McCartney was known to be depressed following the break-up of The Beatles, and found solace in music and the love of Linda. The chorus – a repetition of the title – was McCartney with his head held high, finding positivity in spite of the insults of his various friends.
Musically, ‘Smile Away’ harked back to the rock ‘n’ roll years of the late 1950s and early 60s, featuring a swing beat, overdriven guitars and harmony vocals. Ram was intended to be a step away from the underproduced homemade sound of 1970’s McCartney, yet ‘Smile Away’ was a live-sounding ensemble performance, a step away from the intricate production elsewhere on the album.
In some European countries and in Japan the Ram song ‘Eat At Home’ was issued as a single, with ‘Smile Away’ as its b-side. The introduction was slightly edited to remove the crossfade from ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’.
Smile Away
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Woohoo
I was walking down the street the other day
Who did I meet?
I met a friend of mine and he did say
Man, I can smell your feet a mile away
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah smile away
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah smile away
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah smile away
I was walking down the street the other day
Ah, who did I meet?
I met a friend of mine and he did say
Man, I can smell your breath a mile away
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah smile away
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah smile away
Smile away, come on now, hoo, sweet little girl, smile away
Yes, sir smile away, now smile away, quietly now
Hoo hoo
Smile away now
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yes, sir, smile away
Ah, who did I meet?
I met a friend of mine and he did say
Well, I can smell your teeth a mile away
Smile away, oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away
Oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away
Oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh
The song "Smile Away" by Paul McCartney appears to be a lighthearted and playful tune, featuring a simple and repetitive melody, with an upbeat tempo that is ideal for dancing. The lyrics of the song are rather humorous, describing a series of encounters with friends who comment on the singer's body odor. Despite the potentially embarrassing nature of the comments, the singer encourages everyone to simply "smile away" and not be bothered by the criticism.
The first verse introduces the humorous scenario, with the singer encountering a friend on the street who comments on the stink of his feet. The chorus then repeats the phrase "smile away" several times, urging listeners to put on a happy face and not let such comments get them down. The second verse offers a similar scenario, with a friend commenting on the smell of the singer's breath. Again, the chorus offers a cheerful admonition to simply smile and let it slide. The third verse takes the humor one step further, with the friend now able to smell the singer's teeth from a distance.
Overall, the song is intended to be a fun and light-hearted anthem encouraging listeners to not take themselves too seriously and to keep their spirits up even in the face of teasing or criticism. The catchy melody and repetitive chorus make it an earworm that is sure to get stuck in your head, and the playful lyrics might just make you chuckle too.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four
Counting to start the song.
Woohoo
Exclamation of excitement or joy.
I was walking down the street the other day
Narrating a story about himself walking in the street.
Who did I meet?
Expressing curiosity about who he met.
I met a friend of mine and he did say
Telling who he met and quoting his friend.
Man, I can smell your feet a mile away
His friend noticed a strong smell from his feet.
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah smile away
Encouraging to smile and forget the embarrassing moment.
Ah, who did I meet?
Repeating the question about who he met.
Man, I can smell your breath a mile away
Quoting a friend who noticed a bad breath on him.
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah smile away
Encouraging to smile and forget another embarrassing moment.
Smile away, come on now, hoo, sweet little girl, smile away
Directing a sweet little girl to smile.
Yes, sir smile away, now smile away, quietly now
Encouraging someone to quietly smile.
Hoo hoo
Expressing excitement and joy.
Smile away now
Asking someone to smile again.
Smile away, smile away, smile away, yes, sir, smile away
Encouraging to smile again and showing respect.
Well, I can smell your teeth a mile away
Quoting another person who noticed a bad smell from his teeth.
Smile away, oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away
Encouraging to keep smiling, despite the embarrassing moments.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away
Repeating the encouraging phrase to keep smiling.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, smile away, oh, oh
Continuing to encourage to smile.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bluetop Guitar
The whole album flows. I can listen to it and not get tired of it. One of his best.
thetrevorosborne
A real underrated gem
Soul of the Troll Productions
with a big philosophical comment, too! Give them your undivided difference if they are mean!! Just smile away!
R Kardos
This song is so much deeper then I ever realized....when people talk junk about you just...smile away
Lisa Lentile
I can never get tired of hearing Paul I can't say that about the others
ronnie toots
RAM maybe one of the best 100 albums of all time.....I want this record when I am on the deserted island...I could listen to the whole album 1 hundred times!!!!
Javier Muñoz López
I can’t believe that Ram isn’t in the Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the best albums
Bigga Winna Crapsa
I've listened to it at least that many times. Without picking and choosing tracks.
jasmine beth
ronnie toots, I’d go as far as putting it into the top 50 albums of all time. Albeit, out side the top 25.
Worldtalker
That is so cool how his bass guitar explodes at 2:45 with Linda's great harmonies!