"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a song by American musician Bobby McFerrin released in September 1988. It was the first a cappella song to reach number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which was a position it held for two weeks. Originally released in conjunction with the film Cocktail in 1988, the song originally peaked at No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was re-released the same year and peaked at No. 1 on September 24, 1988, displacing "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses. The song also peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart and No. 7 on the BillboardHot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. The song was also a hit in the United Kingdom and on the UK Singles Chart, the song reached number 2 during its fifth week on the chart. In Canada, the song reached No. 1 on its 8th week. The song is the first a cappella song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and one critic noted it as a "formula for facing life's trials." This was also the first song played on American Top 40 after Shadoe Stevens took over as host.
Background
Indian mystic Meher Baba often used the expression "Don't worry, be happy" when cabling his followers in the West, and the expression was printed on inspirational cards and posters during the 1960s. In 1988, McFerrin noticed a similar poster in the apartment of jazz duo Tuck & Patti in San Francisco, and he was inspired by the expression's charm and simplicity. He wrote the song that was included in the soundtrack of the movie Cocktail and became a hit single the next year.
Composition
The "instruments" in the a cappella song are entirely overdubbed voice parts and other sounds made by McFerrin, using no instruments at all; McFerrin also sings with an affected accent.
Music video
The comedic original music video for the song stars McFerrin, Robin Williams, and Bill Irwin, and is somewhat shorter than the album version.
Comedian George Carlin wrote in Napalm and Silly Putty that the song's message "was exactly the kind of mindless philosophy that Americans would respond to".
Featured in the 1988 romance film Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue. It was also released as part of the film's official soundtrack.
The song was used in George H. W. Bush's 1988 U.S. presidential election as Bush's 1988 official presidential campaign song, without Bobby McFerrin's permission or endorsement. In reaction, McFerrin publicly protested that particular use of his song, including stating that he was going to vote against Bush, and completely dropped the song from his own performance repertoire, to make the point even clearer. The Bush campaign then reportedly desisted from further use of the song.
In 1989, Delacorte Press published a book titled Don't Worry, Be Happy with the song's lyrics, 20 new verses written by McFerrin, and illustrations by Bennett Carlson.
The song became an unofficial anthem in Jamaica after Hurricane Gilbert struck the island in September 1988 and caused months of hardship to the population.
In 1993, it was featured in the trailer for the film Captain Ron.
In 1997, the song was featured in the direct-to-video film '.
In 2001, Mondo Club recorded the titular single. The performer was Trevor Taylor.
In 2003, the song was parodied on the show Futurama, in the episode "The Sting".
In 2005, featured in the biographical military drama Jarhead, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
In 2006, the song was parodied in the animated film Flushed Away.
In 2008, the song was featured in the animated film WALL-E.
Until 2010, the song was used as the theme song for :id:Garda Oto|Garda Oto commercials in Indonesia.
In November 2014, it was featured as a mashup with "Winter Wonderland" by a cappella group Pentatonix featuring Tori Kelly on the album That's Christmas to Me.
In 2018, the song was featured in the animated film '.
In 2019, it was featured in the first episode of the fourth season of the USA Network TV series Mr. Robot.
Cover versions
Versions of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" have been recorded by several artists. The Katsimiha Brothers made a Greek cover of the song with original lyrics, and Montenegrin musician Rambo Amadeus made a parody titled "Don't Happy, Be Worry", as a critique to the optimism of the music scene in the former Yugoslavia in the face of war and economic depression. In addition, the lyrics of "Fight the Power" by hip hop artists Public Enemy refer critically to "Don't Worry, Be Happy". A version of this song sung by The Hit Crew is also added into the Big Mouth Billy Bass, a very popular animatronic singing toy. Hermes House Band covered the song on their Rhythm of the Nineties album in 2009. Reggae artist Cas Haley covered the song as a hidden bonus track on his Favorites album. Also in 1989 Dutch rock DJ Alfred Lagarde recorded a version in Dutch with a heavy Surinam accent under the name Johnny Camaro. Spanish Ska band The Locos covered this song in a similar style, ska.
Contrary to popular belief, the famous reggae musician Bob Marley never recorded a version of "Don't Worry, Be Happy", as he died seven years before the song was written. Despite this, a video on YouTube entitled "Bob Marley - Don't worry be Happy " has over 146 million views.
