Smiley Culture

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Smiley Culture - real name David Emmanuel - is a British reggae singer and DJ. Although his period of fame and success was brief, he did produce two of the most critically acclaimed reggae singles of the 1980s.^[1]

Emmanuel, born and raised in South London, is the son of a Jamaican father and South American mother. Prior to his recording career he worked as a DJ with the Saxon Sound system, where he met and worked with a number of other reggae artists, including Maxi Priest, Papa Levi and Tippa Irie.

Signed to the London-based reggae record label, Fashion Records, his first single "Cockney Translation" (1984) was a Jamaican's guide to the East End dialect - "Cockneys have names like Terry, Arfur and Del Boy/We have names like Winston, Lloyd and Leroy." It picked up considerable airplay on BBC Radio One but only reached the lower end of the UK Singles Chart. Simon Reynolds has often cited this song in his writings, arguing that it presaged the creation of a new hybrid accent in which white East Londoners would adopt many terms of black origin.

Emmanuel had more success with his next single, "Police Officer", released towards the end of 1984. This was the supposedly autobiographical tale of how Emmanuel was arrested for the possession of cannabis, but then let off when the police officer recognised him as a famous reggae artist.^[2]^[3] In spite of the subject matter - and possibly because mid 1980s radio station bosses in the UK did not understand the terms 'ganja' and 'sensimania' - the single was a Top 20 hit and earned Emmanuel two appearances on BBC Television's flagship music programme, Top of the Pops. The record, although humorous, did have a serious aspect, in that it highlighted the way black people often feel they are unfairly treated by the police.^[4]

After this he signed to major label Polydor, but his work for them - including the minor hit "Schooltime Chronicle" - was generally regarded as less satisfactory than his earlier records, and there were no more chart outings to follow, although in 1986 Emmanuel did enjoy a brief flirtation with the cinema when he made a cameo appearance in the film, Absolute Beginners.

"Cockney Translation" was one of the choices of novelist and poet Michael Rosen when he appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.