''Happiness'' is the debut studio album, and second album overall, by English

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

group The Beloved, released in February 1990 in the United Kingdom by

East West Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in London, England. History Upon its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had one hit with t ...

and in the United States by Atlantic Records the following month. The group's first album since slimming down from a

four-piece A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

to a duo comprising Jon Marsh and Steve Waddington in 1987, the two members moved away from their previous, New Order-styled sound and drew influence from the late 1980s rave scene in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and from Black American house music. Recorded with producers Paul Staveley O'Duffy and Martyn Phillips, ''Happiness'' exemplifies the Beloved's new house-styled dance-pop material, becoming one of the first albums to fuse house and pop music, and features optimistic lyrics that helped it fit in with the hedonism of the UK's contemporary music scene and the

second summer of love The Second Summer of Love was a late 1980s social phenomenon in the United Kingdom which saw the rise of acid house music and unlicensed rave parties. Although primarily referring to the summer of 1988, it lasted into the summer of 1989, when e ...

. Aided by four charting singles, including the group's breakthrough hit—the ambient-styled "

The Sun Rising The Sun Rising may refer to: * ''The Sun Rising'' (poem), a poem by John Donne published in 1633 * "The Sun Rising" (song), a 1989 single by The Beloved See also * Sunrise (disambiguation) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sun Rising, The ...

"—and their first Top 20 success in "

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...

", ''Happiness'' reached number 14 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

and number 154 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. It also received critical acclaim, and numerous magazines ranked the album among the greatest of the year.

Background

The Beloved began at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

in 1983; originally named Journey Through, they consisted of Tim Havard, Steve Waddington and vocalist and band leader Jon Marsh, with drummer Guy Gausden joining the following year. Originally drawing from psychedelic music, the group soon renamed itself to The Beloved and changed their sound to one often compared to New Order. Despite releasing several singles, the ''Happy Now'' EP and '' Where It Is'' compilation album over 1986–87, none of the band's music received notable critical or commercial success, which led to Havard and Gausden leaving the group by the end of 1987, rendering the Beloved a duo of Marsh and Waddington. The group had nonetheless signed a deal with

WEA The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of the ...

by this point, thanks to the cult success of ''Where It Is''. Having become interested in American

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

after a trip to New York in 1987, Marsh and Waddington quickly became infatuated with the emerging

rave music A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mu ...

scene in

in 1988, and became fans of acid house. Marsh found the

Shoom Shoom was a weekly all-nighter dance music event held at four nightclubs in London, England, between September 1987 and early 1990. It is widely credited with initiating the acid house movement in the UK. Shoom was founded by Danny Rampling, wh ...

and Spectrum raves that year life-changing; he later told '' i-D'' magazine: "The whole of 1988 from March onwards is a complete blur, an orgy of parties." The duo's experiences with dance music revitalised them musically, and took influence from it, completely changing their direction. Marsh and Waddington recorded the tracks "Loving Feeling", "

Your Love Takes Me Higher "Your Love Takes Me Higher" is a single (music), single by The Beloved (band), The Beloved. "Your Love Takes Me Higher" appears on the ''Happiness (The Beloved album), Happiness'' album. Remixes also appear on the ''Blissed Out (The Beloved album ...

" and "I Love You More" in 1988 with producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy. Only the latter two tracks were included on ''Happiness'', although "Loving Feeling" was released as a single in October 1988. It was commercially unsuccessful, as was follow-up single "Your Love Takes Me Higher", which reached number 91 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1989. Nonetheless, The Beloved asked WEA to allow them to record a full LP, with their engineer Martyn Phillips as its producer instead of O'Duffy. They were given the go-ahead and, with a small budget and often working night sessions, The Beloved recorded the rest of ''Happiness'' until August 1989, across many recording studios in the UK and US, namely Southlands, Sarm West, Master Rock, First Protocol, Sam Therapy, Lillie Yard, D&D, The Skylight Suite and Parsifal.

Composition

''Happiness'' is a dance-pop album incorporating synth-pop and post- rave styles, most prominently including intense, propulsive club music, in particular American

, such as house. The album was among the first to cast house music into a distinctively pop context, and has further been described as a fusion of house and

baggy Baggy was a name given to a British alternative dance genre popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with many of the artists referred to as "baggy" being bands from the Madchester scene. History The genesis of indie-dance was the Balearic ...

