"Happy Anywhere" is a song recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single " Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...

that features guest vocals from his wife, American singer and songwriter

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...

. It was released in July 2020 as the lead single from his twelfth studio album ''

Body Language Body language is a type of communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Th ...

''. It was produced by

Scott Hendricks Scott Hendricks (born July 26, 1956) is an American record producer who has produced over 30 country music artists. His productions have garnered 121 Top 10s, and 78 Number One hits. Between 1995 and 1997, he was President and Chief Executive Off ...

and was written by

Ross Copperman Ross Copperman (born October 1, 1982) is a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter and producer with 29 number one radio hits. After his experience as an artist in the UK, Copperman discovered his talent for writing and producing country mus ...

Josh Osborne Josh Osborne (born c. 1980) is an American songwriter with several number-one singles to his credit. Early life Josh Osborne was born in Pike County, Kentucky, and raised in Virgie, Kentucky. Osborne grew up on US 23, renamed Country Music High ...

, and

Matt Jenkins Matt Jenkins (born in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American country music artist. Signed to Universal South Records in 2003, he released two singles in 2005, including "King of the Castle", which reached number 51 on the Hot Country Songs charts, but ...

. Their fourth collaboration and released directly after their duet " Nobody but You", "Happy Anywhere" was released as a single via digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

on July 24, 2020, by

Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. To promote the song, Shelton's official website launched a contest where fans could upload pictures of themselves with their loved ones. Musically, "Happy Anywhere" is an upbeat

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

duet with similarities to their previous collaborations. The lyrics pertain to the couple's personal relationship and describe being able to find happiness anywhere, which alludes to the consequences of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In the United States, the song peaked at number 32 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and had first week sales of 27,000 copies. It also reached number two on the main

Digital Song Sales The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

chart in the US, blocked from the top spot by

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

's 2020 single " Cardigan". In Canada, "Happy Anywhere" entered several of the country's ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts. An accompanying music video for the song was released the same day as the song and was produced by Todd Stefani, Gwen's brother. The clip is a

montage Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (Block B EP), 2017 ...

of home video footage captured by Shelton and Stefani throughout their relationship.

Background and release

In December 2019, Shelton and Stefani released their collaboration " Nobody but You", a newly recorded track for Shelton's third

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, '' Fully Loaded: God's Country'' (2019). The song was later released as a single from the project in January 2020, and achieved significant commercial success in the United States, where it topped ''

''s

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...

and

Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally sta ...

charts and became Stefani's highest-charting effort on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 since 2007. Following the impact of his previous collaboration with Stefani, Shelton commented: "Even though Gwen and I just had a single out, we decided that, under the circumstances, this year ... man, there's never been a better time for 'Happy Anywhere'." Shelton first teased the release on July 20, 2020, in an official press release. That same day, he unveiled the single cover art via his official

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account. He also confirmed Stefani's involvement with the track and stated it was inspired by the events of the

. The song was written by

, and

. The song was released to music retailers for digital download and

on July 24, 2020, through

. It marks Shelton and Stefani's fourth collaboration, following "

Go Ahead and Break My Heart "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" is a song that was written and recorded by American singers Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani for the former's tenth studio album, ''If I'm Honest'' (2016). Shelton's longtime producer Scott Hendricks produced the trac ...

" (2016), "

You Make It Feel Like Christmas ''You Make It Feel Like Christmas'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani. The album, which is Stefani's first full-length Christmas-themed album, was released on October 6, 2017, by Interscope Records. The record ...

" (2017), and "Nobody but You". In the United States, it was sent to

country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...

outlets for airplay the next day. In September 2020, Shelton's official website announced a contest where fans could upload pictures of themselves with a "description of the person that makes you happy anywhere"; the stories were then posted on a

world map A world map is a map of most or all of the surface of Earth. World maps, because of their scale, must deal with the problem of map projection, projection. Maps rendered in two dimensions by necessity distort the display of the three-dimensiona ...

on the site.

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Happy Anywhere" is an upbeat

song. The track has been described as a

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

and Shelton referred to it as a "loving, feel-good tune". Stefani provides less vocals for "Happy Anywhere" than she previously did in "Nobody but You", and does not have a solo verse or chorus; however, she contributes to

harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However, ...

with Shelton. According to the song's sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, "Happy Anywhere" is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

and has a moderately slow tempo with 166

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. The key of the song is in

A-flat major A-flat major (or the key of A-flat) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has four flats. The A-flat major scale is: : Its relative minor is F minor. Its parallel minor, A-flat minor, ...

, with the pair's vocal range spanning from E♭₄ to E♭₅ in

scientific pitch notation Scientific pitch notation (SPN), also known as American standard pitch notation (ASPN) and international pitch notation (IPN), is a method of specifying musical Pitch (music), pitch by combining a musical Note (music), note name (with accidental ...

