"Oh Happy Day" is a 1967

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

of the 1755

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

by clergyman

Philip Doddridge Philip Doddridge D.D. (26 June 1702 – 26 October 1751) was an English Nonconformist (specifically, Congregationalist) minister, educator, and hymnwriter. Early life Philip Doddridge was born in London, the last of the twenty children ...

. Recorded by the

Edwin Hawkins Singers Edwin Reuben Hawkins (August 19, 1943 – January 15, 2018) was an American gospel musician, pianist, vocalist, choir master, composer, and arranger. He was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. As the leader of the Edwin ...

, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching No. 4 on the

US Singles Chart 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), on ...

, No. 1 in France, Germany, and the Netherlands and No. 2 on the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian music charts are a collection of record charts reflecting the music consumption of people in Canada. '' RPM'' and '' Billboard'' are the biggest publications to have published Canada's official charts for decades. However, the first ...

, UK Singles Chart, and

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

. It has since become a gospel music standard, selling over 7 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling gospel song of all time. The recording begins with a muted piano, drum, and bass, backing lead singer Dorothy Combs Morrison on the left-hand

stereo channel Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...

, then alternates twice with a full-throated chorus that includes a large ensemble, rising to a crescendo with handclaps, and ending with a return to the muted sound as at the beginning. The track is notable for its clear sound given the powerful vocals and the modest equipment used to capture them. It was made at Hawkins' church, the Ephesian

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is an international Christian perfection#Holiness Pentecostalism, Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and a large Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

Origins

The gospel style arrangement of the hymn "Oh, Happy Day" by

Edwin Hawkins Edwin Reuben Hawkins (August 19, 1943 – January 15, 2018) was an American gospel musician, pianist, vocalist, choir master, composer, and arranger. He was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. As the leader of the Edwin ...

has a long pedigree. It began as a hymn, written in the mid-18th century ("O happy day, that fixed my choice"), by English clergyman

(based on

Acts 8 Acts 8 is the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the burial of Stephen, the beginnings of Christian persecution, the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Samaria and ...

:35) set to a 1704 melody by J. A. Freylinghausen. By the mid-19th century it had been given a new melody by Edward F. Rimbault, who also added a chorus, and was commonly used for

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

al or

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

ceremonies in the UK and USA. The 20th century saw its adaptation from to time and this new arrangement by Hawkins, which contains only the repeated Rimbault refrain, with all of the original verses being omitted. The B-side of the single was Hawkins' own modern arrangement of " Jesus, Lover of My Soul" originally written by

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English Anglican cleric and a principal leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include "And Can It ...

in 1740.

Recording

Hawkins rearranged the hymn to give it more of a gospel feel, and devised a piano introduction which he said was influenced by the music of

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; 11 February 1941 – 5 September 2024) was a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He released 35 albums and was known for playing bossa nova, often mixed with funk. He ...

. When the choir made the recording in 1967, lead singer Dorothy Morrison added some lyrical improvisations influenced by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

, which, she said, "made the song feel even more current".

Legacy and influence

Hawkins' arrangement quickly became a “standard” and has been recorded by hundreds of artists. It was included on the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Songs of the Century The "Songs of the Century" list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. that aims to "promote a better understanding of America's musical an ...

list and won Hawkins a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Soul Gospel Performance in 1970 (performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers).Hawkins Grammy Award 1970
''Washington Post''. In 2005, "Oh Happy Day" was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

to be added to the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...

. In live performances and acoustic versions of the

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

song "

Deanna Deanna or DeAnna is a feminine given name. It is a variant of the name Diana (name), Diana apparently created in 1936 as a stage name for actress and singer Deanna Durbin, whose given name was originally Edna Mae. The name is also used as a feminine ...

" (1988), portions of "Oh Happy Day" are included, revealing the inspiration for Cave's song.

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

has stated the song was a primary inspiration in the writing of his 1970 international hit single "

My Sweet Lord "My Sweet Lord" is a song by the English musician George Harrison, released in November 1970 on his triple album ''All Things Must Pass''. It was also released as a single, Harrison's first as a solo artist, and topped charts worldwide; it was ...

." The song has appeared in many movies, beginning with the German film ' in 1970, but most notably

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ...

's ''

Sister Act 2 ''Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'' is a 1993 American musical comedy film, directed by Bill Duke, and released by Touchstone Pictures. A sequel to the 1992 film '' Sister Act'', it is loosely based on the life of Crenshaw High School choir inst ...

