Don't Worry, Be Happy

"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a 1988 song by Bobby McFerrin, released as the first single from his album Simple Pleasures (1988). It was the first a cappella song to reach number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. Released in conjunction with the film Cocktail, the song peaked at number-one on September 24, 1988,<ref name="billboard1">Template:Cite magazine</ref> displacing "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses.<ref name="1988news">Template:Cite news</ref>

The song also peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and number seven on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.<ref name="billboard1"/> It hit number one in Australia and stayed there for 7 weeks.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was also a hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number two during its fifth week on the UK Singles Chart.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Canada, the song reached number one in its eighth week.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> One critic noted it as a "formula for facing life's trials".<ref>Don't Worry, Be Happy. B Happy – Benny to Beyonce, 2012</ref>

At the 1989 Grammy Awards, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" won the awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2024, the single was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Background

Meher Baba, who often used the phrase "Don't worry, be happy"

Indian spiritual Guru Meher Baba (1894–1969) often used the expression "Don't worry, be happy" when communicating with his followers in the West,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the expression was printed on inspirational cards and posters during the 1960s. In 1988, McFerrin noticed a similar poster in the apartment of jazz duo Tuck & Patti in San Francisco,Template:Citation needed and he was inspired by the expression's charm and simplicity.<ref>Jackson, B. (2010, 07). Bobby McFerrin: "DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY". Mix, 34, 40. Template:ProQuest</ref> He wrote and recorded the song for his album Simple Pleasures<ref name="MIX">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and it was included in the soundtrack of the movie Cocktail, which subsequently led to it becoming a hit single the next year.<ref name="interview1988">Fessier, Bruce (1988). Interview. USA Weekend, 1988.</ref>

Composition and recording

Template:Listen The "instruments" in the a cappella song are entirely overdubbed voice parts and other sounds made by McFerrin, using no instruments at all; McFerrin also sings with an affected accent, though he stated that "I hate to go so far as to say it's Jamaican. It was heavily influenced by Juan's Mexican Restaurant, which was just around the corner from the studio."<ref>Saunders, Michael. "'Don't Worry, Be Happy'--It's Catching" Template:Webarchive Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Sun-Sentinel:1988.</ref> "Don't Worry, Be Happy" is written in the key of B major.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The song was recorded by McFerrin at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, using only eight tracks. McFerrin sang his vocal parts into his preferred microphone, a Neumann U 87.<ref name=MIX/>

Critical reception

Kieran McCarthy of AllMusic expected that the song would "probably remain prevalent in pop culture as long as humans speak English and play music."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Pan-European magazine Music & Media picked it as Single of the Week, writing "Cool a capella by this unusual artist. Uncomplicated music stripped down to the basics, but missing absolutely nothing. This recording will appeal to everybody who is on the lookout for something different. With the reggae-style vocals and a snappy rhythm, this Linda Goldstein produced US top 10 single is a novelty record of considerable substance."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Music video

The music video for the song is playful and comedic in nature. Directed by Drew Takahashi, it features McFerrin, Robin Williams, and Bill Irwin engaging in various humorous antics while cutting back and forth to McFerrin singing along with the lyrics,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and is somewhat shorter than the album version.

Awards

At the 1989 Grammy Awards, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" won the awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Impact and legacy

The song is ranked No. 31 on VH1's "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s" and also appears on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the 15 Best Whistling Songs of All Time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was featured at #301 in the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts' 'Songs of the Century' in 2001.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

However, in 2011, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" was named as the worst song of all time by Village Voice critic Michael Musto,<ref name="musto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and it topped Q100 DJ Bert Weiss's list of tracks he would forever ban from radio.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the "50 Worst Songs Ever", Blender wrote "it's difficult to think of a song more likely to plunge you into suicidal despondency than this" and it lambasted its "appalling" lyrics.<ref name="blender">Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!, Blender, May 2004. Wayback Machine archive of 24 January 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2015.</ref>

In late 1988, television station WTVJ (channel 4) in Miami, Florida, commissioned McFerrin to record a customized version of the song with lyrics promoting WTVJ's switch from CBS to NBC on January 1, 1989, as part of a complicated six-station affiliation shuffle in South Florida.<ref name="MiamiN19881209p7A">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The station's usage of the song was so infamous that when WTVJ's general manager resigned in 1993, South Florida Sun-Sentinel critic Tom Jicha wrote "The 'don't worry, be happy' era is officially over at WTVJ ... Practically speaking, it was over as soon as it started. The jingle ... never reflected reality ... there has been little to smile about and plenty to fret over."<ref name="SouthF19930928p 49">Template:Cite news</ref>

Charts

Weekly charts

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Chart (1988–1989)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Canada 30 Retail Singles (RPM)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Denmark (IFPI)<ref>Danish Singles Chart. November 18, 1988.</ref>	2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	4
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 10)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
Ireland (IRMA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} Only one result when searching "Don't worry be happy"</ref>	3
Italy (Musica e dischi)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Bobby McFerrin".</ref>	23
South Africa (Springbok Radio)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	4
Spain (AFYVE)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	5
US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	11

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Chart (2016)	Peak position

Year-end charts

Chart (1988)	Position
Australia (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	14
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	35
Canada Top Singles (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	22
Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	47
US Billboard Hot 100<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	37
West Germany (Official German Charts)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	43

Chart (1989)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	30
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	26
West Germany (Official German Charts)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10

Use by the George Bush campaign

The song was used in George H. W. Bush's 1988 U.S. presidential election as Bush's 1988 official presidential campaign song, and it was used without McFerrin's permission or endorsement. In reaction, McFerrin, a Democrat, publicly protested that particular use of his song, including stating that he was going to vote against Bush, and he completely dropped the song from his own performance repertoire to make the point even clearer. The Bush campaign then reportedly desisted from use of the song.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref>

See also

• Big Mouth Billy Bass, a toy which "sang" a version of this song

External links

• Lyrics of this song on Bobby McFerrin's official website