Standards · 1954

Smile chords & key

Charles Chaplin · Lyrics: Geoffrey Parsons, John Turner

Key: F major
Form: ABAC
Bars: 34
Groove: Ballad
Time signature: 4/4
Year: 1954

“Smile” is a jazz standard by Charles Chaplin from 1954. It is usually played in F major as a ballad, and the 34-bar ABAC form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 8 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 9 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

F^maj7

A♭^dim7

G^m7

D⁷

G^m7

B♭^m7

E♭⁷

F^maj7

G^m7

C⁷

F^maj7

A♭^dim7

G^m7

D⁷

G^m7

B♭^m7

E♭⁷

F^maj7

G^m7

C⁷

F⁶

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

2Major ii–V–I

0Minor ii–V–i

4ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

0Dominant chains

8Different chords

Most used chords

F^maj7×14
G^m7×8
A♭^dim7×2
D⁷×2
B♭^m7×2
E♭⁷×2

Characteristics

ABAC song form

History

"Smile" is a song based on the theme song used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Recorded on these albums

1962	I Left My Heart in San Francisco Tony Bennett
1964	Dream With Dean: The Intimate Dean Martin Dean Martin
1966	Movie Song Album Tony Bennett
1973	Sittin’ on Top of the World Dean Martin
1974	Great Connection Oscar Peterson
2003	The Movie Album Barbra Streisand
2007	Live in Concert 2006 Barbra Streisand
2024	Meanwhile Eric Clapton
2026	The Chaplin Project Stochelo Rosenberg, Mozes Rosenberg & Matheus Nicolaiewsky

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Just A Gigolo 32%	Leonello Casucci	F major	AB · 16	Medium swing
That's Amore (That's Love) 29%	Warren-Brooks	B♭ major	AB · 32	Medium swing
Avalon 24%	Jolson-Sylva-Rose	B♭ major	AB · 32	Up-tempo swing
Get Out Of Town 22%	Cole Porter	B♭ major	AB · 32	Medium swing
Groovin' High 21%	Dizzy Gillespie	E♭ major	AA · 32	Up-tempo swing
Hungaria 20%	Django Reinhardt	G major	ABAC · 32	Medium-up swing
I've Got A Crush On You 20%	George Gershwin	B♭ major	AB · 18	Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is Smile in?

Smile is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote Smile?

Smile was written by Charles Chaplin (1954).

What is the form of Smile?

Smile has 4 sections (ABAC) with 34 bars in total.

How fast is Smile played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to Smile?

The opening bars are Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.