If You Wanna Be Happy
| "If You Wanna Be Happy" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Jimmy Soul | |
| B-side | Don't Release Me |
| Released | 1963 |
| Genre | Doo-Wop |
| Length | 2:14 |
| Label | S.P.Q.R./London Records |
| Writer(s) | Guida |
"If You Wanna Be Happy" is a song recorded by Jimmy Soul, written by Joseph Royster, Carmella Guida, and Frank Guida. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 18, 1963, as well as the R&B singles chart.[1] The song is based on the calypso "Ugly Woman" by Roaring Lion. It was issued on Guida's S.P.Q.R. label and distributed by London Records, and in the UK on EMI's Stateside label. The original single lists a running time of 2:14; some later releases are slightly longer due to a longer fade-out. The song was banned on many radio stations, due to the use of the word "Ugly Girl/ Woman". Towards the end of the song, a brief dialogue takes place between Soul and a backup singer, based on Bo Diddley's song "Say Man": "Say Man!!"/ "Hey baby"/ "I saw your wife the other day."/ "Yeah??"/ "Yeah, and she's ugly-y-y-y-y!!!"/ "Yeah, she's ugly, but she sure can cook, baby"./ "Yeah, alright."/ Soul's counterpoint melody in a falsetto is heard as the song fades out.
The song is featured in the film Mermaids (1990) and on the soundtrack of My Best Friend's Wedding (1997). The song, or possibly Roaring Lion's version, can also be heard in Tiger Bay (1959) sung by a group of black street musicians at a wedding.
[edit] Covers
- In the wake of the original version, Dutch-based Surinamese singer Max Woiski jr. recorded the song as Want je bent nog niet gelukkig met een mooie vrouw.
- Former The Rolling Stones bass player, Bill Wyman released a version on his solo album Stone Alone, in 1976.
- The band Rocky Sharpe and The Replays released a cover version of the song in 1983.
- The artists/bands Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Racey, Joe Dolce, The Skatalites and Barnes & Barnes have released cover versions as well.
- French singer Claude Francois recorded an adaptation of the song in French as "Si tu veux être heureux" (June, 1963).
The song was also sampled by Canadian Synth-Pop group Kon Kan in the track "Could Have Said I Told You So", taken from their second album entitled Syntonic.
[edit] References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 803.
| Preceded by "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single May 18, 1963 – May 25, 1963 |
Succeeded by "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore |
| Preceded by "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March |
Billboard Hot R&B Singles number-one single June 1, 1963 |
Succeeded by "Another Saturday Night" by Sam Cooke |
