Song · Lily Allen
“Smile” by Lily Allen
From the album Alright, Still (2006)
“Smile” by Lily Allen appears on 14 radio countdowns from 11 stations between 2006 and 2026. It was first released in 2006 on the album Alright, Still. Its best result is #15 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2006. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #173 alternative song of 2007.
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Video from YouTube (Lily Allen). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Smile" was Lily Allen's debut single, the first real taste of her 2006 album Alright, Still on Regal, after her demos had already built her a following on Myspace. She wrote it with Iyiola Babalola and Darren Lewis, and it lifts from the Soul Brothers' "Free Soul", and Jackie Mittoo and Clement "Coxsone" Dodd also appear in the credits.
It's sunny rocksteady with a sting in its tail: a breakup song where she watches the cheating boyfriend fall apart and enjoys every minute, sung sweet over a bouncing bass and a brass section of trombone, sax and trumpet. It spent two weeks at the top of the UK chart and went gold in America. Sophie Muller's video, with Allen hiring thugs to rough up her ex, got banned on MTV for its language, and a Simlish version even turned up for promotion.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 84 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2006 | 106 |
| 2006 | 75 | Y100 Philadelphia, PA | Y100 Top 88.5 Songs of 2006 | 89 |
| 2006 | 15 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2006 | 100 |
| 2007 | 50 | WFNX Boston, MA | WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2007 | 100 |
| 2007 | 76 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2007 | 101 |
| 2007 | 87 | KWOD Sacramento, CA | KWOD Top 106 Songs of 2007 | 106 |
| 2007 | 73 | WXPN Philadelphia, PA | WXPN Year in Review: Top 100 Songs of 2007 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 415 | WTMD | WTMD Listeners' Top 897 Songs, 2003-2018 | 896 |
| 2022 | 104 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 152 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2024 | 677 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 136 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
| 2025 | 198 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) | 714 |
| 2026 | 209 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
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