“Smile Real Nice” is the theme song for Harriet the Spy, a childrens' animation series premiering on Apple TV+ on November 19, based on the 1964 children’s novel Harriet the Spy.
Barnett says in an interview with the Review:
“I’ve never done something like that. It was a real good challenge for me,...
[Chorus]
I just wanna be
You just wanna be
We just wanna be
I don't wanna be
You don't wanna be
We don't wanna be
Told what to do
No, I won't cut my hair
And I'll wear whatever
I like it when I get to be myself
[Chorus]
I just wanna be
You just wanna be
We just wanna be
I don't wanna be
You don't wanna be
We don't wanna be
Told what to do
And I try to my best to do good in the neighbourhood
I smile real nice and I strive to tell the truth
[Chorus]
I just wanna be
You just wanna be
We just wanna be
I don't wanna be
You don't wanna be
We don't wanna be
Told what to do
I am gonna be
Who I wanna bе
My autonomy
I just wanna be
You just wanna be
We just wanna bе
My friends are quality
Not quantity
Smile Real Nice was written by Courtney Barnett.
Smile Real Nice was produced by Stella Mozgawa & Courtney Barnett.
Courtney Barnett released Smile Real Nice on Wed Oct 13 2021.
It was just fun to think of me as a 10-year-old kid. I was learning guitar then, so I wrote this song with an upbeat, ‘television-sounding’ energy – but also the energy of [the character] Harriet the Spy, who bounces around. I tried to write a song that I would have wanted to learn as a 10-year-old...