Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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She Smiled Sweetly
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

RCA Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, August 3 - 11, 1966 and
Pye Studios & Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, November 8 - 26, 1966

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, tambourine
Keith Richards - electric guitar, bass, organ, harmony vocals
Charlie Watts - drums
Jack Nitzsche - piano

Why do my thoughts loom so large on me
They seem to stay, for day after day
And won't disappear, I've tried every way

But she smiled sweetly, she smiled sweetly
She smiled sweetly and says don't worry
Oh, no, no, no

Where does she hide it inside of her
That keeps her peace most every day
And won't disappear, my hair's turning grey

But she smiled sweetly, she smiled sweetly
She smiled sweetly and says don't worry

There's nothing in why or when
There's no use trying, you're here
Begin again, and ov'r again

That's what she said so softly
I understood for once in my life
And feeling good most all of the time

Cause she smiled sweetly, she smiled sweetly
She smiled sweetly and said don't worry
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no

Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Between The Buttons” LP
(Decca SKL 4852) UK, January 20, 1967



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-05-05 08:52 by René.

I'm sure many here won't agree, but this track seems to have a Dylan influence and reminds me of Just Like A Woman.

I agree.

This is one of the finest ballads ever written. ...Dylan ... well maybe ...



2 1 2 0

Great song, and it's a shame they did not release the only live Version they did in the modern era (just forgot where and when it was but it was great!).

I regret that they don't have a 'ballad section' in their setlists where they perform songs like this. They would make very touching moments in between the 'rockers'.

One of my 60s-Stones-Favorites ... Great song, nice meldoy, this song is something special ... It was nicely used at the film "The Royal Tenenbaums":





It starts at 1:32 ....

Jagger called it crap, he was right.

Great singing, beautiful track. Love it.

[www.youtube.com]

At 13:40 he talks about She Smiled Sweetly (and Gomper....)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-28 11:43 by NEWMAN.

A lovely song that fits in brilliantly with the bohemian, hedonistic atmosphere of swinging London that was captured so well on Between The Buttons.

Mick and Keith were digging deep into their creativity to conjure up songs like this, Lady Jane, Ruby Tuesday and She's A Rainbow around this time.

I'd say that 66/67 was probably their most creative era and they had the good fortune of having peer pressure from the the likes of The Beatles and The Beach Boys who were also veering off the beaten pop track to come up with modern chamber music masterpieces like God Only Knows and Eleanor Rigby.

Was the song inspired by Marianne? Who knows but Maid Marianne surely proved to be as important a muse as any that Mick's ever had to aid his songwriting, taking him away from his misogeny and opening him to a world of beauty and gracefulness that informed his lyrics on albums from Between The Buttons to Beggar's Banquet.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-28 12:29 by Silver Dagger.

A harmless, unremarkable pop ditty.

Drew

My biggest memory of this one is that people bitched about how they played it ta Roseland -- "too rough".

The Popping Stones ... this says it all ...

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saltoftheearth
Great song, and it's a shame they did not release the only live Version they did in the modern era (just forgot where and when it was but it was great!).

I regret that they don't have a 'ballad section' in their setlists where they perform songs like this. They would make very touching moments in between the 'rockers'.

30th September 2002, New York City, Roseland Ballroom

Not a fan of most of the Between the Buttons type stuff, but this is one of the ones I love. Heard a Buckingham/Nicks version that kind of amps up the eeriness factor, which the Stones hint at but approach more in a poppy vein.

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saltoftheearth

I regret that they don't have a 'ballad section' in their setlists where they perform songs like this. They would make very touching moments in between the 'rockers'.

Remember on Voodoo Lounge they would do three ballads? Mick would never do that now.

It's not bad, I like it when I'm ready for it. Is this on Between the Buttons? If it is, it fits in nicely with the other tracks on that album (soundwise and that it's a ballad).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-28 19:54 by nightskyman.

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René
Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
_______________________________________________________________________________

She Smiled Sweetly
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

RCA Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, August 3 - 11, 1966 and
Pye Studios & Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, November 8 - 26, 1966

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, tambourine
Keith Richards - electric guitar, bass, organ, harmony vocals
Charlie Watts - drums
Jack Nitzsche - piano

Why do my thoughts loom so large on me
They seem to stay, for day after day
And won't disappear, I've tried every way

But she smiled sweetly, she smiled sweetly
She smiled sweetly and says don't worry
Oh, no, no, no

Where does she hide it inside of her
That keeps her peace most every day
And won't disappear, my hair's turning grey

But she smiled sweetly, she smiled sweetly
She smiled sweetly and says don't worry

There's nothing in why or when
There's no use trying, you're here
Begging again, and ov'r again

That's what she said so softly
I understood for once in my life
And feeling good most all of the time

Cause she smiled sweetly, she smiled sweetly
She smiled sweetly and said don't worry
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
Oh, no, no, no

Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Between The Buttons” LP
(Decca SKL 4852) UK, January 20, 1967

Saw them do this at Roseland!!!

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fahthree

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saltoftheearth

I regret that they don't have a 'ballad section' in their setlists where they perform songs like this. They would make very touching moments in between the 'rockers'.

Remember on Voodoo Lounge they would do three ballads? Mick would never do that now.

