Two movies that I loved when I was growing up were My Girl and My Girl 2. The main character of these two movies was a girl named Vada. Because of this, whenever My Girl or My Girl 2 were on TV, I would say to my mom, “Vada’s on!” 😛 I called both of the movies “Vada.” 😀

I remember that when I watched My Girl 2 for the first time, I loved the part when Vada watches a video of her mother singing. Here is the clip:

I thought the song Vada’s mother sang was SO BEAUTIFUL! Since I loved singing when I was a kid, I remember singing this song a lot. 😉

This song was stuck in my head this week, and so I wanted to write about it. 🙂

Prior to writing this post, I knew nothing about this song, other than that “Vada’s mom sang it.” 😛

I was surprised to learn that “Smile” was an instrumental piece written by Charlie Chaplin. Later, the song had lyrics added to it, and Nat King Cole was the first musical artist to record the later version of “Smile.”

Lyrics:

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through for you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying?
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

WOW! ❤ I cannot believe that this was the FIRST time I had ever heard Nat King Cole’s version. It is incredibly beautiful! ❤

When I was on YouTube looking for videos of the song to include in my post, I was so excited to find a video of Judy Garland singing the song! ❤

Judy Garland has always been one of my favorite singers. ❤ Her version gave me goosebumps. 🙂

What do you think of “Smile”? Whose version of the song do you like the best?

“Smile” has a really important message. We must keep moving forward. Feel how you feel, but do not get trapped in your emotions. There is always something we can be grateful for—even in the darkest of times.

I hope that you remember “Smile” whenever you experience a hardship.

Wishing you well! ❤