Smile (Modern Times, 1936) by Charlie Chaplin

SMILE Charlie Chaplin was widely known as an extraordinary comedian and actor. Some of you may know him as a film director. But not many know that Chaplin was also a genius musician. Many people recognize movie theme songs such as “Smile“ (Modern Times), “Eternally“ (Limelight), and “This Is My Song“ (A Countess from Hong Kong), but probably don’t know that Chaplin wrote these songs. Chaplin was an untrained musician who self-taught playing piano, violin, and cello. Since “City Lights“ (1931), he composed the music for all of his movies. Charlie Chaplin’s love for music started when he was a little boy as he listened to harmonica and clarinet playing a song in a pub in Kennington, South London. In his memoir, “My Trip Abroad“ (1922), Chaplin wrote: “Its beauty was like some sweet mystery … I only knew that I loved it and I became reverent as the sounds carried themselves through my brain via my heart.”