Illegal Smile notes
"This is a song about smiling… it's an old song I wrote in 1972. Around the time I wrote it I was writing a whole bunch of songs about death, you and just knocking 'em out you know, one right after another…just death death, death, death. So I figured this might be a challenge. It's about smiling illegally because that's as close as I could get to smiling at all, right at the time. It's kind of a sing along song of sorts. I wasn't originally intended to be a sing along song. They make me nervous. I've just never been able to tell people to "C'mon everybody". The only reason this one might be a sing along song is because a couple years ago I heard a some people singin' along with it." ~John Prine, London, Aug 8, 1976
"I have to confess, the song was not about smokin' dope. It was more about how, ever since I was a child, I've had this view of the world where I would find myself smiling at stuff nobody else was smiling at. But it was such a good anthem for dope smokers that I didn't want to stop every time I played it and make a disclaimer. When I first started singing it, I went on this underground TV program, and the only stage set they had was two chairs and this fake marijuana plant. I came on and sang "Illegal Smile" and they kept having the camera pan in, real psychedelic-like, on the plant. On top of that, I got fined by the musicians union for not taking any money to do the show." ~John Prine