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| Happy (Pharrell Williams) |
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(black) |
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They told him to imagine what happiness would sound like if it were music, and Pharrell came up with this. He made and produced the song for the soundtrack of the movie Despicable Me 2. It also serves as the lead single from Williams' second studio album, G I R L. It was released on November 21, 2013.
But the big surprise is the long-form music video version produced for the CERF, a United Nations foundation to raise money for helping people involved in natural or war disasters. This video lasts a whole 24 hours and you can check it out here:
This song's visual is the world's first ever 24-hour Music video. The clip was directed by the creative duo We Are From L.A. and was filmed entirely on Steady Cam, requiring the crew to walk nearly eight miles per day over the course of 11 days. The visual plays on an all-day loop and follows more than 400 different characters enjoying daily bliss. As well as everyday people dancing through the streets of Los Angeles, we see a host of familiar faces having fun, including Despicable Me 2 stars Steve Carell and Miranda Cosgrove and Williams himself, who appears 24 times. Also showcasing their versions of happy are Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt from Odd Future. Kelly Osbourne, Sérgio Mendes, Ana Ortiz, Issa Rae, Bevy Smith, Magic Johnson, Jimmy Kimmel Steve Martin, Janelle Monáe and Jamie Foxx. And naturally the Minions pop up in the day long promo.
It might seem crazy what I'm about to say
Sunshine she's here, you can take a break
I'm a hot air balloon, I could go to space
With the air, like I don't care baby by the way
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do
Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah
But, give me all you got, don't hold back, yeah
Well I should probably warn you I'll be just fine, yeah
No offense to you don't waste your time
Here's why
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do
Happy, bring me down
Can't noth'ng, bring me down
Love is too happy to bring me down
Can't noth'ng, bring me down
I said bring me down
Can't noth'ng, bring me down
Love is too happy to bring me down
Can't noth'ng, bring me down
I said
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do
Happy, bring me down
Can't noth'ng, bring me down
Love is too happy to bring me down
Can't noth'ng, bring me down
I said
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do
Come on, come one, come on
MIGHT= The auxiliary verb MAY or MIGHT expresses probability, so “It might seem crazy” means “maybe it is crazy”.
TAKE A BREAK= Stop for a while and relax.
HOT AIR BALLON= A huge balloon with a basket for passengers (see picture)
LIKE I DON’T CARE= (coll.) As if I don’t mind. If I do something “like I don’t care”, I do it without thinking too much about it, impulsively and without worries, without thinking of possible problems or consequences.
CLAP ALONG= Clap your hands with me. To CLAP is to hit your palms together to make a sound, like when you applaud. We usually clap our hands when we are happy or to show that we liked something very much or to keep the rhythm.
ROOF= The top part of the house that protects from cold and rain.
WANNA= (coll.) Want to.
TALKING THIS AND THAT= Talking a bit about everything, unimportant things, just chatting.
GIVE ME ALL YOU GOT= If you give me all you’ve got, you make a big effort to show how good you can do it.
HOLD BACK= If you hold back, you are not giving, telling, etc. everything you can, you keep part of it for yourself.
WARN= To make aware in advance of actual or potential harm, danger, or evil.
NO OFFENSE TO YOU= I don’t want to offend you with what I just said.
It is more common to say “no offence meant”:
- Oh my God, you look terrible! No offence meant. What happened to you?
- No offence taken. I had an accident with my bike, I crashed into a prickly bush.
WASTE= If you waste time, money or other valuable resources, you spend them in unimportant or useless things.
HERE’S WHY= This is the reason.
BRING ME DOWN= Make me sad or depressed.
CAN’T NOTH’NG= (coll.) Nothing can.
Double negatives are common in very colloquial language, though they are considered totally wrong in standard English. He is also making an inversion although this is not a question, also very colloquial to emphasize. The pronunciation of NOTH’NG is very black American English. Standard English is /nʌθɪŋ/ but he makes the usual black American change from /θ/ to /t/ and the usual colloquial change from /ŋ/ to /n/ and then drops the vowel in the middle, so he says /tn/ but, as usual, pronounced back in the throat, with the soft palate, not with the tip of the tongue, so the strange pronunciation you finally hear is /nʌ'n/.
This song is about the joy of feeling in love. The song plays during a pivotal moment in Despicable Me 2's storyline, and Williams wanted to re-create that feeling with the music video. "Gru, the lead character who's no longer a villain, has fallen in love and feels so much joy he literally dances through the streets," he explained. "That kind of happiness is so infectious; you can't help but smile."
"It was only until I was tapped out that I had to ask myself the fundamental question: they're asking for a song that's happy," he continued." They're asking for something where Gru is in a good mood, and that's when I realized that everything I needed was right there. I began to ask myself, 'What does feeling like a good mood feel like?' That's where 'Happy' came from, and that's how that happened. And it would have never happened if the studio wouldn't have kept telling me, 'No, it's not good enough. No, it's not good enough.'"
Visit the 24-hour version of this video here:
Recorded in many different countries. This is my favourite, from Ivory Coast, Africa:
Official → Music
