Sara Smile

Hall & Oates
Company type	American musical duo
Industry	Music
Founded	1970; 56 years ago
Founder	Daryl Hall, John Oates
Area served	United States
Products	Music singles and albums

Sara Smile is a track by the American duo Hall & Oates, issued as the third single from their album Daryl Hall & John Oates. It marked their initial entry into the US top 40 and top ten, climbing to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Release and chart performance

Originally featured on the RCA album Daryl Hall & John Oates in August 1975, "Sara Smile" was part of their setlist during their tour from September to November of that year. The song was released as the album’s third single toward the end of 1975, making its first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 91 on January 31, 1976.

Co-written by Daryl Hall and John Oates, "Sara Smile" became their breakthrough hit, reaching its peak at number 4 on the Hot 100 in June 1976. The inspiration behind the song was Hall’s then-partner, flight attendant Sara Allen, with whom he shared a relationship spanning nearly three decades. Additionally, the track reached number 23 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and number 18 on the Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked it as the eleventh highest-selling single of 1976. On the R&R Airplay chart, it debuted at number 38 and climbed to number 7 within seven weeks. The single received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Following the success of "Sara Smile," the album Daryl Hall & John Oates gained increased popularity, eventually peaking at number 17 on the Billboard 200 concurrently with the single’s highest chart position in June 1976.

Critical reception

Record World commended Daryl Hall and John Oates for their songwriting abilities, predicting they could achieve a success similar to that of "She's Gone." In the Rolling Stone album guide, Nathan Brackett and Christian Hoard referred to "Sara Smile" as a "love bead ballad," while Steve Pond from the Los Angeles Times emphasized it as a prime example of the duo’s R&B influences.

Legacy

The accomplishment of "Sara Smile" prompted Atlantic Records to reissue Hall & Oates’ earlier single, "She's Gone", which had originally failed to enter the Top 40 during its initial release in 1973–74. Upon re-release, it achieved a peak position of number 7 on the charts in late October 1976.

Weekly charts

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Chart (1976)	Peak position
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary	29
US Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay Chart	7

Year-end charts

Chart (1976)	Rank
Canada	164
US Billboard Hot 100	11

Jimmy Wayne rendition

In 2009, country artist Jimmy Wayne issued a rendition featuring background vocals from Hall & Oates. This track entered the Hot Country Songs chart at position 51 and served as the lead single for Wayne's third studio album, Sara Smile. Notably, this marked Hall & Oates' inaugural appearance on the country music charts.

Critical response

Sam Gazdziak of Engine 145 expressed a negative opinion, describing the cover as "nearly reverential" to the original and highlighting Wayne's R&B-styled singing but concluding it "does not belong on country radio." Conversely, Bobby Peacock from Roughstock provided a more favorable critique, complimenting the vocal delivery while acknowledging its departure from conventional country music, referring to it as a "welcome deviation" from Wayne's earlier work. Thom Jurek of Allmusic commended the version, observing that Wayne "closely mimics Hall's lead vocal note for note" and "executes it exceptionally well."

Chart achievements

Jimmy Wayne’s interpretation of "Sara Smile" made its debut at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2009, eventually reaching a peak position of 31 after seven weeks.

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Chart (2009)	Highest ranking

Additional prominent covers

The R&B ensemble After 7 recorded "Sara Smile" for their 1997 compilation album The Very Best of After 7. Their rendition attained number 31 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, reached number 99 in Australia, and peaked at number 130 in the United Kingdom.

British singer-songwriter Rumer released her version on July 30, 2012, as the second single from her album Boys Don't Cry. It climbed to number 47 on Belgium's Ultratip Bubbling Under chart (Flanders region). Rumer collaborated with Daryl Hall to perform the song on Live From Daryl's House, and a music video was produced to support her release.

Ghetto Smile

In 1996, Northern California rapper B-Legit adapted the chorus of "Sara Smile" into his track "Ghetto Smile," which featured newly recorded vocals by Hall. The song was produced by Redwine and B-Legit with guitar contributions from Thaddeus Turner and included on B-Legit's sophomore album, The Hemp Museum.

"Ghetto Smile" was featured in the soundtrack of the 1997 film Dangerous Ground and was released as a single accompanied by a music video promoting the movie’s soundtrack. The video showcases B-Legit rapping alongside performances by Hall and Turner intercut with scenes from the film.

External links

[ Sara Smile] at AllMusic
Original multi-track tape listening session for "Sara Smile", hosted by J. J. Blair on Instagram