"Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution", hosted by composer Leonard Bernstein, premiered on the CBS network on April 25, 1967. Wilson's segment in the documentary ultimately only featured him singing "Surf's Up" at his piano without any interview footage or references to "Smile". Oppenheim declared through voice-over that the song was "poetic, beautiful in its obscurity" and "one aspect of new things happening in pop music today. As such, it is a symbol of the change many of these young musicians see in our future." He further described Wilson as "one of today's most important pop musicians." According to Badman, Wilson's segment aroused "great expectations" for "Smile", while journalist Nick Kent wrote that Wilson was "freaked out" and "broke down" over the praise he was afforded in the documentary.