'',''Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit''
IMDB Soundtrack Track Listing. with then 14-year-old

Ryan Toby Maurice Ryan Toby (born November 26, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. He first gained popularity for his appearance in the film '' Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'' (1993). He is best known as a member of the Gram ...

singing lead. The song also appears in ''

Big Momma's House ''Big Momma's House'' is a 2000 crime comedy film, directed by Raja Gosnell, and written by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer. The film stars Martin Lawrence as an FBI agent who is tasked with tracking down an escaped convict and his loot, by goi ...

'',''Big Momma's House''
IMDB Soundtrack Track Listing. '' Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'',''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps''
IMDB Soundtrack Track Listing. David LaChapelle's 2005 movie ''

Rize Rize (; ; ; ka, რიზე}; ) is a coastal city in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Rize Province and Rize District.

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...

’s 2007 movie ''

License to Wed ''License to Wed'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis. Starring Robin Williams, Mandy Moore and John Krasinski, with Christine Taylor, Eric Christian Olsen and Josh Flitter in supporting roles, the film tells the s ...

'', the 2010 biographical film produced by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...

: ''

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...

'' (played when Secretariat wins the Belmont), and Spike Lee's ''

BlacKkKlansman ''BlacKkKlansman'' is a 2018 American biographical film, biographical Crime film, crime comedy-drama film directed by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Lee, loosely based on the 2014 memoir ''Black K ...

''. The Edwin Hawkins Singers' performance of the song at the 1969

Harlem Cultural Festival The Harlem Cultural Festival was a series of events, mainly music concerts, held annually in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, between 1967 and 1969 which celebrated soul, jazz and gospel and black music and culture and promoted Black pride. The m ...

appears in the 2021 music documentary, ''

Summer of Soul ''Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)'' is a 2021 American independent documentary film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in his directorial debut. It had its world prem ...

''. The song is regularly performed by space-rock band

Spiritualized Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centred on Pie ...

as the last song of their live sets.

Personnel

* Dorothy Combs Morrison – lead vocal *

– choir director, arranger, piano *Betty Watson – co-director, soprano vocals *Choir Members –

Walter Hawkins Walter Lee Hawkins (May 18, 1949 – July 11, 2010) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, composer, and pastor. An influential figure in urban contemporary gospel music, his career spanned more than four decades. He was consecrated to the ...

Tramaine Hawkins Tramaine Aunzola Richardson , (née Davis) known professionally as Tramaine Hawkins (born October 11, 1951), is an American award-winning Gospel singer whose career spans over five decades. Since beginning her career in 1966, Hawkins has won two ...

, Elaine Kelly, Margarette Branch, Rueben Franklin, Donald Cashmere, Ruth Lyons and 40 others *Drums, bass and percussion – ''unconfirmed'' (probably Bennie Bolton, drums, and Harley White, bass.) *Recorded live at the Ephesian

The song was also included on the album ''Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord'' (1968). The album reached No. 19 in Canada under its original title "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord". It was released as a

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

on Pavilion Records in April 1969, then on the

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...

album ''It's a Happy Day'' also in 1969.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Awards

*1970

Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance The Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance was awarded from 1969 to 1977. In 1978 the award was divided into two new awards, the Grammy Awards for Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional and Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospe ...

Other notable versions

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...

performed the song at

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

in 1969. *

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

covered it on his 1970 album ''

Oh Happy Day "Oh Happy Day" is a 1967 gospel music arrangement of the 1755 hymn by clergyman Philip Doddridge. Recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching No. 4 on the US Singles Chart, No. 1 in France, German ...

''. The single reached No. 45 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 7 Adult Contemporary, and No. 44 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. *

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

included it on her 1987 album '' One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism''. *

Club Nouveau Club Nouveau () is an American R&B group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California, following the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name ( French for "Club New") was changed from its original i ...

recorded it for their 1992 album ''A New Beginning''. The single charted at No. 45 on the US R&B Chart.

Certifications

References

Notes

Sources

*''

Original Seeds ''Original Seeds: Songs that inspired Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds'' is a various artist compilation, which was initially released in June 1998. It was re-titled as ''Original Seeds Volume 1: Songs That Inspired Nick Cave and the Bad Se ...

'', CD liner notes by Kim Beissel

External links

* , at the 2014

World Choir Games The World Choir Games (formerly named the Choir Olympics) is the largest global choral festival and competition. Organised by the Interkultur Foundation for choirs from all over the world, regardless of their country of origin, race, genre of mu ...

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; solo by Walt Whitman * {{Authority control 18th-century songs 1969 singles Glen Campbell songs CeCe Peniston songs Gospel songs Number-one singles in France Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Switzerland Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Buddah Records singles United States National Recording Registry recordings Songs about Jesus