The Sunshine of Your Smile

"The Sunshine of Your Smile" is a British popular song published in London in 1913 just before the First World War by Francis, Day and Hunter. The lyrics were by Leonard Cooke and the music by Lilian Ray.^[1] It became a top ten hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1980, sung by Mike Berry.

Original sheet music from 1913

Lyrics

The following lyrics are taken from the sheet music published in 1913:^[1][2]

Verse 1:

Dear face that holds so sweet a smile for me,

Were you not mine, how dark the world would be!

I know no light above that could replace

Love's radiant sunshine in your dear, dear face.

Refrain:

Give me your smile, the love-light in your eyes,

Life could not hold a fairer Paradise!

Give me the right to love you all the while,

My world for ever, the sunshine of your smile!

Verse 2:

Shadows may fall upon the land and sea,

Sunshine from all the world may hidden be;

But I shall see no cloud across the sun;

Your smile shall light my life, till life is done!

Refrain:

Give me your smile, the love-light in your eyes,

Life could not hold a fairer Paradise!

Give me the right to love you all the while,

My world for ever, the sunshine of your smile!

Recordings

Below is a list of artists who have recorded the song and the recording date and record information (where known):

• Olga, Elga and Eli Hudson, 1914^[3]
• Fred Douglas, 1914^[3]
• Ernest Pike, 1914^[3]
• Jessie Broughton, c. 1915^{[citation needed]}
• William Thomas, c. 1915, Regal G6745
• Gertie Dickeson, 1915^[3]
• Lambert Murphy, 1916, Victor 55069
• John McCormack, 1916,^[4] Victor 64622
• Norah Johnson, 1916^[3]
• Riccardo Stracciari, 1919, Columbia 49590
• Tamaki Miura, 1922, Nipponophone 15065
• Charles Hackett, 1927, Columbia 4042
• Tito Schipa, 1930, Victor 1451 (Sung in Spanish)
• Jussi Björling, 1931, Swedish HMV X3724^[5] (Sung in Swedish)
• Django Reinhardt & Le Quintette du Hot Club De France, April 1935
• Lilian Davies, 1930^[3]
• Frank Sinatra, 1941,^{[citation needed]} Victor 27638
• James Melton, 1950^{[citation needed]}
• Mike Berry, 1980

References

 

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Sunshine of Your Smile (Cooke and Ray)

1. "The Sunshine of Your Smile", Sheet music, Francis, Day & Hunter, 1915.
2. Copyright Status: Leonard Cooke died on 25 May 1919, so the lyrics included in this article have been out of copyright in the UK since: 1 January 1990
3. The AHRC Research Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music. Accessed 27 April 2013
4. Tyler, Don (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era. McFarland. p. 88. ISBN 978-0786429462.
5. Chronological list of Jussi Björling's recordings