Format 7″, 12″ Length 3:07 | Released 31 January 1976 Recorded 12 June 1975 | |
Genre Blue-eyed soul, soft rock | ||
"Sara Smile" is a song written and recorded by the American musical duo Hall & Oates. It was released in January 1976 as the second single from their album Daryl Hall & John Oates. The song was the group's first Top 10 hit in the US, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Hall & Oates version
"Sara Smile" was the second single released from Hall & Oates' 1975 self-titled album for RCA Records. Co-written by both halves of the duo, it was Hall & Oates's breakthrough single, with a #4 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1976. It was written about Hall's then-girlfriend, Sara Allen. The couple was together for almost 30 years before breaking up in 2001.
Critical reception
Nathan Brackett and Christian Hoard, in the Rolling Stone album guide, referred to the song as a "love bead ballad," and Steve Pond of the Los Angeles Times cited it as an example of the duo's R&B influences. Following the success of "Sara Smile," the Atlantic Records label re-released the duo's previous single, "She's Gone."
Chart performance
"Sara Smile" was the duo's first Top Ten hit, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at #23 on Hot Soul Singles (now Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) and #18 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. Billboard ranked it as the No. 11 song of 1976. On the R&R Airplay chart the song debuted at #38 on April 2, 1976, after seven weeks it reached and peaked at #7 staying there for two weeks, it was on the top 10 of the chart for four weeks and remained on it for 17 weeks. The song also earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
After 7 version
R&B group After 7 released a cover version in 1997, on their greatest hits album The Very Best of After 7.
Chart performance
It peaked at number 31 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts.
Boyz II Men version
R&B group Boyz II Men released a cover version in 2004, on their album Throwback, Vol. 1.
Jimmy Wayne version
Country music singer Jimmy Wayne released a cover version in 2009, with backing vocals from Hall & Oates. This version debuted at #51 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated October 3, 2009 and serves as the title track for Wayne's third album, Sara Smile. It became Hall & Oates' first single to chart on the country charts.
Critical reception
Sam Gazdziak of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-down, saying that it was "almost reverential" to the original and that Wayne's vocals showed R&B influences, but added that it "has no business being played on a country radio station." Bobby Peacock of Roughstock gave a more positive review, also saying that it was well-sung but not country-sounding, but adding that it was a "refreshing change of pace" from the "bombast of Do You Believe Me Now", Wayne's last album. Thom Jurek described the cover favorably in his review of the album, saying that Wayne "basically apes Hall's lead vocal[…]note for note" but "pulls it off in spades."
Chart performance
Jimmy Wayne's version of "Sara Smile" debuted at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2009. After seven weeks on the country chart, the song peaked at 31 in December 2009.
Rumer version
British female singer-songwriter Rumer released a cover version on July 30, 2012 as the second single from her second studio album Boys Don't Cry (2012). The song has charted in Belgium
Rumer and Daryl Hall perform the song together on Live From Daryl's House.
Music video
A music video to accompany the release of "Sara Smile" was first released onto YouTube on June 28, 2012 at a total length of three minutes.