The single 'Smile' was released before the album it was included in: 'On An Island', the album by David Gilmour. The song was written by David and his wife Polly Samson who also sings background vocals. Gilmour once said that it was the first song his wife was willing to record with him, and that she was very nervous when recording and everyone had to leave the studio for her to get it done. Gilmour plays all the instruments in the single except for the drums. The first ever performance of the song was in June 2001, when David performed at Robert Wyatt's Meltdown festival at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The performance was also documented for a
DVD which included 3 more nights at the same venue from January 2002.
Side B of this single is 'Island Jam', an instrumental blues jam, which first appeared on David Gilmour's website as a promotion for his upcoming album and tour at that time in 2006.
The single is a limited edition, pressed on clear vinyl. The front cover has a picture of a woman standing on the beach, with a pier, some small islands, birds and a painted boat in the background. The back cover has the song title and credits, and a small picture of the album 'On An Island' as a promotion.
Country & Year: EU 2006
Cat. Number: EM 696
Bar Code: 0946 3 64674 7 4
Label: Picture Label
