"H.A.P.P.Y. Radio" is a 1979

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

song recorded by soul singer

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-on ...

. Starr's previous release, "

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

", had proved to be his best showing on the US Pop Charts (and

R&B Charts The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

) in several years. It was also a huge hit in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, making it into the Top Ten and peaking at #6 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. This song was issued as its follow-up, and although less successful, still made all three charts. "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio" peaked at #79 on the Hot 100 and #28 on the R&B Charts, but was a much bigger hit in the UK, where it was a Top Ten hit (#9) in mid-1979. The song was both written and produced by Edwin Starr himself.

Reception

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' said, "Edwin knows what his British fans want to hear better than most other Americans and it sounds as if he's got the formula right again with this boisterous chuck of disco-mix, which is like a cross between "

" and one of his earliest hits "Headline News"."

Charts

Other versions

*Starr later re-recorded the song as part of

Ian Levine Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, and DJ. A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of Hi-NRG, he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. ...

Motorcity Records Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists. History Levine, a Motown fan since his childhood in the 1960s, was offered a chance to recor ...

project, along with many of his previous Ric-Tic and

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

songs. *In 1989 the British singer

Michaela Michaela (Hebrew מיכאלה) is a female given name. It is a female form of the Hebrew name Michael (מִיכָאֵל), which means "Who is like God". As of 2008, it was 357th in rank for newborn girls in the United States, and 325th in England ...

released a cover version of the song which reached #62 on the UK charts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Happy Radio 1979 singles 1979 songs Disco songs Edwin Starr songs Songs written by Edwin Starr 20th Century Fox Records singles