"Secret Smile" is a song by American rock band Semisonic. The single, released to American radio on January 11, 1999, gained the band brief international popularity. A live version of the song recorded at The Gorge Amphitheatre, as well as a mix by the Orb had previously been released as a B-side to "Singing in My Sleep". The song was featured in the film Simply Irresistible and in the TV series Charmed and Dawson's Creek.
| "Secret Smile" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork used for the commercial European and Australian releases | ||||
| Single by Semisonic | ||||
| from the album Feeling Strangely Fine | ||||
| Released | January 11, 1999 | |||
| Studio | Seedy Underbelly (Minneapolis, Minnesota) | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock[1] | |||
| Length | 4:37 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dan Wilson | |||
| Producer(s) | Nick Launay | |||
| Semisonic singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition
Songwriter Dan Wilson has said that the melody for the song came to him in a dream, and he woke up in the middle of the night, rushed to a piano, and wrote it down.[2]
"...Secret Smile, the first half of it came to me in a dream. I woke up in very early morning hours with this song playing in my head. I got up, ran to a piano, and I wrote down the words that I heard in my mind and I played the chords on the piano and wrote down the names of the chords. Then I went back to sleep. And then the next day when I woke up, I remembered the song from the dream. I went to the piano and I saw my notes. I played the song and I thought, Well, this is great. It must be some song that I've heard before. Then I asked all my friends about it, and they all said, 'No, that sounds like a song of yours.'"[3]
Music video
The music video was shot in Los Angeles in January 1999 and was directed by British music video director Sophie Muller.[4] Paul Rudd and Laura Prepon both appear.
Track listings
|
UK CD1[5]
UK CD2[6]
UK cassette single[7]
|
European CD single[8]
Australasian CD single[9]
|
Credits and personnel
Credits are lifted from the US promo CD liner notes and the Feeling Strangely Fine album notes.[10][11]
Studios
- Recorded and produced at Seedy Underbelly (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- Mixed at Mix This! (Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles)
- Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine, US)
Personnel
- Dan Wilson – writing, lead vocals, guitar, Rhodes piano, string and flute arrangement
- John Munson – vocals, bass, Moog
- Jacob Slichter – vocals, drums, string and flute arrangement, conducting
- Bruce Allard – strings
- Mary Bahr – strings
- Carolyn Boulay – strings
- Troy Gardner – strings
- Josh Koestenbaum – strings
- Nick Launay – production, recording
- Brad Kern – additional recording
- Alex Oana – assistant recording engineer
- Richard Werbowenko – assistant recording engineer
- Shane Washington – assistant recording engineer
- Bob Clearmountain – mixing (album version)
- Ryan Freeland – assistant mix engineering
- James Saez – assistant mix engineering
- Tom Lord-Alge – mixing (remix)
- Jennifer Munson – digital editing
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] | 30 |
| Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[13] | 30 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] | 47 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 26 |
| Scotland (OCC)[16] | 11 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 12 |
| US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[18] | 17 |
| US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[19] | 35 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[20] | 21 |
| US CHR/Pop (Radio & Records)[21] | 42 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[22] | Silver | 200,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | January 11, 1999 | Active rock radio | MCA | [23] |
| January 12, 1999 | Contemporary hit radio | [24] | ||
| United Kingdom | June 28, 1999 |
|
[25] |
References
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