Why You Should Stop What You're Doing and Listen to 'Show Me That Smile'
Is there a certain amount of nostalgia at play that explains why I still have such soft spot for “Show Me That Smile”? Undoubtedly. And yet ...
Not very long ago I observed something about the culture of the 1980s that I notice over and over.
“I often joke (or half joke) about how happy ‘80s music was, but it wasn’t merely happy. Many of the most popular songs of the era focused on striving and overcoming, on improving oneself.”
I thought of this when I saw an old episode of Growing Pains the other day. I always liked the show, which was funny and wholesome, even when exploring themes that were pretty edgy for the time like drug use, anorexia, and premarital sex.
I always enjoyed the theme song as well, “Show Me That Smile,” (performed by B.J. Thomas and Jennifer Warnes), even though I never really paid attention to the lyrics. Don’t get me wrong, I knew the lyrics—at least many of them—but I had never really thought about them.
Here they are (I’d also encourage you to listen to the song, because you’ll happier afterwards and Warnes has one of the most beautiful voices ever recorded):
Show me that smile again
Oh, show me that smile
Don't waste another minute on your cryin'
We're nowhere near the end
We're nowhere near
The best is ready to beginAll in a cloudy daze
I look into your eyes and see them shining out
Holding you close this way
Holding you this way
Is like having summer everyday
Ooh, oohAs long as we got each other
We got the world spinnin' right in our hands
Baby, you and me
We gotta be
The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin'As long as we keep on givin'
We can take anything that comes our way
Baby, rain or shine
All the time
We got each other
Sharin' the laughter and lovePromise me here and now
Nothing but jokes
Will never come between us
You can depend on me
'Cause I need you like the air I breathe
Oh, ohAs long as we got each other
We got the world spinnin' right in our hands
Baby, you and me
We gotta be
The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin'As long as we keep on givin'
We can take anything that comes our way
Baby, rain or shine
All the time
We got each other
Sharin' the laughter and loveAs long as we got each other
We got the world spinnin' right in our hands
Baby, you and me
We gotta be
The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin'As long as we keep on givin'
We can take anything that comes our way
Oh, baby, rain or shine
All the time
We got each other
Sharin' the laughter and love
Some might think the song is a bit cheesy, and there’s no question it screams 1980s. But it’s also a terrific song. (Long time readers will know I’m not afraid to admit I love sappy songs.)
What I had never noticed before is the uplifting message of the song. It’s about two people overcoming the world through their sheer love for one another.
As long as we got each other; We got the world spinnin' right in our hands
It’s a great lyric, one that demonstrates the power of love to overcome all things (“We can take anything that comes our way”).
It’s a simple message, and one that fits right into the culture of the 1980s I described.
Is there a certain amount of nostalgia at play here that explains why I still have such soft spot for “Show Me That Smile”? Undoubtedly.
Still, it’s a genuine reminder, I think, that the zeitgeist of the 1980s was optimism and perseverance, not resentment, victimhood, grievance, and despair.
So why has culture shifted in such a dramatic fashion? I’ll touch on that later.
P.S. If you want to watch the most hilarious video ever about that episode where Mike Seaver is offered cocaine at a hot tub party by Kristy Swanson, here you go. (Profanity alert)