Be Happy (song)
"Be Happy" is the hit lead single by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige from her critically acclaimed second studio album, My Life (1994). Co-written and performed by the artist, the song was also written with Sean Combs, Arlene DelValle and J.C. Olivier. The song contains an instrumental sample of "You're So Good To Me" by musician Curtis Mayfield and a re-sung vocal portion of "I Want You" by Marvin Gaye. The song reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Blige's third single to reach the top forty of that chart, while reaching number six on the R&B singles chart, becoming her fifth top-ten single on that particular chart. The music video is well known as it was directed from September 16–17, 1994 by Diddy and Hype Williams, shows Mary singing in a white background amidst other things, including stand abroad of a mountain creek. It reached the top 40 in the UK, reaching number thirty on the UK Singles Chart, staying on the charts for five weeks.
| "Be Happy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard artwork (US commercial cassette single) | ||||
| Single by Mary J. Blige | ||||
| from the album My Life | ||||
| Released | October 26, 1994 | |||
| Format | CD single, 12" single | |||
| Recorded | 1993–94 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:49 (album version) 4:41 (radio edit) 3:55 (music video) | |||
| Label | Uptown, MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mary J. Blige, Sean Combs, Arlene DeValle, J.C. Olivier, Chucky Thompson | |||
| Producer(s) | Teddy Riley (remixes), Sean "Puffy" Combs, Trackmasters | |||
| Mary J. Blige singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Upon its release, Blige performed the song (alongside cuts from her second album My Life) on shows such as Friday Night Videos, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Soul Train, Teen Summit, Showtime at the Apollo among others. It has since become one of Blige's signature songs.
Remixes
The official remix features Def Squad rapper Keith Murray, which samples 1980s hip hop artist Jimmy Spicer's "Money (Dollar Bill Ya'll)". This version also garnered heavy rotation as well.
Blige and Murray performed the remix version during Showtime at the Apollo's 200th episode that aired in early February 1996.
Charts
| Chart (1994-95) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart[1] | 76 |
| UK Singles Chart[2] | 30 |
| UK R&B Singles Chart[3] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 29 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B Singles[4] | 6 |
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United States | October 14, 1994 |
| Canada | November 7, 1994 |
| United Kingdom | December 8, 1994 |
| China | January 20, 1995 |
References
- "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 07 May 1995". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- "Official Charts > Mary J Blige". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/r-and-b-singles-chart/19941204/114/
