The Killers Codexery

Smile Like You Mean It

A downtempo new wave single from the Killers' debut album.

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The song reached number 15 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] Brandon Flowers and Mark Stoermer, the lead vocalist and bassist of American rock band the Killers, are the songwriters for "Smile Like You Mean It".[1]

Geography and history

UK single formats included a 7-inch red vinyl, a CD single, and a 12-inch single.[2] The UK CD single includes the tracks "Smile Like You Mean It" and "Get Trashed"[2] The Australian CD single includes "Smile Like You Mean It", "Change Your Mind", and a remix of "Mr Brightside"[2] A digital remix single was released on June 7, 2019, containing three tracks.[3][4]

According to the band, the composition of this song took only eight minutes.[5] In the US, this track served as the third single from the album, while in the UK it was the fourth.[1] On Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown for 2004, the song placed at number 39, having gained significant radio play across Australia.[1]

What the cited sources add

Billboard described the song as dealing with "coming to terms with growing up and getting older"[6] Chuck Arnold with People magazine called the song "a sardonic moper worthy of the Smiths"[6] Billboard also noted the single is "more restrained and downtempo compared with the band's previous hits" but "pretty upbeat" with "soaring new wave synthesizers"[6] David Gray performed an acoustic version of the song on BBC's Radio 1 Live Lounge.[7]

A remix of the song was created by French producer Madeon.[7]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Smile Like You Mean It" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Hottest 100 Archive: 2004", Australian Broadcasting Company (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Smile Like You Mean It" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Smile Like You Mean It", Lizard King Records, 2005 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Smile Like You Mean It (Remixes) – Single", Apple Music, June 7, 2019. facts only, no text reused. music.apple.com
  4. Wikipedia, "Smile Like You Mean It" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Smile Like You Mean It (Remixes) – Single", Apple Music, June 7, 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Smile Like You Mean It" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "TheKillersShows on Twitter: "@BrandonFlowers explaining the line "Looking back at sunsets on the east side" (Smile Like You Mean It) #thekillers #samstown10 @thekillers"", Twitter.com, November 6, 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Smile Like You Mean It" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Caulfield, Keith; Paoletta, Michael (March 26, 2005), "Smile Like You Mean It". Billboard. 117 (13):29; Arnold, Chuck (June 12, 2004), "Hot Fuss (Music)". People. 62 (23):48; Caulfield, Keith; Paoletta, Michael (March 26, 2005), "Smile Like You Mean It". Billboard. 117 (13):29; "Smile Like You Mean It by The Killers", Song of the Decade; Lane, "The 20 Best Killers Songs", Paste, August 25, 2020; Walthall, "The Killers Top 10 Songs", American Songwriter, August 26, 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Smile Like You Mean It" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "David Gray - Smile Like You Mean It (Acoustic)", August 30, 2008; "The Killers - Smile Like You Mean It (Madeon Remix)" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Smile Like You Mean It (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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