Don't Worry, Be Happy

"Don't Worry, Be Happy"
Single by Bobby McFerrin
from the album Simple Pleasures
A-side	"Don't Worry Be Happy"[1]
B-side	"Good Lovin'" "Simple Pleasures" (optional)
Released	September 1988, 1989, 2000
Format	12" maxi 7" promo 7" single CD single
Recorded	1988
Genre	Reggae[2] jazz[1] a cappella
Length	4:50 (album version) 4:03 (music video) 3:50 (radio edit)
Label	EMI-Manhattan Records[1]
Writer(s)	Bobby McFerrin[1]
Producer(s)	Linda Goldstein[1]
Certification	Various (see)
Music sample Don't Worry, Be Happy

"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a popular worldwide hit song by musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in September 1988, it became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. The song's title is taken from a famous quotation by Meher Baba. 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.^[3] The comedic original music video for the song stars McFerrin, Robin Williams, and Bill Irwin,^[4] and is considerably shorter than the album version.

Background

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

The Indian mystic and sage Meher Baba (1894–1969) often used the expression "Don't worry, be happy" when cabling his followers in the West.^[5]

In the 1960s, the expression was printed up on inspirational cards and posters of the era. In 1988, McFerrin noticed a similar poster in the apartment of the jazz duo Tuck & Patti in San Francisco. Inspired by the expression's charm and simplicity, McFerrin wrote the now famous song, which was included in the soundtrack of the movie Cocktail, and became a hit single the next year. In an interview by Bruce Fessier for USA Weekend magazine in 1988 McFerrin said, "Whenever you see a poster of Meher Baba, it usually says 'Don't worry, be happy,' which is a pretty neat philosophy in four words, I think."^[6]

Linda Goldstein, the song's producer, said the song gave McFerrin "the freedom to explore," adding, "He is a man of infinite, unfathomable, boundless voices and everything he has ever heard has gone into his brain, from the Mickey Mouse Club theme to the Metropolitan Opera."^[7]

Chart performance

Originally released in conjunction with the film Cocktail in 1988, the song originally peaked at No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[8] The song was re-released the same year and peaked at No. 1 on September 24, 1988^[8] displacing "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses which had previously held the No. 1 spot.^[9]

The song also peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart^[10] and No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.^[8] The song was also a hit in the United Kingdom and on the UK Singles Chart, the song reached number 2 during its fifth week on the chart (kept from the top spot by Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time").^[11]

The song is the first a cappella song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart and one critic noted it is a "formula for facing life's trials."^[12]

While the song reached No. 1 on the charts, its album Simple Pleasures reached No. 12 on the album charts after starting out at No. 20 when it was first released.^[9]

Usage in popular culture

• Comedian George Carlin wrote in Napalm and Silly Putty that many Americans would embrace the philosophy of denial in the song.^[13]
• The song was used in George H. W. Bush's 1988 U.S. presidential election as Bush's 1988 official presidential campaign song, without Bobby McFerrin's permission or endorsement. In reaction, Bobby McFerrin (a Democrat) publicly protested that particular use of his song, including stating that he was going to vote against Bush, and completely dropped the song from his own performance repertoire, to make the point even clearer. The George H. W. Bush campaign then reportedly desisted from further use of the song.^[14]
• In 1989, Delacorte Press published a book titled Don’t Worry, Be Happy with the song’s lyrics, 20 new verses written by McFerrin, and illustrations by Bennett Carlson.
• The song is frequently used in filmmaking and television production soundtracks to accompany light-hearted scenes, such as in Flushed Away (2006), WALL-E (2008), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Simpsons, Futurama (whose version is sometimes referred to as "Don't Worry, Bee Happy"), Nip/Tuck and That '70s Show.
• It was featured in the soundtrack to the 1988 film Cocktail and it was featured in the 1997 film Casper: A Spirited Beginning.
• It has been used in an ironic context for shocking or traumatic scenes, such as in Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Jarhead (2005). The song has been used in various forms in TV advertising for brands including Alamo Rent A Car, Walkers, Huggies, Ocean Spray and Channel 4's AXA Equity and Law in 1994, 1995 and 1996 (while Channel 4 used the coloured "blocks" ident).
• The song became an unofficial anthem in Jamaica after Hurricane Gilbert struck the island in September 1988 (coinciding with the song's release) and caused months of hardship to the population. The song is often erroneously attributed to Bob Marley.^[15][16]
• In 2000, a version of this song was adapted to be used on the Big Mouth Billy Bass toy made by Gemmy Industries out of Irving, Texas.
• In 2001, Mondo Club recorded the titular single. The performer was Trevor Taylor.^[17]
• In November 2013, The Overtones recorded a cover of the song for their album Saturday Night at the Movies.
• In November 2014, it was featured as a mashup with "Winter Wonderland" by a cappella group Pentatonix featuring Tori Kelly on the album That's Christmas to Me.^[18]
• It was featured in the dance video game Just Dance 2015.
• Stena Line uses part of the song in their early morning wake-up call for night sailings.

Awards

The song is ranked No. 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s and also appears on Rolling Stone's list of the 15 Best Whistling Songs of All Time.^[19] 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.

Charts

Certifications

Cover versions

Versions of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" have been recorded by several artists. The Katsimiha Brothers made a Greek cover of the song with original lyrics, and Montenegrin musician Rambo Amadeus made a parody entitled "Don't Happy, Be Worry", as a critique to the optimism of the music scene in the former Yugoslavia in the face of war and economic depression. In addition, the lyrics of "Fight the Power" by hip-hop artists Public Enemy refer critically to "Don't Worry, Be Happy". This song is also added into the Big Mouth Billy Bass, a very popular animatronic singing toy. Hermes House Band covered the song on their Rhythm of the Nineties album in 2009. Reggae artist Cas Haley covered the song as a hidden bonus track on his Favorites album (together with former Jah Roots lead singer, Josh Heinrichs). Also in 1989 Dutch rock DJ Alfred Lagarde recorded a version in Dutch with a heavy Surinam accent under the name Johnny Camaro. Spanish Ska band The Locos covered this song in a similar style, Ska. In 2015, Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Chipettes covered the song for the live stage tour Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Musical.

References

External links

• Bobby McFerrin – Official Website
• MetroLyrics (Song Lyrics and Video)

Meher Baba
Publications	God Speaks (1955) Discourses (1939) God in a Pill? (1966)
Terms and concepts	God-realization Perfect Master Involution Mast Mandali New Life
Prayers	Parvardigar Prayer Prayer of Repentance Beloved God Prayer Seven Names of God Prayer 101 Names of God
Traditions	Amartithi Silence Day Dhuni Meher Baba's missing book Meher Baba's flag 1969 Darshan
Important places	Meherabad ashram Pilgrim Center shrine/tomb Meherazad Meher Spiritual Center Meher Mount Avatar's Abode
Associated figures	Mehera Irani Mani Irani Norina Matchabelli Kitty Davy Shireen Irani Sheriar Irani Eruch Jessawala Faredoon Driver Bhau Kalchuri Francis Brabazon William Donkin Charles Purdom Quentin Tod Meredith Starr Pete Townshend
Contacted masters	Hazrat Babajan Upasni Maharaj Sai Baba of Shirdi Hazrat Tajuddin Baba Narayan Maharaj
Organizations	Avatar Meher Baba Trust Sufism Reoriented
Related	"Don't Worry, Be Happy" Nema Aviona za Zagreb