Happy (Leona Lewis song)
"Happy" is a song performed by British singer Leona Lewis for her second studio album Echo (2009). It was written by Lewis, Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart, and produced by Tedder, and it premiered on UK radio on 6 September 2009, and was officially released on 15 September 2009, by digital download in the U.S., serving as the album's lead single. Lyrically, it talks about a protagonist, that wants to be happy and seize the day.
"Happy"
It received generally positive reviews from music critics, praising the production and, some of them, calling it a "number one song". The single was promoted in the television programmes America's Got Talent, The X Factor, among others, and on the VH1 Divas concert in 2009. The music video was filmed in Cuba, and describes a woman who is in love with her friend. The song debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 selling nearly 52,000 copies in the U.S., while in the UK, it debuted and peaked at number two, being blocked from the top spot by the song "Meet Me Halfway" by The Black Eyed Peas. Moreover, the single reached the top ten in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Japan and Switzerland.
Composition[edit]
"Happy" is a pop and R&B ballad,[1] song written in C major; Lewis' vocal range extends from G3 to C6.[7][8] It moves at 76 beats per minute and is set in common time.[7][8] Lewis explained the lyrics and interpretation of "Happy" in an interview with the Associated Press, saying, "It's a contradiction of song because, yes, it's named 'Happy', but the song's kind of dark, a bit sad, sombre. In my songs, I want people to go on a journey, and [to get to] happiness, you go through a lot of pain and sadness to get there sometimes and that's what we wanted to convey on the song."[9] Nick Levine, from Digital Spy, commented about the lyrics that the song talks about a protagonist, that, regardless of what happens, wants to be happy, while the message of the song is "seize the day".[1]
Chart performance[edit]
On 10 November 2009, after two days of sales in the UK, "Happy" had sold 36,000 copies.[15] By 11 November the song had sold 49,000 copies, outselling its nearest rival, The Black Eyed Peas's "Meet Me Halfway", by 5,000 copies;[16] however, on 13 November it was confirmed that "Meet Me Halfway" was outselling "Happy".[17] "Happy" entered the UK chart at number two, marking Lewis's sixth consecutive top five single in the UK.[18] On 7 January 2010 the song was certified Silver in the UK.[19] "Happy" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 50,[20] with sales of almost 52,000 digital downloads,[21] Later, the single managed to reach number 31.[22] Also, in the same week it debuted at position 22 on the Hot Digital Songs chart,[20][23] the Hot Gospel Songs at number 26,[23] and at number 15 in the Canadian Hot 100, where it was the highest debut of the week.[23] In January, it was certified Gold in Canada.[24] The song made its first European chart appearance when it debuted at 25 in Sweden on 2 October 2009, peaking at number 11 the following week.[5] The song entered the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at number 44 before dropping out of the top 50 the following week, it then re-entered back at number 44 one month later and so far climbed to number 26.[25] It also charted in New Zealand at 35,[5] and in the Japan Hot 100 "Happy" peaked at number seven.[26]