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The Smile of Elvis (2017)

Picture
The Smile of Elvis is a Jim Lea solo promotional single, released by Wienerworld on 3 November 2017. It was written and produced by Lea and taken from his 2007 studio album Therapy.

Background
In 2003, following a solo gig, "Jim Jam", at the Robin 2 in Bilston, Lea decided to record a solo album. Released independently in 2007 as Therapy, the album was given a re-release in 2016 by Wienerworld. "The Smile of Elvis", a song from the album, was later chosen for release as a promotional-only single in October 2017, the same month that Lea's DVD For One Night Only: Live at The Robin 2 was released. For its release as a single, "The Smile of Elvis" was given a remix with some altered instrumentation. Initially, Wienerworld had made plans for the song to be given a full release and a 10 November release date was announced. However, the idea was scrapped, leaving the single to remain promotional only.

In the single's accompanying press release, Lea stated: "The Therapy album was a labour of love and every song has its own unique feel, so it was difficult to choose one track to release as a single. After much deliberation, I felt that "The Smile of Elvis" worked best. Having recently marked forty years since his sad passing, this song serves as a fitting and timely tribute to the King."

Speaking to Sue Marchant of BBC Radio Norfolk in February 2017, Lea spoke of how the idea for the song came to him: "Do you remember the biography channel that used to be on? There was a programme, someone was on who said everybody knew Elvis' lip, you know, up at one side, and that moody look, but nobody talks about his smile; he has a fantastic smile. And what happened was, one night, my daughter was about to give birth to her first child and we were expecting it to happen any second. And I was playing my guitar in the other room and my son came in and said "Dad, your tea's ready". And I said "Oh, okay" and as I was putting the guitar down, I went: [hums the opening melody of "The Smile of Elvis"], and I did the first bit as I was walking from the guitar room to the dining room. It just came like that and then I thought what's it about, and as I was walking: "If I could smile the smile of Elvis..." It just comes... I don't know how it happens, I haven't got a clue."

Release
"The Smile of Elvis" was released as a promotional CD single by Wienerworld. On the day of his "For One Night Only - An Audience with Jim Lea" event at the Robin 2 in Bilston, a limited number of copies of the promo CD were made available for purchase.

Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
  • In a 2007 review of Therapy, The Last Word said: """The Smile of Elvis" and "The Valley of the Kings" would both be an arm-out-of-the-window bout of drivetime Radio 2."
  • Bubblegum Slut wrote in their review of the album: "Tracks like "The Smile of Elvis" and "Deadrock U.K." plead for a return to the golden age of Hollywood and the heydays of British rock 'n' roll respectively to a nostalgic soundtrack of Beatles melodies and Squeeze pop prowess."
  • Shindig! stated in their album review: "...it seems the man cannot help writing belting pop-rock tunes, and can also knock out a pretty decent piano ballad ("Smile of Elvis")."

Retrospective reviews
  • Don Powell, in a review of the 2016 re-issue of Therapy, commented that "The Smile of Elvis" is a "great song" with "great orchestration and arrangement".
  • Suzi Perry, sitting in for Claudia Winkleman on the BBC Radio 2 Claudia on Sunday on 19 February 2017, played the song on the show. She described the song as "quite magical", "beautiful" and "really open and thought provoking".

Formats
CD single
  1. "The Smile of Elvis" - 3:23

Personnel
  • Jim Lea - vocals, instruments, producer

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