"Happy" is the tenth track on

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

' 1972 album '' Exile on Main St.'' and features

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

on lead vocals. Released as the second single from the album in July 1972, "Happy" entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 69 on 15 July 1972 and reached No. 22 on 19 August 1972.

Overview

Credited to Jagger/Richards, "Happy" was written primarily by Keith Richards during the summer of 1971, at the villa

Nellcôte Villa Nellcôte (often referred to as Nellcôte) is a 16-room mansion built during the Belle Époque on a headland above the sea at Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Côte d'Azur in Southern France. History In the late 1890s, a former banker, Eugene T ...

in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, over the course of a single afternoon. According to Richards, "We did that in an afternoon, in only four hours, cut and done. At noon it had never existed. At four o'clock it was on tape." The basic tracks were recorded in the Nellcôte basement, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, with Richards on bass, guitar and vocals, producer

Jimmy Miller James Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is most closely associated for his work with several key musical acts of ...

on drums, and saxophonist

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed with other musicians as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Ni ...

maracas A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were ...

. "Happy" was the only single by the band to chart on the Hot 100 on which Richards sang lead.

In concert

Since 1972, Richards has often sung "Happy" in concert and it has become one of his signature tunes. Performances of the song through 1978 also featured Jagger's vocals during the chorus. Concert renditions of the song appear on the albums ''

Love You Live ''Love You Live'' is a double live album by the Rolling Stones, released in 1977. It is drawn from Tour of the Americas shows in the US in the summer of 1975, Tour of Europe shows in 1976 and performances from the El Mocambo nightclub conce ...

'' and ''

Live Licks ''Live Licks'' is a double live album by the Rolling Stones and was released in 2004. Coming six years after '' No Security'', this ninth official Rolling Stones full-length live release captures performances from the band's year-long 2002� ...

''; the studio track has been released on the compilation albums ''

Made in the Shade ''Made in the Shade'', released in 1975, is the third official compilation album by the Rolling Stones, and the first under their Atlantic Records contract. It covers material from ''Sticky Fingers'' (1971), ''Exile on Main St.'' (1972), ''Goat ...

'', '' Forty Licks'' and '' GRRR!'' The song also features on concert films and DVD

box sets A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

: '' Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones'' (1974), '' Live at the Tokyo Dome'' (1990), '' Stones at the Max'' (1992), '' Four Flicks'' (2004), ''

The Biggest Bang ''The Biggest Bang'' is a four-disc concert DVD collection released by the Rolling Stones. The collection documents several shows from the band's 2005–2006 legs of their A Bigger Bang Tour. The DVD debuted at number one on ''Billboard''s mus ...

'' (2007), '' Some Girls: Live in Texas '78'' (2011), '' Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live'' (2013) and '' L.A. Forum – Live In 1975'' (2014).

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: The Rolling Stones *

lead vocals, backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, bass *

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

backing vocals, tambourine Additional musicians *

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contrab ...

* Jim Price trumpet, trombone *

drums

Cover versions

* Spirit on the album '' Spirit of '76'' *

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, bl ...

on the album '' Priority'' *

Nils Lofgren Nils Hilmer Lofgren (born June 21, 1951) is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a memb ...

on his 1977 album '' I Came to Dance'' *

Southside Johnny John Lyon (born December 4, 1948), better known by his stage name Southside Johnny, is an American singer-songwriter who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Southside Johnny has long been considered the Grandfather of ...

on his album ''Into the Harbour'' * The Replacements (band) live on tour in 1987 *

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

on the live album '' Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live from Central Park'' in 1999, featuring Keith Richards *

The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer Ge ...

live on tour in 2005 *

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...

live on tour in 2009/2010. *

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

live 2009

Notes

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Happy (The Rolling Stones Song) The Rolling Stones songs 1972 singles Songs written by Jagger–Richards Song recordings produced by Jimmy Miller 1972 songs