"I Could Be Happy" is a song by Scottish new wave band

Altered Images Altered Images are a Scottish new wave/post-punk band who found success in the early 1980s. Fronted by singer Clare Grogan, the group branched into mainstream pop music, having six UK top-40 hit singles and three top-30 albums from 1981 to 1 ...

, released as the first single from their second album, '' Pinky Blue''. Their second top-10 hit in the UK, the song peaked at number seven in December 1981, and remained on the chart for 12 weeks. It also reached the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand and was their first and only single to chart in the United States, on the '' Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart at number 45 in April 1982.

Music video

The music video for this song was a brief mainstay on MTV in its early days. The band members are shown holding different pastel pieces and playing them like they were their musical instruments, and singer

Clare Grogan Claire Patricia Grogan (born 17 March 1962), known professionally as Clare Grogan or sometimes as C. P. Grogan, is a Scottish actress and singer. She is best known as the lead singer of the 1980s new wave music group Altered Images, as well as ...

is shown singing the "I could be happy, I could be happy" part in scenes where those lyrics are on the screen with a dot weirdly moving around, but hitting each syllable in time. Near the end, the band members put their pieces down to show it draws a very colorful happy face, then the video ends with Grogan riding out the song with the band playing their real instruments. (MTV initially accidentally said the song was from their '' Happy Birthday'' album.)

Track listings

7-inch single :A. "I Could Be Happy" :B. "Insects" 12-inch single :A1. "I Could Be Happy" :B1. "Insects" :B2. "Disco Pop Stars"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end chart

Certifications

References

1981 songs 1981 singles Altered Images songs Epic Records singles Portrait Records singles Song recordings produced by Martin Rushent {{1980s-rock-song-stub