Ronnie Burns - Smiley (1969)

(Johnny Young)
 Australia
Original version
#1 Sydney #3 Melbourne #3 Brisbane #10 Adelaide #7 Perth

Single on Spin November 1969 and on the album Smiley (1969).

The producers
The label credit Produced by lan, Ronnie and Johnny refers to Ian “Molly” Meldrum, Ronnie Burns, and the writer of Smiley, Johnny Young.

The song
Smiley, you’re off to the Asian war/ And we won’t see you smile no more… [lyrics]

When Johnny Young wrote Smiley, he had in mind Australian pop star and Vietnam War conscript Normie Rowe: Before he left, he was really happy-go-lucky, fun-filled young fella. When he came back, he changed. (Johnny Young on ABC-TV’s Love Is In The Air, 2003)

It was one of the few Australian hits of the ’60s to directly address the issue of the Vietnam War, although it was not the first, as is sometimes claimed — that honour goes to The Masters Apprentices’ Wars Or Hands Of Time. – Paul Culnane

The name ‘Smiley’ in Ronnie Burns’s record would have resonated with Australian audiences familiar with the Red Perksey hit from 1956-7 (A Little Boy Called) Smiley and the popular children’s films Smiley (1956) and Smiley Gets A Gun (1958). Whether or not writer Johnny Young intended this, it added to the song’s theme of lost innocence by bringing to mind the carefree 1950s childhood of that earlier Smiley.

The singer
Melbourne singer Ronnie Burns emerged in 1964 as a member of Beatle- influenced band The Flies, and went on to a successful solo career. After signing with Spin he benefited from his association with The Bee Gees, and he had several charting singles, usually with original songs by Australian songwriters.

In the late 90s he joined fellow music stars Russell Morris and Darryl Cotton to form Burns, Cotton & Morris.

For more on Ronnie Burns see under Exit Stage Right (1967) or browse all pages about his singles.

The writer
Johnny Young (1947-2026), Western Australian singer, songwriter, radio announcer and TV personality, was born John De Jong in the Netherlands. He topped the charts as a pop star in the second half of the 60s, compered the national pop TV show Go!! and worked as a disc jockey on 3XY in Melbourne, Victoria. From 2000 he hosted Breakfast at Radio 6IX in Perth, Western Australia.

Although his own hits (Step Back, Cara-Lyn, Kiss Me Now) were written by others, he was a successful songwriter. His compositions did particularly well on the 1969-70 charts:
• The Real Thing (1969 #1 Australia), a hit for Russell Morris, perhaps his most renowned composition, known internationally;
• Smiley (1969 #2 Australia), recorded by Ronnie Burns who co-produced it with Johnny Young and Molly Meldrum.
• The Star (1969 #1 Australia), a hit in Australia for Ross D. Wyllie that was covered in the UK by Herman’s Hermits;
• Lionel Rose’s hit I Thank You (1969 #1 Australia, not the Johnny O’Keefe song).

Johnny also became known for his long-running youth variety show Young Talent Time (1971-1988) and its associated talent school.

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Reference: Ronnie Burns, official biography (supplied)
Further reading: 1. Milesago’s Ronnie Burns page. 2. Wikipedia article on Ronnie Burns. 3. Ronnie’s books The Australian House Book and Prophecy & Prediction – Threat or Warning? at AbeBooks.
Photos: Colin Beard (top), Ronnie Burns.
Australian chart positions from Grant Dawe’s Top 100 Singles site.
Thanks to P. Mills for suggestion.