When You're Smiling
| "When You're Smiling" | |
|---|---|
 Billie Holiday on February, 1947 | |
| Song | |
| Writer(s) | Larry Shay, Mark Fisher, and Joe Goodwin |
| Language | English, Japanese |
"When You're Smiling" (君微笑めば Kimi hohoemeba) is a popular song by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher, and Joe Goodwin (June 6, 1889 - July 31, 1943), and made famous by Louis Armstrong, who recorded it at least three times, in 1929, 1932, and 1956. Duke Ellington also recorded it several times earlier in his career.
Many other recordings exist, for example those by Billie Holiday with Lester Young and Teddy Wilson in 1938, Studies in Swing No.3, Louis Prima, Frank Sinatra, Julia Lee, Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, and Patti Page. Cliff Bruner brought it to the country charts in 1939. It was adopted by Leicester City F.C. as the club anthem, and can be heard at many of the team's games. In 1961, Judy Garland performed the song at the Judy at Carnegie Hall concert. Andy Williams released a version on his 1963 album, Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests. Dean Martin also sang it, sometimes parodying it as "When You're Drinkin'". Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra, with Billie Holiday, recorded this classic on January 6, 1938, in New York City for Brunswick/Columbia, with Teddy Wilson on piano, Benny Morton on trombone, Buck Clayton on trumpet, Lester Young on tenor sax, Freddie Green on guitar, Walter Page on bass and Jo Jones on drums.
Popular culture
In the film The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, Judith, played by Maggie Smith. sings the song to herself after a night of drinking.
In the Seinfeld episode "The Jimmy", Mel Torme dedicates the song to Kramer.
It has also been sung by Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), a character on the TV series Glee, in the episode "Mattress".
The version recorded by Louis Armstrong was featured in an advertisement for Apple's new iPhone 4 in 2010.
The Louis Prima version is featured in the video game Mafia II and the movies Analyze This, directed by Harold Ramis, and Find Me Guilty, directed by Sidney Lumet.
In the Nickelodeon TV series The Backyardigans, the song's tune is used in an episode titled "It's Great To Be A Ghost!".
At the end of the 1995 Woody Allen movie Mighty Aphrodite the Greek chorus sings a version of this song.
At the end of the Everybody Loves Raymond episode "Sweet Charity" (Season 7, Episode 16), Debra Barone (Patricia Heaton) sings the song in front of a group of unhappy hospital patients.
At the end of the 2003 movie Windy City Heat the song is used over a montage of the main characters.
Many string bands associated with the Mummers Parade have recorded this song, and it is frequently used as marching music.
Pablo Bubar reintroduced "When You're Smiling" in one of the musical romance sketches of "Pablo the Romantic" from "Boom Town", broadcast by BBC Three (UK, 2013). This version includes the piano music of Ross Leadbeater .
The Louis Armstrong version appears in a Kodak commercial.