Here's another version (with no harmonica content) with a story behind it.
"Katherine Crowe, a 37 yr old mum of two (7 and 9) from the Isle of Man. She is vibrant, slightly crazy and endlessly positive. But the aggressive terminal cancer she has is progressing at an alarming rate. She's also an extremely talented singer songwriter, and had always dreamed of recording with a famous orchestra - and some well connected friends of hers decided to try and make her dream come true, organising for her to go to Abbey Road Studios and record with the London Metropolitan Orchestra. "It was the BEST thing I've ever done, bar having my children!!" she enthused, and it seemed to give her a much needed boost of energy and life.
She recorded two songs - the standard 'Smile' by Charlie Chaplin and her own song 'Next To Me', which she wrote as a personal message to her friends and family after she was diagnosed with cancer for the first time. The session was magical - helped in part by the fact that the score for 'Smile' was written especially for her by Julian Kershaw (orchestrator for movies like Harry Potter and Sweeney Todd) and the resulting recordings are superb. Since Kath took it upon herself to set up a Facebook page just over a week ago, with a crazy idea to try and get 'Smile' to Christmas No.1, her campaign has been shared nearly 70,000 times around the world, she has appeared on BBC News channels, has been retweeted by the likes of Gary Barlow, Lord Alan Sugar and was even favourited by Justin Beiber... When the song was released on Friday (14th), Kath had gone to No.1 in the iTunes singer songwriter chart by 9am, no.5 in the Amazon Download Chart and by Friday night had rocketed to no.17 in the overall iTunes chart. So her crazy idea didn't seem so crazy at all...
With no label backing, no promo team, no money behind her - just friends, family and a rapidly growing fanbase - this young mum had achieved something iTunes themselves told her was 'unbelievable'. Maybe it's her story, which is so poignant (and particularly at this time of year)? Maybe it's her wit and humour and brightness, which seem to infect everyone she meets? But one thing there's no question about is the SONG, which is so moving, so beautiful and so unique that everyone who hears it falls under it's spell.
Help keep Kath's dreams alive by spending just 79 pence on a download - funds will go in part to Kath's surviving family, but also into funding research for alternative, less toxic cancer treatments."
