Smiling Faces Sometimes

"Smiling Faces Sometimes"
"Smiling Faces Sometimes"
Single by the Undisputed Truth
from the album The Undisputed Truth
B-side	"You Got the Love I Need"
Released	May 13, 1971
Recorded	1971
Studio	Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A); Detroit, Michigan
Genre	Psychedelic soul; pop-funk;
Length	3:16
Label	Gordy G 7108
Songwriter(s)	Norman Whitfield ; Barrett Strong
Producer(s)	Norman Whitfield
The Undisputed Truth singles chronology

"Smiling Faces Sometimes" is a soul song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label. It was originally recorded by the Temptations in 1971. Producer Norman Whitfield had the song re-recorded by the Undisputed Truth the same year, resulting in a number-three Billboard Hot 100 position for the group. "Smiling Faces" was the only Top 40 single released by the Undisputed Truth, and was included on their debut album The Undisputed Truth.

Overview

Both versions of "Smiling Faces Sometimes" deal with the same subject matter, "back-stabbing" friends who do their friends wrong behind their backs ("Smiling faces sometimes...they don't tell the truth...smiling faces tell lies"), but in different ways. The lyrics inform the Listener to not be fooled by the smile, the handshake, or the pat on the back. The Temptations' original uses an arrangement similar to a haunted house film score to represent feelings of fear and timidness. Included on the 1971 Sky's the Limit album, "Smiling Faces Sometimes" runs over 12 minutes, most of which is extended instrumental passages without any vocals. This version established the epic, cinematic approach to the group's productions that Whitfield would perfect on subsequent hits like "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (1972) and "Masterpiece" (1973). An edited version was planned as the Temptations' summer 1971 single release, but this plan was dropped when lead vocalist Eddie Kendricks, frustrated by personnel problems within the group, quit the Temptations and signed a solo deal with Motown in March 1971.

Whitfield was known for recording dramatically different versions of the same song with different Motown artists, including Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (re-recorded as hit records for Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Marvin Gaye) and the Temptations' "War" (re-recorded as a hit for Edwin Starr). After Kendricks left The Temptations, an undaunted Whitfield re-recorded the song with his latest protégés, psychedelic trio the Undisputed Truth. Their version is noted for the line: "Can You Dig It". Billboard ranked the resulting single as the number 14 song for 1971.^[2]

The O'Jays' similarly themed 1972 hit "Back Stabbers" quotes the lyrics "smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes...(tell lies)" in the refrain near the end of the song.

Whitfield later revisited the song for the 1973 album Ma, recorded by Motown's white rock band, Rare Earth, which he produced and wrote.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1971)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles^[3]	6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[4]	3
U.S. Billboard R&B/Soul	2
U.S. Easy Listening (Billboard)^[5]	34
U.S. Cash Box Top 100^[6]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1971)	Rank
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 ^[7]	14
U.S. Cash Box ^[8]	19
U.S. R&B/Soul (Billboard)^[9]	17

Personnel

Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
Produced by Norman Whitfield
Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers

Temptations version

Lead vocals by Eddie Kendricks and Dennis Edwards
Background vocals by Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, and Otis Williams

Undisputed Truth version

Lead and background vocals by Joe Harris, Billie Rae Calvin, and Brenda Joyce

Rare Earth version

Released on their 1973 album Ma, also produced by Norman Whitfield, with lead vocals by Peter Hoorelbeke. Contains Spanish lyrics at the beginning that are ignored in all transcriptions of the lyrics.

References

^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 436. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1971
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1971-09-18. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 244.
^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 18, 1971". Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
^ "Top 100 Hits of 1971/Top 100 Songs of 1971". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971". Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
^ Billboard. 1971-12-25. p. 15. Retrieved 2016-10-03.

External links

List of cover versions of "Smiling Faces Sometimes" at SecondHandSongs.com
The Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces Sometimes on YouTube

[Marsh_1989-1] Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 436. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.

[2] Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1971

[3] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1971-09-18. Retrieved 2017-04-04.

[4] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[5] Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 244.

[6] "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 18, 1971". Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2017.

[7] "Top 100 Hits of 1971/Top 100 Songs of 1971". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.

[8] "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971". Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2017.

[9] Billboard. 1971-12-25. p. 15. Retrieved 2016-10-03.

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