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Smiley Faces
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| "Smiley Faces" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Gnarls Barkley | ||||
| from the album St. Elsewhere | ||||
| B-side | "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" | |||
| Released | July 17, 2006 | |||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | Warner Music, Lex | |||
| Songwriters | Brian Burton, Thomas Callaway | |||
| Producer | Danger Mouse | |||
| Gnarls Barkley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 UK CD2 cover | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Smiley Faces" on YouTube | ||||
"Smiley Faces" is a song by American soul music duo Gnarls Barkley from their debut studio album, St. Elsewhere (2006). It was released July 17, 2006, as the second single from that album in the United Kingdom and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
Critical reception
[edit]"Smiley Faces" received positive reception from music critics. NME called the song the duo's "next inevitable Number One" after the single "Crazy", saying that they've "created more blazing Motown for the modern man, where searing, quasi-religious soul vocals flutter over dirty bass and pumped-up nods to spaceship electro."[1] In a review of St. Elsewhere, Grant "Gumshoe" Purdum of Tiny Mix Tapes noted the song as an example of Danger Mouse's "production savvy" on the album, pointing out its "mid-song dolphin calls and opulent organ lines".[2]
Music videos
[edit]Like the single "Crazy", there are two different music videos for this song.
The mockumentary-style music video for "Smiley Faces", directed by Robert Hales shows a music historian (played by Dennis Hopper) and an A&R executive (played by Dean Stockwell) being interviewed about whether or not Gnarls Barkley (the person) exists and pondering over whether Barkley is behind the music scene. The video shows musical acts and cultural events from the 1920s to the 1990s, with Cee-Lo and producer Danger Mouse in the background. The effect is similar to that of Woody Allen editing himself into archival film footage in Zelig.[3] (Danger Mouse has spoken of Woody Allen's films, and Allen's auteur approach as having an influence on his music.[4]) In September 2007, the video won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing.[5]
There was another music video made directed by Marc Klasfeld and animated by Edgar Reyes, featuring an instant messaging smiley with a gangster smileys' wife (who takes her top off for him), going to a sex dungeon, killing the gangster with a chainsaw, getting arrested and sent to prison, getting broken out of prison by the gangsters' wife, being at a Gnarls Barkley concert (who were also both in smiley form), drinking a lot and being sick, going home with the gangsters wife and then her getting three of her topless friends, with the main smiley being very happy. This video was originally put on British music channels before the mockumentary video but was banned due to sexual content and violence.
Commercial performance
[edit]"Smiley Faces" entered the UK Official Download Chart on May 3, 2006, at number 152. It reached its peak at number 12 on July 9, 2006.[6][7] It then entered the UK Singles Chart on July 16, 2006, at number 23 based on download sales alone, climbing to number 10 after the physical release was available.[8]
Track listings
[edit]UK CD1
- "Smiley Faces"
- "Smiley Faces" (live on Later with Jools Holland)
UK CD2
- "Smiley Faces" (radio edit)
- "Go-Go Gadget Gospel"
- "Crazy" (video)
- "Exclusive Microsite"
UK 12-inch vinyl
- "Smiley Faces"
- "Go-Go Gadget Gospel"
- "Smiley Faces" (instrumental)
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from Tidal.[9]
- Danger Mouse – producer, writer, mixing engineer
- CeeLo Green – vocals, writer
- Menta Malone – backing vocals
- Tomika Walden – backing vocals
- Dr. President – bass guitar, electric guitar, organ
- Ben H. Allen – recording engineer, mixing engineer
- Kennie Takahashi – mixing engineer
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | July 17, 2006 | CD | [25] | |
| Australia | August 28, 2006 | Warner Music | [26] |
References
[edit]- ^ NME (June 23, 2006). "Gnarls Barkley: Smiley Faces". NME. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
- ^ Purdue, Grant 'Gumshoe'. "Music Review: Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
- ^ Peverini, Paolo (2010). Keazor, Henry; Wübbena, Thorsten (eds.). Rewind, Play, Fast Forward: The Past, Present and Future of the Music Video. Transaction Publishers. p. 146. ISBN 9783837611854. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ Evans, Patrice (December 16, 2011). "The Danger Mouse Factor: Checking in on the DJ Auteur". Hollywood Prospectus. Grantland. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ "MTV Video Music Awards 2007". MTV. Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
- ^ "The Official UK Top 200 Downloads", Yahoo!. URL last accessed on July 3, 2006.
- ^ "The Official UK Download Chart" BBC. URL last accessed on August 18, 2006
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart on 29/7/2006 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo Green & Danger Mouse - St. Elsewhere, May 9, 2006, retrieved August 26, 2025
- ^ "Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
- ^ "2007/14. heti Editors' Choice Top 40 slágerlista" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Gnarls Barkley". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 40, 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 29/7/2006 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200636 into search.
- ^ "Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces". Singles Top 100. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart on 29/7/2006 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. July 15, 2006. p. 23.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 28th August 2006" (PDF). ARIA. August 28, 2006. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2006. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
