"Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" is a

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

song. It was first recorded in 1967 by the Sensational Epics and was originally released on

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. The song has also been recorded by

the Tams The Tams are an United States, American list of vocal groups, vocal group from Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, who enjoyed their greatest record chart, chart success in the 1960s, but continued to chart in the 1970s, and the 1980s. Two ...

, Sonia, and others.

The Tams version

The Tams The Tams are an United States, American list of vocal groups, vocal group from Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, who enjoyed their greatest record chart, chart success in the 1960s, but continued to chart in the 1970s, and the 1980s. Two ...

' version was released as a single in 1968, in the US, and was a moderate success, peaking at 26 on the R&B singles chart and No. 61 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. Sometime later, in March 1970, it peaked at No. 32 on the UK Singles Chart. It has since become one of the most popular

beach music Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...

songs, especially in the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...

, where the song and the group enjoy continued popularity and recognizability, as do all of the hits by the group. The song is also still popular 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

among fans of

Northern soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...

Noddy Holder Neville John "Noddy" Holder (born 15 June 1946) is an English musician, songwriter and actor. He was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the English rock band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s. Known for his disti ...

, lead singer with '70s British

Glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

band

Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...

, claimed in a newspaper interview that his band was playing the song live long before its Northern Soul success.

Charts

Sonia version

Sonia's version of the song was produced by Nigel Wright for her second, self-titled studio album. The song was released in August 1991 as the album's second single, with another album track "Used to Be My Love" on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. The song reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1992, the track was released as the lead single off the album in the US, with a different single mix than in the UK. It peaked at No. 13 on ''

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 advertis ...

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...

Formats and track listings

CD single # "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" – 2:55 # "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" (extended mix) – 4:54 # "Used to Be My Love" – 3:47 7-inch single # "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" – 2:55 # "Used to Be My Love" – 3:47 US 7-inch single # "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" (Beach mix) – 3:18 # "Used to Be My Love" – 3:47 12-inch single # "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" (extended mix) – 4:54 # "Used to Be My Love" – 3:47

Charts

References

Sources

* {{Authority control 1968 singles 1968 songs 1991 singles ABC Records singles Songs written by J. R. Cobb Songs written by Ray Whitley (songwriter) Sonia (singer) songs