Weren't already over me, thief, and always suffering ballads?

For that matter, a third of the songs off ABB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-29 05:25 by treaclefingers.

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Silver Dagger


I'd say that 66/67 was probably their most creative era and they had the good fortune of having peer pressure from the the likes of The Beatles and The Beach Boys who were also veering off the beaten pop track to come up with modern chamber music masterpieces like God Only Knows and Eleanor Rigby.

And I sure hear the Kinks on "Between the Buttons."

Yeah, some of those ballads would be great to break up the Tumbling Crap warhorses. I watched Hyde Park for the second time Saturday night and Ruby Tuesday was the highlight, although it was done better, and more surprisingly on the Steel Wheels tour. Too bad Jagger doesn't have enough confidence in his own material to just impose a couple old songs on the audience. You can see them come to life when it takes them a minute to recognize a song, and then the joy that goes through the crowd.

She Smiled Sweetly is a great song, that they should do more often.

Do we know anything about who wrote this? I have always wondered whether this was a mostly Keith contribution
(during last gasps of the Linda Keith era).

- swiss

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Wry Cooter

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Silver Dagger


I'd say that 66/67 was probably their most creative era and they had the good fortune of having peer pressure from the the likes of The Beatles and The Beach Boys who were also veering off the beaten pop track to come up with modern chamber music masterpieces like God Only Knows and Eleanor Rigby.

And I sure hear the Kinks on "Between the Buttons."

Oh God yeah - Face To Face must have had a big influence and those wonderful songs like Dead End Street, Well Respected Man and Dedicated Follower Of Fashion.

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swiss
Do we know anything about who wrote this? I have always wondered whether this was a mostly Keith contribution
(during last gasps of the Linda Keith era).

- swiss

No idea. No, ideas yes, but no knowledge... Could be a classical Jagger/Richard model: Keith, music and some phares, Mick, rest of the lyrics, but as we know, this was the time when they started making songs separately, both writing (about) all the music and lyrics alone ("Ruby Tuesday", "Yesterday's Papers"). We can only quess.

Yeah, Linda Keith connection, similar to "Ruby Tuesday", might point out to Keith's direction. Always thought it belonging to the same thematic as "Ruby Tuesday" and "Just Like A Woman" painting us a picture of a cool hippie girl, this time not so restless and calmer. However, just saw this interesting quote by Jagger from 1967:

This is very religious - it was HE Smiled Sweetly but someone changed it. A quasi-religious up-tempo shuffler. (credits to timeisonourside.com)

An early case of something non-affair-like is translated to the form of it? Well, a sad turn in a relationship could make one wonder existential problems, so who knows...

- Doxa

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Silver Dagger

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Wry Cooter

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Silver Dagger


I'd say that 66/67 was probably their most creative era and they had the good fortune of having peer pressure from the the likes of The Beatles and The Beach Boys who were also veering off the beaten pop track to come up with modern chamber music masterpieces like God Only Knows and Eleanor Rigby.

And I sure hear the Kinks on "Between the Buttons."

Oh God yeah - Face To Face must have had a big influence and those wonderful songs like Dead End Street, Well Respected Man and Dedicated Follower Of Fashion.

Connection owes a lot to Party Line as well. The verses on those two songs are very similar melodically ("I wish I had a more direct connection" vs. "Everything is going in the wrong direction")

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DandelionPowderman

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Silver Dagger

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Wry Cooter

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Silver Dagger


I'd say that 66/67 was probably their most creative era and they had the good fortune of having peer pressure from the the likes of The Beatles and The Beach Boys who were also veering off the beaten pop track to come up with modern chamber music masterpieces like God Only Knows and Eleanor Rigby.

And I sure hear the Kinks on "Between the Buttons."

Oh God yeah - Face To Face must have had a big influence and those wonderful songs like Dead End Street, Well Respected Man and Dedicated Follower Of Fashion.

Connection owes a lot to Party Line as well. The verses on those two songs are very similar melodically ("I wish I had a more direct connection" vs. "Everything is going in the wrong direction")

100 per cent with you on that one Dandy. Nice detective work.

I've always heard it as "You're here - BEGIN again". Doesn't make any more sense than "begging", but I'm sure that's what Mick sings.

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Green Lady
I've always heard it as "You're here - BEGIN again". Doesn't make any more sense than "begging", but I'm sure that's what Mick sings.

LOL, yes, Jagger pronounces the word so oddly. I always nopted that too.
He went through a period where he was pronouncing "soldier" just the way it is spelled too. "soul-dee-er', not "souljer".
But SSS is an odd song. I love it. BTB was my first Stones album, so I remember hearing it as a little kid, and this song always stood out. The mix is strange with that bass and organ so prominent. The bass is the guitar of the song. And Jagger seems right there in your grille. You can feel his breath on you.

About Anita? Linda Keith? Branita? Brian?

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O2

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saltoftheearth
Great song, and it's a shame they did not release the only live Version they did in the modern era (just forgot where and when it was but it was great!).

I regret that they don't have a 'ballad section' in their setlists where they perform songs like this. They would make very touching moments in between the 'rockers'.

30th September 2002, New York City, Roseland Ballroom

I was there. And it was awesome.