| "Happiness" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Blue Nile | ||||
| from the album Peace at Last | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Warner | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Paul Buchanan | |||
| Producer(s) | The Blue Nile | |||
| The Blue Nile singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Happiness" is a song by Scottish band The Blue Nile, which was released in 1996 as the lead single from their third studio album Peace at Last . It was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band. "Happiness" reached No. 88 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks. [1]
In a review of Peace at Last, The Dundee Courier & Advertiser wrote, "Peace at Last arrives in superb style with the opening 'Happiness', a song which has little to do with its title but is as magnificently grandiose as anything you're likely to hear." [2] Music & Media described "Happiness" as "a great gospel song, climaxing with the help of a choir". [3]
In a 1996 feature on the band, George Byrne said, "There's the presence of a gospel choir at the close of 'Happiness' which caused me to jump when I first heard it but even that departure from [the band's] usual form fits in perfectly with the tone of the song." [4] Adrian Dawson of The Stage described the song as a "hymn to triumph over adversity". [5]
The Blue Nile
Additional musicians
Production
Other
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) [6] | 88 |
The Blue Nile were a Scottish band which originated in Glasgow. The group's early music was built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured guitar more prominently. Following early championing by established artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Peter Gabriel, the Blue Nile gained critical acclaim, particularly for its first two albums A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats, and some commercial success in both the UK and the US, which led to the band working with a wide range of musicians from the late 1980s onwards.
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