Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – The Platters | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1) and R&B (#1); 1959
Story Behind The Song By Harris Sterling
In 1958, The Platters recorded Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, a song originally written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical Roberta. Though first introduced as a show tune, it found renewed popularity decades later.
Produced by Buck Ram, The Platters’ version featured a lush orchestral arrangement paired with Tony Williams’ soaring lead vocal. Released at the end of 1958, the single reached #1 on the Billboard Pop chart in early 1959 and also topped the R&B chart.
The lyric uses the metaphor of smoke to describe denial in love. The narrator initially dismisses warnings about romance, only to recognize heartbreak once “smoke gets in your eyes.”
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes became one of The Platters’ signature recordings and remains one of the most enduring pop ballads of the late 1950s.
This content was created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Harris Sterling. © 2026 Harris Sterling. All rights reserved.
Produced by:
Buck Ram
Lyrics Written by:
Jerome Kern
Otto Harbach
Awards:
No major Grammy Awards were awarded specifically for the single.
Harris Sterling
Independent music label executive Harris Sterling has worked in the music industry for most of his career.
As Executive Vice President for independent music label Madacy Entertainment, he led the strategic marketing and business development for the label, negotiating agreements with the major record labels to release custom music compilations under license with major brands, such as Ford Motor Company, Crayola, Care Bears and Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Harris also led Madacy’s strategy for the licensing of its entire music catalogue to Apple for their launch of the IPOD.
In 2011, Harris co-founded Starting Five Media, a company that specializes in recording and licensing custom renditions of popular songs as well as clearing the rights to the music composition for use by their clients in media projects.
Harris has negotiated publishing and master recording rights for many Top 40 songs for use in various media projects, TV Commercials and more.