One SMiLE question that never seems to get asked...

[Jay]

I was thinking about SMiLE the other night, and something hit me. There is one question that never gets asked, but is so glaringly obvious, that asking this question seems like a no brainer(at least to me). Why didn't Brian and the rest of the group record the song Smile? I'm talking about the old song written by Charlie Chaplin. Brian was doing The Old Master Painter, and I Wanna Be Around, and You Are My Sunshine, so why not record the one song that seems to sum up the overall essence of SMiLE?

[Ron]

Maybe he didn't know the song?  The title seemed like it was a bit of an afterthought anyways, wasn't it "Dumb Angel" and Brian's stated reason for changing it was to make it more positive?  Or, if he did know the song, maybe he didn't like the song.  OR, maybe he didn't want to pay Michael Jackson the royalties.  Of course that would involve a time machine or something, or Brian being clarivoyant so he'd know that Michael would buy the song in the 90's.  Still, he may have known.  We haven't completely gotten this whole Brian thing figured out, who knows what he's capable of. 

[Ed Roach]

You know, I did a film, (that Dennis assisted on the soundtrack with), back in '76, that was called "15 Big Ones".  And I used Brian singing "Smile" a cappella, from a radio interview, over the Smile section of that film

[Don_Zabu]

Doesn't seem to fit, really.

[Ron]

Good Point.

[Jay]

You know, I did a film, (that Dennis assisted on the soundtrack with), back in '76, that was called "15 Big Ones".  And I used Brian singing "Smile" a cappella, from a radio interview, over the Smile section of that film

I REALLY want to see that film.