. The lyrics, chiefly written by Marsh, are happy and laden with hopeful optimism, reflecting the hedonism prevalent in the UK's music scene at the time. Writer

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

recalls Marsh and Waddington promoting the album with "enthusiastic chatter concerning the virtues of floating tanks and hallucinogenic substances." Marsh, who sings with a deep voice, is sometimes accompanied by female backup. "

" is a

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

track, taking the form of a

list song A list song, also called a laundry list song or a catalog song, is a song based wholly or in part on a list. Unlike topical songs with a narrative and a cast of characters, list songs typically develop by working through a series of information, o ...

that juxtaposes the likes of Cannon and Ball with

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lit ...

, with a chorus of "Jean-Paul Sartre, Zippy, Bungle,

Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist, life peer, convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974), but did not ...

." Writer Justin Lewis noted that the juxtaposition of diverse icons was postmodern, while writer Simon Reynolds calls the song "a ' Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part Three' for the

MDMA 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly seen in tablet form (ecstasy) and crystal form (molly or mandy), is a potent empathogen–entactogen with stimulant properties primarily used for recreational purposes. The desire ...

generation." "Your Love Takes Me Higher" is a remix of the band's earlier single. "Time After Time" and "Don't You Worry" feature live violin and piano, as opposed to sampled or synthesised versions of those instruments. In an interview with ''

Keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

'', Marsh explained: "We went with real violins because of the overall feel we wanted. There's something about that quality of a real violin that makes it warmer to most people's ears. Yet on a track like 'Scarlet Beautiful', which is very up and housey, real strings would have been too jarring." "

" is an ambient-styled track, and features reversed guitars and

madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance music, Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque music, Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The Polyphony, polyphoni ...

singing sampled from an album of sequences and hymns by

Hildegard Of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

entitled ''A Feather on the Breath of God''. The song has gone on to be regarded as a classic of

chill-out music Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...

. "Up Up and Away" features lyrics such as "Hallo new day, give the world a message and the message is ''yes''," which Reynolds felt reflected the influence of Marsh's experiences at Shoom.

Release

After the completion of ''Happiness'' but prior to its release, "The Sun Rising" was issued as a single and became the band's commercial breakthrough. It entered 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 ...

in October 1989 and peaked at number 26 the following month. "Hello" was issued as the follow-up single and became an international hit, receiving much airplay and earning the duo a reputation as potential "successors to the Pet Shop Boys," recalls Lewis. In the UK, the single entered the charts in January 1990 and peaked at number 19 in February. The reissue version of "Your Love Takes Me Higher" became the album's third hit single reaching number 39 in March. A further single, "Time After Time", reached number 46 on the chart in June. ''Keyboard'' magazine, who noted the eclectic nature of ''Happiness'', also noted the diversity between the album's run of singles, saying they "included a tune built around a haunting

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

vocal riff, a phone-book recitation of rhymed names, a thumping house cut and, most recently, 'Time After Time', a medium-tempo trance/dance number featuring a real violin section and an acoustic piano solo." Critic Jason Ankeny writes that the album "achieved significant success both in and out of clubs." Released on 19 February 1990, ''Happiness'' was issued in the UK by WEA subsidiary

. It debuted and peaked at number 14 on the

, and spent the fourteen weeks on the chart, including six weeks in the top forty. In the United States, ''Happiness'' was released in March by Atlantic Records. It spent nine weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at number 154 in May 1990. Later in 1990, the album was followed with a

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...

entitled '' Blissed Out'', consisting almost entirely of remixes of songs from ''Happiness''. In August 2020, a remastered special edition of ''Happiness'' was released by New State Music to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary. CD and digital versions of the re-release include

bonus Bonus commonly means: * Bonus, a Commonwealth term for a distribution of profits to a with-profits insurance policy * Bonus payment, an extra payment received as a reward for doing one's job well or as an incentive Bonus may also refer to: Plac ...

demos, B-sides and remixes from the era.

Critical reception

Upon release, ''Happiness'' received critical acclaim. It was named a "Staff Selection" in '' Spin'', where reviewer Robin Reinhardt felt that the album's combination of pop and house resulted in a "catchy new disco noise that puts he Beloved'spredecessors to shame." She concluded that, accented by "an airy female voice," the group "add a new dimension to the dance floor." Despite the

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and house music that inspired the Beloved, Robert Christgau of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' felt parts of the album resembled acts like

the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

, New Order and

Heaven 17 Heaven 17 are an English new wave and synth-pop band that formed in Sheffield in 1980. The band were a trio for most of their career, composed of Martyn Ware (keyboards) and Ian Craig Marsh (keyboards) (both previously of the Human League), and ...

