Your Smile

11 Apr, 2026

MUSIC Information:

• Hello World Notebook
• C Major/A Minor
• 49 Measures
• Cello and Piano
• 3:24 Min
• 4 Pages

People trust a smile more than the truth

THE SOCIAL GLUE

Trying to resist smiling in a funny situation is almost impossible. As soon as you become aware of your own face, that idea is ridiculous and it is almost impossible not to do it. Smiling is a social glue, helps to connect to people in ways we can only imagine. Smiling is a disarming signal.

Even when we are not thinking about it, most of us smile everyday. Whether it's quick greeting or a genuine burst of joy, a smile opens a window into our character. It's one of the first things we look for in strangers to get a sense of their well-being. A smile makes us feel good about ourselves - both when we offer one sincerely and when we received one in return.

NOBODY TO IMPRESS

Behind this simple facial expression lies an incredible amount of power. In normal circumstances, it's associated with happiness, but people can also smile for social reasons. To be polite, out of embarrassment, or greeting someone. In short: a smile is a universal human expression that signals positive emotion or social connection.

In private, when no one's looking, we smile just as easy as we do in public - maybe more, since there's no audience to impress. Just the other day, while I was cleaning and pretending to be organized in my piano room, I found a shoe-box. To my surprise, I found old photos inside - the kind that warm me with memories I didn't realize I still had. I couldn't help but smile foolishly.

ENTIRE CHAPTERS

Some music I listen to, much like old photographs, always makes me smile. One minute I'm firmly in the present, and the next I'm pulled back into a different version of my life. These songs take me back to those moments that I thought have gone forever, until I listen to the music again. But only takes a few notes to acknowledge that music can hold entire chapters of my life, bringing back moments that spark every kind of smile.

It is then that I find myself smiling subtly, feeling grounded, comforted and undeniably good. I've even written a list of music titles from each decade I have been alive that manage to put a smile of my face - not because it's happy sounding music, but because it holds a familiarity that settles me in a way I cannot explain with words.

The list goes as follow:

70's - Tragedy by The Bee Gees. I was 8 years old when this song was released. Its powerful up-beat rhythm captivated my imagination like no other song in my childhood. The dramatic pauses, the explosive intro, and the falsetto sends me instantly to my aunt's house where I used to listen to their music. it's one of the most recognizable songs from the 70's. The only tragedy would've been never knowing this track.

80's - Out of Touch by Hall and Oates. With this song, suddenly feels like 1984 all over again, I am thirteen, sitting next to my cassette recorder, tuning to a local radio station waiting anxiously for the DJ to play it - hoping that this time, he won't start talking before the song ends so I can finally get a clean recording - this was a time where the music felt like a treasure I had to catch at the right moment for it to become part of me.

90's - Erotica by Madonna. This song, after 33 years since its released is still a slap on the face to those that embrace taboos in the name of... morality - for me, it's a gentle caress to mine. Every time I listen to it, it still draws a secret smile to my face knowing how uncomfortable the lyrics are to those readily to point a finger and blame others for their failures. The song is not a physical invitation to do anything though, it's a psychological invitation to challenge the power of authority.

2000's - Meet Me Half Way by The Black Eyed Peas. At the time of writing these lines, it's been sixteen years since the world first heard this song. It marked the end of the decade, and I had just opened my piano studio for business. I will always associate this song with those early days in Sacramento. This song never fails to bring a smile to my face, no matter how many years pass. It reminds me of a personal chapter that was full of energy, hope, and possibility.

2010's - We Are Young by Fun. Released on September 2011, this song blends youthful recklessness with emotional vulnerability - we've all been there. It transports me back to my piano room, although I was reluctant to teach pop songs at the beginning of my teaching career, this one was irresistible. The chorus is so infectious, that it's impossible not to sing along, and seeing my students light up with smiles as they learned it, was priceless.

2020's Heart Over Mind by Alan Walker / Daya. The fact that I can dance happily to this dark song, makes me smile inside. It is almost as if I'm defying the established laws of nature - the laws between emotions and logic. In my defense, it is, after all, an up-beat electronic track. This song marks a chapter in my life in which I've decided not to give much of a fuck about life's problems or toxic people.

MORE AND OFTEN

Smiles, however, aren't always signs of happiness or friendliness. As it turns out, humans can also use a smile that serve a very different purpose. I'm not interested in exploring each one in detail - afraid that doing so might erase the smile I've been championing since I started writing this letter - so I will move on. But the list goes as follow:

Irony
Dominance
Threat
Concealment
Disagreement

The piece I've written is a call to everyone - an invitation to smile more, to smile often, even if it hurts a little. I promise that the dark clouds will begin to dissipate as soon as you are aware that your smile is an introduction to who you are, without saying a single word. An honest smile is disarming, it can change moods - and honestly the only thing we can count on to stop people from asking questions.