The Shadow of Your Smile

By Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster
1965

One of the last of the great Academy Award winning movie songs of the traditional "songbook" era, this instant classic by arranger/bandleader Mandel and prolific lyricist Webster also won the Grammy for Song of the Year. Introduced in the Liz Taylor/Richard Burton film The Sandpiper by Mandel's orchestra, it was first recorded lyrically by singer Astrud Gilberto. Following the film, there was an explosion of recordings of the song throughout the late 1960s, with many artists of the old-school, lost in the burgeoning rock and roll era, latching on to it for its melodic beauty and poignant words. The one to be most successful with it at the time was Tony Bennett. Today, it remains a popular selection among instrumental groups and jazz bands, and was even recorded in 1992 by British actor Ian McShane.

Lyrics:

One day we walked along the sand
One day in early spring
You held a piper in your hand
To mend its broken wing
Now I'll remember many a day
And many a lonely mile
The echo of a piper's song
The shadow of a smile

The shadow of your smile
When you are gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn
Look into my eyes
My love and see
All the lovely things
You are to me

Our wistful little star
Was far too high
A teardrop kissed your lips
And so did I
Now when I remember spring
All the joy that love can bring
I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile

Recorded By:

Peggy Lee
Ray Conniff
Sammy Davis Jr. & Laurindo Almeida
Ferrante & Teicher
Barbra Streisand

Like Young

By Andre Previn and Paul Francis Webster
1959

Last Thursday, February 28, we lost the brilliant Andre Previn, celebrated classical and jazz composer, musician and conductor. A man of many talents, Previn even dabbled in pop music, and today we spotlight what might be his best and most memorable pop song, written with lyrics by Paul Webster, the Oscar-winning lyricist of "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", "Secret Love" and "The Shadow of Your Smile". Both the melody and lyrics were emblematic of the beat generation culture of the 1950s, with Webster's words in particular glorifying that lifestyle, complete with hipster slang. Previn himself introduced the song on record with a piano instrumental accompanied by the David Rose Orchestra that was nominated for the Best Record Grammy, losing to Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife".

Lyrics:

I'm out doin' the usual places
And I'm livin' it, like young
Then I dig me this face of all faces
He's the craziest, like young

He drinks coffee at Cafe Espresso
He reads Kerouac, like young
He goes where all the angry young men go
Recites poetry, like young

We start blowin' the pad around lovin'
And we're homin' it, like now
We spin records on cloud number seven
And he's reachin' me, like wow

I'm all unstrung 'cause, man
He's got me feelin' like young
If he were to brush me and go
I'm starting to wear my hair again
Like a square again

I keep gettin' the kookiest notion
I think maybe it's like love
I've been feelin' a crazy emotion
I think, baby, it's like love

Now we're ridin' a rainbow to Cloudsville
And we're makin' it like young
Love soft as April snow
Love warm as candle glow
Love, love is easy to go

I'm all unstrung 'cause, man
He's got me feelin' like young
Without him I'm no good at all
Without him I'm less than a decimal

I keep gettin' the kookiest notion
I think maybe it's like love
I've been feelin' a crazy emotion
I think, baby, it's like love

Now we're ridin' a rainbow to Cloudsville or Wowsville
We're makin' it, makin' it like, like, like young

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald
Martin Denny
Perry Como
Henry Mancini
Buddy Greco