"Love and Happiness" is a 1972 song by

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

from his album '' I'm Still in Love with You''. Green co-wrote the song with

Teenie Hodges Mabon Lewis "Teenie" Hodges (November 16, 1945 – June 22, 2014) was an American musician known for his work as a rhythm and lead guitarist and songwriter on many of Al Green's soul hits, and those of other artists such as Ann Peebles and Syl J ...

. It was released as a single in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in 1973 and in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Hi Records Hi Records is an American soul music and rockabilly label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent partn ...

in 1977. It has been covered by

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R ...

, and many other performers. The song was rated #98 in ''Rolling Stoness 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #861 in

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone (magazine), ...

's ''The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

historian Stephen McMillian called it "quintessential Al Green" and "one of the greatest soul songs of all time." Writing in ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'',

Alan Light Alan Light (born August 4, 1966) is an American journalist who has been a rock critic for ''Rolling Stone'' and the editor-in-chief for ''Vibe,'' '' Spin,'' and ''Tracks''.http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2003/11/18/new_music ...

called it "perhaps his most perfect song."

Composition and recording

Green wrote "Love and Happiness" with

, with whom he also collaborated in writing " Take Me to the River", "

Here I Am (Come and Take Me) "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" is a 1973 song by Al Green, the second single released from his album '' Call Me''. The song reached number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It was certified as a gold ...

", "

Full of Fire ''Full of Fire'' is the 10th studio album by soul singer Al Green, released in 1976. Track listing ;Side one # "Glory, Glory" (Al Green, Willie Mitchell) - 2:51 # "That's the Way It Is" (Al Green) - 3:44 # "Always" (Al Green, Charles Hodges) - ...

", and other songs. It was produced by Willie Mitchell in the 1972 recording session for the album '' I'm Still in Love with You''. Of the recording process, Green said: In his 2000 autobiography ''Take Me to the River'', Green said of the song:

Chart performance

On April 27, 1973,

released "Love and Happiness" as a U.K. single, backed with "So You're Leaving" (catalog number 10419).

, however, did not release the song as a single at the time that the album ''I'm Still in Love with You'' was on the charts, instead releasing the title track, "

Look What You Done for Me "Look What You Done for Me" is a 1972 song by Al Green, the first single released from his album '' I'm Still in Love with You''. The song reached #4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It was certified as a gol ...

", and " For the Good Times". The song nonetheless gained popularity in the U.S. from radio airplay, and his performance of the song on ''

'' on March 3, 1973. In an attempt to boost Green's flagging record sales, an edited version of the song was finally released as a U.S. single in the summer of 1977, backed with "Glory Glory" (catalog number 45-2324). The single peaked at #104 on the pop chart and #92 on the R&B chart. The song was also featured as the lead-off track on ''

Al Green's Greatest Hits, Volume II ''Al Green's Greatest Hits, Volume II'' is the second Al Green best of compilation album, released in 1977. It peaked at number 134 on the ''Billboard'' 200.''Joel Whitburn Presents The Billboard Albums'', 6th Edition, Joel Whitburn, ed., 2006 ...

'' (1977) and appeared on reissues of his first greatest hits compilation.

Cover versions

* A cover of the song by Earnest Jackson was released as a single on

John Fred John Fred Gourrier (May 8, 1941 – April 15, 2005), known by his stage name John Fred, was an American blue-eyed soul, swamp pop, rock and roll, and R&B performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the 1967 hit song "Judy in Disguise ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

-based Stone Records in 1973. *

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 ...

psychedelic soul Psychedelic soul (originally called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a music genre that emerged in the late 1960s and saw Black soul musicians embrace elements of psychedelic rock, including its production techniques, instrumenta ...

group

The Undisputed Truth The Undisputed Truth was an American Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe "Pep" Harris served as main lead singer, with ...

recorded a version of the song for their 1973 album ''

Law of the Land The phrase ''law of the land'' is a legal term, equivalent to the Latin ''lex terrae'', or ''legem terrae'' in the accusative case. It refers to all of the laws in force within a country or region, including statute law and case-made law. Use in ...

''. *

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

made a cover of "Love and Happiness" retitled as "Jungle Lion" with

The Upsetters The Upsetters was the name given to the house band for Jamaican reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. The name of the band comes from Perry's nickname of Upsetter, after his song "I Am the Upsetter", a musical dismissal of his former boss Cox ...

on the 1974 album ''

Double Seven ''Double Seven'' is a studio album by The Upsetters. Track listing All tracks composed by Lee Perry; except where indicated Side one #"Kentucky Skank" #"Double Six" – U Roy #"Just Enough" (Buddy Mize, Ira Allen) – David Isaacs #"In The Iaa ...

''. *

Graham Central Station Graham Central Station was an American funk band named after founder Larry Graham (formerly of Sly and the Family Stone). The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often colloquially called Grand Central Station. History O ...

on their 1977 album ''

Now Do U Wanta Dance ''Now Do U Wanta Dance'' is the fifth album by Graham Central Station. Released on April 1, 1977, the album peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Top Soul Albums. Track listing All songs written by Larry Graham except where indicated. #"H ...

''. *

on his 1979 album ''Call Me''. *

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 1 ...

on his 1984 album '' Straight to the Heart''. *

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). S ...

on their 1991 EP ''

Biscuits A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also b ...

''. *

on her 1992 album '' The Right Time''. *

Morgan Heritage Morgan Heritage is a Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae band formed in 1994 by five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan, namely Peter "Peetah" Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy "Gramps" Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan, and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morgan. ...

on the 1993 album '' Gunmen - Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''. *

Toots and the Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...

on 1995 compilation ''The Collection''. * A surreptitiously recorded live cover by Mr. Lee & the Rearrangers Band was described by ''Rocktober'' magazine as "perhaps the most bizarre 45 in Chicago history." *

Marc Broussard Marc Broussard (born January 14, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. His style is best described as "Bayou Soul", a mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock and pop, matched with distinct Southern roots. He has released eight studio albums, one liv ...

on his 2006 album '' S.O.S.: Save Our Soul''. *

Cultura Profética Cultura Profética (in English, ''Prophetic Culture'') is a Puerto Rican reggae band formed in 1996. The band has undergone several lineup changes, but founding members Willy Rodríguez (bass guitar, vocals), Eliut González (guitar), and Omar S ...

on their 2019 album Sobrevolando

* The Amazing Rhythm Aces covered it on their self-titled album and released it as a single in 1979.

References

{{authority control 1972 songs 1973 singles 1977 singles Al Green songs Songs written by Al Green Songs written by Teenie Hodges Hi Records singles London Records singles Song recordings produced by Willie Mitchell (musician)

Composition and recording

Chart performance

Cover versions

See also

References