obscured by Clouds. The song features multi-tracked vocals by David Gilmour, and lyrics by Roger Waters that describe taking advantage of certain opportunities life gives and how they affect a person later on. The lyric "Flash the readies, Wot's...Uh the Deal" is reported to be a phrase by roadie Chris Adamson.

"Fat Old Sun" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, written and sung by David Gilmour. It appears on their 1970 album Atom Heart Mother, and was performed live in a greatly expanded form, both before and after the album was released. Live performances of this song date back to 16 July 1970, but only Gilmour and keyboardist Richard Wright appear on the studio version.

"Poles Apart" is a song by Pink Floyd from the band's 1994 album, The Division Bell.

Lost for Words (Pink Floyd song) 1994 single by Pink Floyd

"Lost for Words" is a song recorded by English rock band Pink Floyd, focused on forgiveness, written by guitarist and lead singer David Gilmour and his spouse Polly Samson for the band's 14th studio album, The Division Bell. It appears as the penultimate track on the album. The lyrics, mostly penned by Samson, are a bitterly sarcastic reflection on Gilmour's then-strained relationship with former bandmate Roger Waters. The song was released to US rock radio the week of the album's release, succeeding "Keep Talking", the previous promotional release, released the week before. The song reached #53 in the Canadian singles chart.

Pink Floyd World Tour 1968 was a Pink Floyd world tour spanning February to December 1968 in which the group visited Europe and North America.

<i>Oh, by the Way</i> 2007 box set by Pink Floyd

Oh, by the Way is a compilation boxed set by Pink Floyd released on 10 December 2007, by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States through Capitol Records.

"What Do You Want from Me" is a song by Pink Floyd featured on their 1994 album, The Division Bell. Richard Wright and David Gilmour composed the music, with Gilmour and his then-girlfriend and subsequent wife Polly Samson supplying the lyrics. A live version from Pulse was released as a single in Canada, reaching number 28 in the Canadian Top Singles charts.

<i>Rattle That Lock</i> 2015 studio album by David Gilmour

Rattle That Lock is the fourth solo studio album by former Pink Floyd singer and guitarist David Gilmour. It was originally released on 18 September 2015 via Columbia Records. Gilmour completed short tours of Europe in September and October 2015 and South America in December 2015 to support the album, with a similar tour of the United States and Canada following in March and April 2016. The artwork for the album was created by Dave Stansbie from The Creative Corporation under the direction of Aubrey Powell, who has worked with Gilmour and Pink Floyd since the late 1960s.

Barn Jams are a series of instrumental pieces written by Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour and performed by him and the core members of his 2006 On an Island Tour band, Guy Pratt on bass, Richard Wright on keyboards and Steve DiStanislao on drums. The sessions were recorded and filmed in a barn at David's home in Sussex, England, in January 2007. It is unknown how many pieces exist, although Gilmour himself, in a bonus interview within the second DVD of his 2008 release Live in Gdańsk, claims that he and guitarist Phil Manzanera recorded and catalogued "close to 200" jams. Three tracks were released as part of the Live in Gdańsk 4-disc edition, deluxe edition and vinyl edition; one was released on Remember That Night (2007) and four more were released on the deluxe edition of Gilmour's 2015 Rattle That Lock album. The Barn Jams are the last released recordings made by Richard Wright before his death in 2008.

References

  1. "David Gilmour | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  2. Manning, Toby (2006). "Which One's Pink?". The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd (1st ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 146. ISBN   1-84353-575-0.
  3. Schaffner, Nicholas (2005). "Afterword – High Hopes". Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey (New ed.). London: Helter Skelter. p. 326. ISBN   1-905139-09-8.
  4. Andy Mabbett (2010). Chris Charlesworth (ed.). Pink Floyd: The Music and the Mystery . Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-1-84938-370-7. OCLC   762731304. OL   25083671M. Wikidata   Q25766745.