, but noted "against all odds, he Beloved arefun, even happy." He felt the album's rejection of "idiot pessimism" in favour of "hopeful optimism" was an informed choice, and concluded that the group's "tuneful rhythm tapestry will make you smile." In '' Mademoiselle'', it was listed among the "Editor's Picks", and the accompanying reviewer felt the album's "ecstatic testaments to the omnipotence of love make emotion sexy again." In a retrospective review, Gareth Grundy of '' Select'' wrote that ''Happiness'' was "the acceptable pop face" of the

. He praised its "fantastic, irresistible pop songs", as well as hailing "The Sun Rising" as a "proto-'' Screamadelica'' come-down epic." John Bush of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

named ''Happiness'' an "Album Pick", and said that although the "post-rave synth-popsters are a bit too heavily tied to the heady days of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

," the album nonetheless "suits its title with a set of undeniably pleasant dance-pop." The third edition of ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' defines the Beloved as sounding like a "darker, less ironic Pet Shop Boys" during the album's best moments. In '' The Rough Guide to Rock'', Justin Lewis highlights ''Happiness'' as the best Beloved album, describing it as a "feel-good soundtrack to the early 90s pop and dance scene." He highlighted "Scarlet Beautiful" and "The Sun Rising", the latter of which he called the group's "finest moment." In ''

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Kno ...

'', writer

commented that the album "perfectly embodied the tripped-out vibes of the times and sealed the Beloved's fashionable success in worldwide territories." At the end of 1990, numerous magazines featured ''Happiness'' in their lists of the best albums of the year; it was ranked 5th by '' The Face'', 19th by '' Select'', 26th in the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' and also in '' Q'' magazine's unranked 50 best albums of the year. Radio X also include ''Happiness'' in their list of "The Best Albums of 1990". In 1996, ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...

'' ranked the album at number 48 in its list of the "Best Dance Albums of All Time", while, in his book ''Bring the Noise'', Simon Reynolds lists the album as an example of the micro-genre he terms "Positivity 1990", alongside records by

Deee-Lite Deee-Lite was an American house and dance music group formed in New York City. The group's best-known single is "Groove Is in the Heart", which was released in 1990 from their debut studio album ''World Clique'' (1990), and was a top-ten hit i ...

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. Critic William Cooper of AllMusic considers ''Happiness'' to be the best introduction to the Beloved's music. Gary Mulholland features "The Sun Rising" in his 2002 book ''This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock''.

Track listing

Original 1990 release

2020 Special Edition - Vinyl

2020 Special Edition bonus disc

Personnel

The Beloved

*Jon Marsh – lead vocals,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, rhythms * Steve Waddington – guitars, keyboards

Additional musicians

*Leroy Osborne – backing vocals *Dee Lewis – backing vocals *

Linda Lewis Linda Ann Fredericks (born 27 September 1950), better known as Linda Lewis, is an English vocalist, songwriter and guitarist. She is the eldest of six children, three of whom also had singing careers. She is best known for the singles "Rock-a- ...

– backing vocals *Janette Sewell – backing vocals *Margo Sagov – backing vocals *Chyna – backing vocals *Derek Green – backing vocals *Andy Caine – backing vocals *Marc Fox – backing vocals, percussion *

Terry Disley Terry Disley is a jazz keyboardist and composer who was born in London. While in London, Cannes and Los Angeles in the 1990s, he recorded with many artists including Bryan Ferry, Bon Jovi, Sir Van Morrison, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison, ...

– piano on "Don't You Worry", piano solo on "Up, Up and Away" *

Gavin Wright Gavin Wright (born 1943) is an economic historian and the William Robertson Coe Professor of American economic history at Stanford University. He received his B.A from Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. with distinction from Yale University. He ...

– violin on "Don't You Worry", "Time After Time" *

Wilfred Gibson Wilfred Gibson (28 February 1942 — 21 October 2014) was an English violinist, session musician, and early member of the Electric Light Orchestra. Early life Wilfred Gibson was born on 28 February 1942 in Dilston, Northumberland. He received ...

– violin on "Don't You Worry", "Time After Time" * Fred McFarlane – additional programming on "I Love You More" *Peter Schwartz – additional programming on "I Love You More"

Production

* Martyn Phillips – producer, engineering * Paul Staveley O'Duffy – production on "Your Love Takes Me Higher" and "I Love You More" * Daniel Abraham – additional production and remix on "I Love You More"

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1990 albums The Beloved (band) albums East West Records albums