. The song begins with a short instrumental intro, followed by two verses, each succeeded by a chorus. The first verse begins using the chord progressions of A♭–D♭–E♭, which are replicated during the other verses; during the chorus, the progressions transition to a structure of G-Am-Bm-C/Am. Regarding the lyrical content of "Happy Anywhere", Shelton remarked: "We've all been in quarantine and lockdown, and hopefully we've been doing that with somebody that we really love and enjoy being around. That's what happened with Gwen and me this summer – and this entire year." Billy Dukes from ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

'' noted how both the song's lyrical and musical structure are in line with other popular country music releases. The lyrics to "Happy Anywhere" explain that a couple can always obtain happiness regardless of the circumstances, which may be alluding to the implication of

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A

Pinkvilla Pinkvilla is an Indian entertainment and lifestyle platform. As of June 2022, Pinkvilla has over 5,00,00,000 visitors on its website and app. Overview Pinkvilla covers entertainment and lifestyle stories. Its coverage extends to Bollywood, H ...

contributor wrote that the song explains that "one can be happy anywhere with the right person by their side".

Commercial performance

During its first week of availability, "Happy Anywhere" entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 56 for the week of August 7, 2020. As collaborators, it became Shelton and Stefani's highest performing entry on the Hot 100, after "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" debuted at number 70 in 2016 and "Nobody but You" entered at number 79 in 2019. The following week on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, "Happy Anywhere" dropped 33 spots to number 89. In the United States, the song sold approximately 27,000 digital copies in terms of first week sales, for a total of 60,000 track-equivalent units. It also generated 4.5 million streams, similar to the initial impact of "Nobody but You" in the US during its first week. This led to the song appearing on the Country Streaming Songs chart, where it premiered at number 23. The song then entered several digital ''Billboard'' sales charts in the United States. It debuted atop the Country Digital Song Sales chart, becoming the pair's second number one song after "Nobody but You". It reached number two on the main

chart, with

's 2020 single " Cardigan" preventing it from reaching the top position. "Happy Anywhere" also made an appearance on the ''Rolling Stone'' Top 100, peaking at number 63. The song also entered several of the ''Billboard'' charts in Canada. On the main

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

, the song debuted at number 86, improving the debut week for "Nobody but You" when it entered at number 93. On the Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales chart, it peaked at number 2, matching the peak of "Nobody but You" as Shelton's highest-ranking entry. For the airplay-driven

Canada Country The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

chart, the song spent its first week at number 42.

Music video

An accompanying music video for "Happy Anywhere" was released to Shelton's YouTube channel on July 24, 2020. The clip was produced by Todd Stefani, Gwen's younger brother, who was a guest at Shelton's

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

ranch home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Live performances

It was announced on July 20, 2020, that Shelton and Stefani would perform "Happy Anywhere" live during an episode of ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...

'' in the United States. The performance is to be broadcast as part of the Summer 2020 Citi Music Series promotional concert series. It is also expected to be sung live during Shelton's Encore Drive-In Nights show, a concert that will be shown at

drive-in theater A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers ...

s throughout the United States on July 25, 2020. On December 14, 2020, Shelton and Stefani performed on the first night of The Voice Season 19 Finale.

Personnel

Credits by

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 databas ...

Tom Bukovac Tom Bukovac is an American session musician and producer. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in nearby Willowick, Ohio. He has been a Nashville-based musician since 1992. He previously owned 2nd Gear, a used music consignment shop in Sou ...

– electric guitar *Troy Lancaster – electric guitar *

Gordon Mote Gordon James Mote (born October 25, 1970) is an American Christian country/ southern gospel singer, piano virtuoso, and worship leader. He was born blind. He has released eight studio albums. His album ''Don't Let Me Miss the Glory'' (2007) was ...

–

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

*Justin Niebank – programming *Russ Pahl –

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

– lead vocals *

Jimmie Lee Sloas Jimmie Lee Sloas is an American session musician, producer, and songwriter, who plays bass guitar. History Jimmie Lee Sloas, born in Ashland, Kentucky, grew up in Fairborn, Ohio and Isonville, Kentucky. His father, Dave, was a member of the p ...

– bass guitar *

– duet vocals *

Ilya Toshinsky Bering Strait was a Russian country music band, whose style was sometimes called "redgrass". In 2003, the band was nominated for a Grammy Award and appeared on the TV show ''60 Minutes''. The group disbanded in 2006. The lineup on their first alb ...

–

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

, acoustic guitar *

Nir Z NIR or Nir may refer to: Science and technology * Near-infrared, a region within the infrared part of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum * Near-infrared spectroscopy, a spectroscopic method that uses the near-infrared region (from 780 nm to 25 ...

. – drums, percussion, programming

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2020 singles 2020 songs Blake Shelton songs Gwen Stefani songs Male–female vocal duets Song recordings produced by Scott Hendricks Songs about the COVID-19 pandemic Songs written by Josh Osborne Songs written by Matt Jenkins Songs written by Ross Copperman Warner Records Nashville singles