"Smile Like You Mean It" is a song by American rock band

the Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

, written by lead vocalist

Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, best known as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. In addition to his ...

and bassist Mark Stoermer. Originally released as a B-side of "

Mr. Brightside "Mr. Brightside" is the debut single of American rock band the Killers. It is taken from their debut studio album, ''Hot Fuss'' (2004). Written by band members Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, it was one of the first songs the Killers ever wrot ...

" in September 2003, it is featured on their debut studio album '' Hot Fuss'' (2004). It was the third single from the album released in the United States and the fourth in the United Kingdom, reaching number 15 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 11 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It also received substantial radio airplay in Australia, where it was ranked number 39 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.

Critical reception

''Billboard'' said the song "seems to deal with coming to terms with growing up and getting older."Caulfield, Keith; Paoletta, Michael (March 26, 2005), "Smile Like You Mean It".'' Billboard''. 117 (13):29

Chuck Arnold Charles "Chuck" Russell Arnold (May 30, 1926, Stamford, Connecticut – September 4, 1997, Santa Ana, California) was an American racecar driver. Arnold drove sporadically in the USAC Championship Car series, racing between 1959 and 1968, with 11 ...

with ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'' magazine called the song "a sardonic moper worthy of

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

." ''Billboard'' said the single is "more restrained and downtempo compared with the band's previous hits" but otherwise "pretty upbeat and is awash with soaring new wave synthesizers and 'killer' guitars." In the UK, the song was voted at 91 on

Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW. History 1993–1997: Vi ...

's 100 Best Songs of the Decade. '' Paste'' and ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' both ranked the song number seven on their lists of the greatest Killers songs.

Covers and other information

The Killers claim that the song was written in just eight minutes. According to Brandon Flowers, the lyric "Looking back at sunsets on the East side" refers to the East side of Las Vegas, Nevada. David Gray performed an

acoustic version Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the adve ...

of "Smile Like You Mean It" on BBC's Radio 1 in the Live Lounge.

Tally Hall Tally Hall is an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in December 2002. The band is known for upbeat melodies and whimsical lyrics. The members originally described their musical style as "wonky rock," later redefining their soun ...

covered the song for the sixth '' The O.C.'' soundtrack: '' Music from the OC: Mix 6''. The song was released as a downloadable track for the music video game series '' Rock Band'' on November 25, 2008. "Smile Like You Mean It" was remixed by French music producer

Madeon Hugo Pierre Leclercq (; born 30 May 1994), better known by his stage name Madeon (), is a French DJ and music producer from Nantes, currently based in Los Angeles. He initially came to widespread public attention at 17 through a YouTube video, " ...

Music video

The music video for the song shows ghostly figures of the band wandering around a house that the characters of the song presumably used to live in. While Flowers sings to the camera, flashbacks of the old house are shown behind him, including a children's party, a Christmas morning, a high school party, and a funeral. While these extras are oblivious to being watched, at the end they turn to the camera to look at the viewer while the band fades away.

Track listing

UK 7-inch red vinyl single :A. "Smile Like You Mean It" :B. "

Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis about a paralyzed veteran who lies helplessly as his wife "paints erselfup" to go out for the evening without him; he believes she is going in search of a lover. As he hears the ...

" UK CD single # "Smile Like You Mean It" # "Get Trashed" UK 12-inch single # "Smile Like You Mean It" # "

Mr Brightside "Mr. Brightside" is the debut single of American rock music, rock band the Killers. It is taken from their debut studio album, ''Hot Fuss'' (2004). Written by band members Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, it was one of the first songs the Killer ...

" UK digital single # "Smile Like You Mean It" – 6:26 # "Smile Like You Mean It" – 7:34 # "Get Trashed" – 3:39 Australian CD single # "Smile Like You Mean It" # "Change Your Mind" # "Mr Brightside"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

MusicOMH Song Review
{{Authority control The Killers songs 2005 singles Songs written by Brandon Flowers Songs written by Mark Stoermer