Keep On Smilin’ – Wet Willie

Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie (among many others) was one of the featured performers at the In Memory of Dickie Betts show, and at the age of 75 years young, his voice is still really damn good. I was really impressed by how strong his voice still is, especially considering how hard he sings.

Keep On Smilin’ is one of the quintessential southern rock songs, and really the entire album of the same name is one of the great representations of southern rock. I don’t know much about Wet Willie outside of this album, so I decided to go with the most well-known. As I’m writing, I’m listening to some of their other stuff, which is really good and worth checking out if you’re a fan of the genre. There’s also a surprising amount of funk to be found.

What a groovy song “Keep On Smilin” is. I love the bassline. With such great lyrics and a message of maintaining an indomitable spirit, it’s hard not to crack a smile, which I guess is really the point of the song. It’s one of those ones that just makes you feel good.

Keep on smilin’ through the rain, laughin’ at the pain
Rollin with the changes til the sun comes out again
Keep on smilin’ through the rain, laughin’ at the pain
Rollin with the changes, singin’ this refrain

Jimmy’s vocals are really showcased in the last verse and chorus –

You’re just hangin’ out in a local bar,
And you’re wonderin’ who the hell you are
Are you a bum or are you a star?

The last time I got to see the Drive by Truckers they ended the show with a cover of this song. I’ll link an older version of theirs below as well.

Audio – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLXRqWoWOuQ

Live – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wosle4sayE

Truckers – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFKMsNauKfk