I See Your Smile

Album: Gloria Estefan Greatest Hits (1992)
Charted: 49 48
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • With the help of fellow Cuban American singer-songwriter Jon Secada and composer Miguel Morejon, Gloria dug into her past for this pop ballad about pining for a relationship that seems impossible. It was inspired by her budding romance with future husband Emilio Estefan Jr. when they performed together with the Miami Sound Machine.

    She explained to Entertainment Weekly: "It's about trying to say something to someone about what you're feeling. Emilio and I felt very attracted to each other early on, but we were afraid, because of the band, to mess things up."
  • To give the track a modern feel in 2015, Gloria nixed the synthesizer riffs and made the song a duet for On Your Feet!, the Broadway musical based on her life. Ana Villafañe starred as Gloria, while Josh Segarra played Emilio.
  • The music video shows Gloria driving around Miami, Florida in a convertible and sitting by herself in a diner. The clip ends on a cliffhanger as someone approaches the table and Gloria gives the camera a smile. A second version reveals the mystery man to be a waiter, played by actor Andy Garcia.
  • This landed at #3 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.

Comments: 3

  • Darren from WicklowGrowing up as a Gloria Estefan nut this is my favourite song she has ever released and there are some major contenders for that.
    Everytime I hear the song I have tears running down my face even now.
    It reminds me everytime of our first dance on my wedding day (my wife agreed to have it as our first dance song as the words just fit perfectly)
    20 years on from the wedding day (well in 2 days time at the time of writing) it means just as much now as it did then.

    Thank you Gloria….
  • Franco from Los Angeles Part 2 continued:

    I think of her when the lyrics come on that say
    "tell me if I made the wrong advances"
    "I had to let you know the truth"

    Puts a lump in my throat.

    No darling, you did not make the wrong advances. You put yourself out there. You always let me know your truth. And I respect you for that. You always were truthful with me and put your feelings and intentions out there, and that takes a lot of guts.

    She used to write me the most thoughtful cards and letters in this Coco Chanel book that I still have and I will never get rid of. It was very heartfelt, and I always looked forward to reading them. Now, I miss that.

    Thank you for letting me know your truth...
  • Franco from Los Angeles This song has a special meaning for me .
    I broke up with my girlfriend of 6+ years memorial day weekend and then she sent this to me within the last couple weeks. She told me whenever she would see me, it would make her smile.
    It’s hard to listen to because when I see Gloria driving through Miami in the convertible, I think of the times that me and my girl used to go to Miami ; we would vacation there every year.

    When Gloria is at the diner and looks at the mystery guest arriving, that’s how my girlfriend would look at me when I would answer the door and when I would see her for the first time. We did everything together, travel, training, working out, watching the fights. But it didn’t work out. I’m not over her.

    I was always honest with her, I told her I did not want to be married, and she was going to go to nursing school but we started arguing too much, and I thought I was always walking on egg shells. It’s tough because she was someone who made me happy and now she’s gone. The most beautiful lady I ever knew.

    Great song - thanks to the best Cuban singer.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Chris Rea

Chris ReaSongwriter Interviews

It took him seven years to recover from his American hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)," but Chris Rea became one of the top singer-songwriters in his native UK.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Gavin Rossdale of BushSongwriter Interviews

On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."