Happy (Pharrell Williams song)

"Happy" is a 2013 song performed by American singer and producer Pharrell Williams. It was released as a soundtrack for the animated movie Despicable Me 2.

"Happy"
Song by Pharrell Williams
from the album Despicable Me 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Girl
Released	November 21, 2013
Recorded	2013 at Circle House Studios, Miami, Florida
Genre	Funk neo soul R&B
Length	3:53
Label	Back Lot Music i Am Other Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Pharrell Williams
Producer(s)	Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams singles chronology
"Lose Yourself to Dance" (2013) "Happy" (2013) "Move That Dope" (2014)

It was released for the album Despicable Me 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was ranked at number one at the Ireland musical charts.

Composition

"Happy" was written and produced by Pharrell Williams. Williams is the lead vocalist throughout the song, while the backing vocals are performed by Rhea Dummett, Trevon Henderson, Shamika Hightower, Ashley L. Lee, Jasmine Murray and Terrence Rolle. The song was recorded at Circle House Studios in Miami, Florida in 2013 and later mixed at Music Box Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Happy" is 3 minutes and 53 seconds long and has a tempo of 160 beats per minute.

Chart performance

In October 2013, a month prior to its release, "Happy" reached the number-one spot on the Dutch Top 40 chart in the Netherlands, partially as a result of radio station 3FM airplay and online downloads, as well as featuring in a Transavia commercial.

"Happy" reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending March 1, 2014. This became the fourth song featuring Pharrell Williams to top this chart, however it is the first song with Williams as the lead vocalist to do so. By March 2014, more than 3 million units of the song were sold in the United States.

In the United Kingdom, "Happy" debuted outside the Top 70 of the UK Singles Chart on 1 December 2013 and eventually reached the number-one position on 29 December. It was the third song featuring Pharrell Williams to chart at number one in 2013, making Williams the first artist to have three number-one singles in the United Kingdom since 2009.

In Australia, "Happy" reached the number-one position on the ARIA Singles Chart on 6 January 2014 and spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at that position.

In New Zealand, "Happy" reached the number-one position on the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart on 6 January 2014 and has spent 15 non-consecutive weeks at that position. On 28 April 2014, its 15th week at the number-one position, it became the song with the most weeks at the number-one position in the chart's history.

Other countries in which "Happy" has reached the number-one position on a national singles chart include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela.