"The Sunshine of Your Smile" is a British popular song published in London in 1913 just before the First World War by

Francis, Day and Hunter Francis, Day & Hunter is a British music publishing company, one of the leading publishers of music hall songs and popular music in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It was established in London in 1877 as W. & J. Francis and Day, later Francis ...

. The lyrics were by

Leonard Cooke Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' ...

and the music by Lilian Ray. It became a top ten hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1980, sung by Mike Berry.

Lyrics

The following lyrics are taken from the sheet music published in 1913: Verse 1: :Dear face that holds so sweet a smile for me, :Were you not mine, how dark the world would be! :I know no light above that could replace :Love's radiant sunshine in your dear, dear face. Refrain: :Give me your smile, the love-light in your eyes, :Life could not hold a fairer Paradise! :Give me the right to love you all the while, :My world for ever, the sunshine of your smile! Verse 2: :Shadows may fall upon the land and sea, :Sunshine from all the world may hidden be; :But I shall see no cloud across the sun; :Your smile shall light my life, till life is done! Refrain: :Give me your smile, the love-light in your eyes, :Life could not hold a fairer Paradise! :Give me the right to love you all the while, :My world for ever, the sunshine of your smile!

Recordings

Below is a list of artists who have recorded the song and the recording date and record information (where known): * Olga, Elga and Eli Hudson, 1914 * Fred Douglas, 1914 *

Ernest Pike Ernest George Pike (1871 – 4 March 1936) was an English tenor of the early 20th century who made numerous recordings in the first decades of the 20th century. After studying at the Guildhall School of Music in London, he worked as a bank cle ...

, 1914 *

Jessie Broughton Jessie Broughton (29 March 1885 – 1938) was an English contralto and actress. She made her stage debut at the Apollo Theatre in London in 1903 and soon appeared in '' Véronique'', ''Havana'' and ''A Waltz Dream'' in the West End. In 1910, ...

, c. 1915 * William Thomas, c. 1915, Regal G6745 * Gertie Dickeson, 1915 *

Lambert Murphy Harry Lambert Murphy (1 April 15, 1885 – July 25, 1954) was an American operatic tenor. Biography He was born as Harry Lambert Murphy in Springfield, Massachusetts on 15 April 1885. While pursuing an academic course at Harvard University, h ...

, 1916, Victor 55069 * John McCormack, 1916, Victor 64622 * Norah Johnson, 1916 * Riccardo Stracciari, 1919, Columbia 49590 * Tamaki Miura, 1922, Nipponophone 15065 *

Charles Hackett Charles Hackett (November 4, 1889 – January 1, 1942) sometimes referred to as Carlo Hackett, was an American lyric tenor. Biography He was born on November 4, 1889 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Hackett studied first at the New England Con ...

, 1927, Columbia 4042 * Tito Schipa, 1930, Victor 1451 (Sung in Spanish) * Jussi Björling, 1931, Swedish HMV X3724 (Sung in Swedish) * Django Reinhardt & Le Quintette du Hot Club De France, April 1935 * Lilian Davies, 1930 *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, 1941, Victor 27638 * Vera Lynn, from the film '' Rhythm Serenade'', 1943John Howard Reid. ''British Movie Entertainments'' (2010), p. 247
/ref> * James Melton, 1950 * Mike Berry, 1980

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunshine of Your Smile 1913 songs Songs of World War I British songs