I'll Never Smile Again
Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra & Frank Sinatra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is true
I'll never love again

I'm so in love with you
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you

Within my heart
I know I will never start

To smile again
Until I smile at you

Overall Meaning

Tommy Dorsey's song "I'll Never Smile Again" is a heartrending ballad that speaks of a love that has been lost and the emptiness that remains in its place. The opening lines "I'll never smile again, until I smile at you" is a clear indication that the singer's love interest has somehow left or died, and that this loss has brought forth an overwhelming sadness. The lyrics go on to state that the singer will never be able to laugh again, as it would only serve to remind them of the happy moments they shared with their partner. The sadness is palpable throughout the song, as tears fill the singer's eyes and they come to the realization that their love was true.

The song takes on a heartbreaking turn when the singer admits that they will never love again, as they are still so deeply in love with the one they lost. The final two lines, "Within my heart, I know I will never start to smile again until I smile at you", repeat the opening statement, bringing the song to a haunting close.

Overall, the lyrics of "I'll Never Smile Again" are a poignant depiction of the pain and emptiness that come with the loss of a loved one. They capture the raw emotion of grief and serve as a moving tribute to a love that was true.

Line by Line Meaning

I'll never smile again
I'm so heartbroken that I can't find anything to smile about

Until I smile at you
The only thing that can make me smile again is being with you

I'll never laugh again
I'm so sad that there's nothing to find humor in anymore

What good would it do
Even if I wanted to laugh, it wouldn't change my broken heart

For tears would fill my eyes
Thinking about our love brings me to tears

My heart would realize
The pain of losing you is too much for my heart to handle

That our romance is true
I know that our love was real and losing it hurts so much

I'll never love again
I'm so deeply in love with you that I can't see myself loving someone else

I'm so in love with you
My feelings for you are so strong that they consume me

I'll never thrill again
I'll never feel the excitement of being with someone new again

To somebody new
I could never find anyone that could compare to you

Within my heart
Deep down in my soul

I know I will never start
I know that I will never be able to move on

To smile again
To find happiness again

Until I smile at you
Until I'm able to be with you again

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GLENN OSSER, RUTH LOWE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@LordFrancisco1000

3y↑18

I'll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is true
I'll never love again
I'm so in love with you
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you

All comments from YouTube:

@scotnick59

3y↑47

The only version of this on Y.T. without the annoying "surface noise" heard from the very beginning. And this is evident on so-called "Re-Mastered" versions.

@the78prof72

3y↑13

Thanks. It's been a number of years since I created this restoration (spending a fair amount of time on it as I recall). Not perfect, but more listenable to my ears than the 'official' reissue version which had appeared repeatedly over the decades.

@moldyoldie7888

3y↑6

I'm glad the Victor master was released several years ago with the high level constant hiss. It explains why all their re-issues over the years were devoid of high frequencies. The version in the complete Dorsey-Sinatra CD set was a considerable improvement, and I could only guess as to how they did it. Some modern re-issues of other artists have suffered the same annoying low-pass filtering. And then there are the CD re-issues of LP albums made from the same tapes - Edison would have sounded better.

@MattKlocke

35w↑3

I like the surface noise, it's relaxing and authentic

@walterhaight5382

4y↑26

80 years later, Frank Sinatra is still charting in "Billboard". His "Ultimate Sinatra" album makes regular appearances in "The Billboard 200" chart.

@Pure_Havoc.

3y↑35

im not old, im around, 15 years old. but I still like the old stuff from the 40's, I want this to play at my funeral.

@connorbrien4086

2y↑5

I wish I knew u man. I'm 17 and have listened to music like this since I was your age. This song just always reminds me of one of my best friends who moved away. Whenever it plays I get into an indescribable zone and feel like I'm floating. And that feeling is exactly what I felt when I was around her until she moved far far away and I never saw her beautiful face again.

@Ashkan41

2y↑4

@Connor Brien thats devastating man just remember, life is not fair. I really hope you're doing well.

@adatcat

1y↑2

@Connor Brien <3

@mssnaro

1y↑2

Same bro same

@that1toad64

1y↑2

I'm so glad The Caretaker has introduced me and many other teens to these classic songs ❤

1 More Replies...

@jimhilliker2450

4y↑36

I'm certain my dear mother loved this record when she was 18, in 1940. She loved Dorsey and Sinatra, and would years later, tell me stories about her favorite music when she was this age. Thanks, mom.

@IntoTheAbyss.

2y↑4

Bless your soul, your mother is smiling at you from heaven

@Cont0rt

2y↑10

This is eerily nostalgic, like I've heard it before in a past life or something stupid like that.

@LordFrancisco1000

3y↑18

@salemalhajre965

Thanks🤍

@NickCC23

3y↑3

One of the greatest singers of all time in an early recording.

@SarahWestTheAmericanTailQueen

46w

One of the most outstanding songs from 1940. God Bless Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra Forever in Heaven.

@jadelee6555

1y↑2

Giving me Bioshock vibes. I love it.

@cynthiahawkins2389

5y↑31

Sigh - the celeste..and those blended voices. Jo Stafford, smooth as silk..and then Sinatra..does it get any better??

@MARKMANIATT

4y↑4

Cynthia Hawkins
No!

@philipnorris6542

4y↑2

Nice one, Cynthia.

@paulbrewer2374

3y↑7

And Tommy Dorsey’s muted trombone solo that begins at the 1:55 mark is one of the greatest trombone solos on a ballad ever played. I am a trombonist and what Tommy does with that tight mute in his horn is not easy.

@cadavredepaull5415

4y↑2

Can someone please do a Violin cover of this song?? It would sound so romantic! 🥺

@jerrym1183

2y↑2

Really doesn't get much better than this, is a beautiful restoration, thank you..

@joseluisvidal8913

3y↑2

Excellent!fantastic Tommy Dorsey and His orchestra & Frank Sinatra y The pied pipers 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻, thanks very much.

@xmyownsummer

So Calming. I love Dorsey and the Pied Pipers with Frank! Appreciate their work alot. Big Band era was too Magnificent.

@anautisticpersonxd3324

Beautiful song! 🥰

@scotnick59

2y↑2

My Great Aunt Effie had a beautiful daughter named Gene (she was like a combination of Jeanette MacDonald and Gail Russell according to her photos) who died of T.B. in 1941 at 25.. She just priorly broken-up with a boyfriend she loved dearly and this was her favorite song.

@miguelosvaldofloresdomingu8911

Historic record!

@christiangelbke986

21w

Not to forget: Written by Ruth Lowe! 😊

@mikeschneider1624

2y↑2

I bought a Phonograph some years ago when flying, i got a bunch of
shellacs with it for free. This was one them, this was THE one. I played this on this thing before i went to the parties in berlin, germany. It made everything so much better, this is 2018 not 1940. I met one of the Dorsey Brothers original band members in one of my bars, he did not want to talk to me because i was too drunk, if only he would have known.