Fucking Smilers

@#%&*! Smilers
Studio album by Aimee Mann
Released	June 3, 2008
Recorded	The Sound Factory, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Pop/rock
Length	45:51
Label	SuperEgo
Producer	Paul Bryan
Professional reviews
The reviews parameter has been deprecated. Please move reviews into the “Reception” section of the article. See Moving reviews into article space. Allmusic link The A.V. Club (B-) link Billboard (favorable) link Entertainment Weekly (B+) 13 Jun 2008 Mojo link Newsweek (favorable) link Okayplayer (85/100) link PopMatters (6/10) link Rolling Stone 10 Jul 08 Spin 2 Jun 2008 link Tiny Mix Tapes link
Aimee Mann chronology
One More Drifter in the Snow (2006) @#%&*! Smilers (2008)

@#%&*! Smilers (pronounced Fucking Smilers^[1]) is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. It was released by SuperEgo Records in 2008 (see 2008 in music). Upon the week of its release the album was featured as the Virgin Megastore "Pick of the Week."

The album was produced by Mann's bassist, Paul Bryan, and features guest appearances by singer-songwriter Sean Hayes, who duets with Mann's father on the track "Ballantines", and author Dave Eggers, who whistles on "Little Tornado".

In addition to the standard CD package, Smilers is available in a limited-edition package with a book-bound cover, a die-cut 32-page book with illustrations by renowned artist Gary Taxali, and held together with metal screw binding. On December 3, 2008 it was announced that this limited-edition package was nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package".^[2]

A press release for the album is available here.

The title of the album comes from a thread Mann read about 20 years ago on a newsgroup called alt.bitter where someone was complaining about the "fucking smilers" who would approach him at work when he was in a bad mood and try to cheer him up.^[1][3]

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Personnel 3 Charts 4 References

Track listing

All songs written by Aimee Mann, except where noted.

1. "Freeway" – 3:50
2. "Stranger into Starman" – 1:31
3. "Looking for Nothing" – 3:46
4. "Phoenix" – 3:56
5. "Borrowing Time" – 3:12
6. "It's Over" – 3:58
7. "31 Today" – 4:52
8. "The Great Beyond" – 3:12
9. "Medicine Wheel" (Mann, Gretchen Seichrist) – 4:08
10. "Columbus Avenue" – 4:06
11. "Little Tornado" – 3:23
12. "True Believer" (Mann, Grant Lee Phillips) – 3:32
13. "Ballantines" – 2:21

iTunes bonus tracks

14. "Freeway" (Acoustic Version) – 3:57
15. "The Great Beyond" (Acoustic Version) – 3:11
16. "Lullaby" – 4:06

@#%&*! Smilers was released in two versions in Japan, a single CD and a double CD/DVD set. "Columbus Avenue" (Acoustic Trio Version) was added as a bonus track to the CDs and the DVD featured music videos for "Freeway" and "31 Today".

- Singles:

• 31 Today (2007) (unreleased track included in the album)

• Freeway (2008)
• Phoenix (2008)

Personnel

• Aimee Mann – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, bowed acoustic
• Paul Bryan – bass, backing vocals, horn arrangements
• Jay Bellerose – drums
• Jamie Edwards – keyboards
• Buddy Judge – backing vocals on "Looking for Nothing" and "31 Today"
• Kimon Kirk – backing vocals on "It's Over"
• Jebin Bruni – Moog on "Borrowing Time"
• Chris Bruce – guitar solo (arranged for horns) on "Borrowing Time"
• Sean Hayes – duet vocals on "Ballantines"
• Dave Eggers – whistling on "Little Tornado"
• Patrick Warren – string arrangements
• Willie Murillo – trumpet
• Mark Visher – tenor and baritone saxophone
• Jason Thor – trombone and bass trombone
• Eric Gorfain, Daphne Chen, Amy Wickman, Alyssa Park, Terry Glenny, Marisa Kuney, Melisa Reiner – violins
• Leah Katz, Caroline Buckman, David Sage – violas
• Richard Dodd, Alan Matthews, John Krovaza – cellos

Charts

Chart	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	32
U.S. Independent Albums	2

References

Aimee Mann 'Til Tuesday albums Voices Carry Welcome Home Everything's Different Now Coming Up Close: A Retrospective Solo albums Whatever I'm with Stupid Bachelor No. 2 Lost in Space The Forgotten Arm @#%&*! Smilers Other albums Bark Along with The Young Snakes Aimee Mann & The Young Snakes Magnolia: Music from the Motion Picture Ultimate Collection Live at St. Ann's Warehouse One More Drifter in the Snow Related articles Discography Michael Penn "Time Stand Still"