Sara Smile
"Sara Smile" is a song written and recorded by the American musical duo Hall & Oates. It was released as the third single from their album Daryl Hall & John Oates. The song was the group's first top 40 and first top ten hit in the US, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
For the Jimmy Wayne album, see Sara Smile (album)."Sara Smile"
1975
1975
3:07
Chris Bond, Daryl Hall, John Oates
Release and chart performance[edit]
"Sara Smile" first appeared in August 1975 as the second cut on the RCA Records album Daryl Hall & John Oates. The song was performed by Hall & Oates during their September–November 1975 tour in support of the album, with a reviewer noting that listeners who liked "She's Gone" would also like the softer ballad "Sara Smile".[4] In late 1975, "Sara Smile" was prepared as a 45 rpm 7-inch single release – the third single from the album. It first entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart on January 31, 1976, at number 91.[5]
Cowritten by both halves of the duo, "Sara Smile" turned out to be Hall & Oates' breakthrough single,[6] reaching a number 4 peak on the Hot 100 at the end of June 1976.[7][8] It was written about Hall's then-girlfriend, stewardess Sara Allen.[9] The couple were together for almost 30 years before breaking up in 2001.[10]
The song also peaked at No. 23 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 18 on the Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 11 best-selling song of 1976. On the R&R Airplay chart, the song debuted at No. 38 on April 2, 1976, and peaked at No. 7 seven weeks later.[11] The single earned a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[12]
The album Daryl Hall & John Oates was moving slowly on Billboard's chart until "Sara Smile" started becoming a hit.[13] The album picked up momentum to hit number 17 on the Billboard 200, peaking simultaneously with "Sara Smile" on June 25, 1976.[14]
Critical reception[edit]
Record World said that "Daryl and John leave no question as to their ability to come up with another 'She's Gone.'"[15] Nathan Brackett and Christian Hoard, in the Rolling Stone album guide, referred to the song as a "love bead ballad,"[16] and Steve Pond of the Los Angeles Times cited it as an example of the duo's R&B influences.[2]
Legacy[edit]
Following the success of "Sara Smile," the Atlantic Records label re-released the duo's previous single, "She's Gone", which had missed the Top 40 chart during 1973–74. In its re-release it rose to number 7 in late October 1976.[17]