This is another one of those songs that I have known for as long as I can remember. I like it - it seems well-constructed - but it's too embedded in my memory for me to listen to it with fresh ears.
While I've known this song forever, I didn't know until now that The Flying Machine were British. They evolved out of a band named Pinkerton's Assorted Colours, which had a British hit in 1966 with "Mirror Mirror". "Smile A Little Smile For Me" was their first single; it reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold over a million copies but did not chart in their native Britain.
The Flying Machine's followup single, "Baby Make It Soon", only reached #87 on the Billboard chart; it was a cover of a song by Marmalade, who also have an entry on this website. The band produced two albums and a total of six singles before splitting up in 1970.
This Flying Machine is not the same as another group of the same name that featured a young James Taylor and recorded some songs in 1966. This Flying Machine is referenced in Taylor's song "Fire and Rain".
Created April 28, 2026.