"Happy People" | ||||
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Single by Prince Ital Joe and Marky Mark | ||||
from the album Life in the Streets | ||||
Released | November 1993 | |||
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Length | 3:59 | |||
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Prince Ital Joe and Marky Mark singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Happy People" on YouTube |
"Happy People" is a song by Dominican-American reggae/ragga recording artist Prince Ital Joe featuring American rapper Marky Mark. It is their first single as a duo, released in November 1993 by EastWest and Ultraphonic as the lead single from the duo's first and only album, Life in the Streets (1994). Written by Ital Joe and Mark, and produced by Alex Christensen and Frank Peterson, the song became a hit all over Europe, peaking at number four in Germany. It sold over 400.000 copies there, [1] earning the duo a gold record. Additionally, "Happy People" was a top 10 hit in Finland (8) and a top 30 hit in Austria (23), Sweden (24) and Switzerland (22). Its accompanying music video was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in February 1994. [2]
Pan-European magazine Music & Media said, "The busy signal of a telephone drives you wild before the chorus starts, where "all the lonely people" out of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" suddenly become "happy"." [3] An editor, Miranda Watson, wrote, "'Happy People' is a strongly raggainfluenced track with a driving dance beat, a solid hook balanced by rapping from Marky Mark." [1] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it one out of five, adding, "Yet another rap tune with a message." [4]
Weekly charts
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Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was an American hip-hop group formed in 1991 by Mark Wahlberg, Scott Gee, Hector the Booty Inspector, DJ-T, and Ashey Ace. The group's best known song is "Good Vibrations", which made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991, while their follow-up song "Wildside" peaked at number 10.
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use of rich vocals, sometimes with rapped verses. This, combined with cutting-edge synthesizers, strong bass rhythm and melodic hooks, establishes the core foundation of Eurodance music.
"Good Vibrations" is a song by American group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway. It was released in July 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, Music for the People (1991). The song became a number-one hit in the United States, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. It spent twenty weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, its last week rising 40 positions to number 27, but dropped out the following week.
"I Like to Move It" is a song by American solo project Reel 2 Real, featuring ragga vocals by Trinidad and Tobago rapper The Mad Stuntman. Released by Strictly Rhythm in 1993 as the second single from the project's debut album, Move It! (1994), it appeared on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1994, peaking at number 89, and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart the same year. It was a number-one hit in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Zimbabwe. On the Billboard Dance Club Play chart, it peaked at number eight. At the second International Dance Awards in 1995, it won the award for Best Tune of the Year. Its music video was directed by Craig K. McCall.
"Right in the Night (Fall in Love with Music)" is a song by German electronic music duo Jam & Spoon, released by JAM! and Dance Pool as the second single from the duo's second album, Tripomatic Fairytales 2001 (1993). It is a Eurodance song with elements from progressive and vocal trance. It is based on "Leyenda" by the classical composer Isaac Albéniz and features vocals by American vocalist Plavka, with lyrics by Nosie Katzmann. The flamenco-styled riff in the song is played by El Mar, who was trained as a classical guitarist.
"Return of the Mack" is a song written and recorded by British R&B singer Mark Morrison, released as the third single from his debut album by the same name (1996). It topped the UK Singles Chart a month after its release, then became a European and Australian hit. In the United States, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum. The accompanying music video, directed by Jake Nava, was released in the United Kingdom in March 1996 and in the United States in February 1997.
"Tribal Dance" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was their sixth single, released in April 1993 from the band's second album, No Limits! (1993). The UK release omitted the main rap, but left in more vocals from Ray Slijngaard than any of their previous releases. The single scored chart success in many European countries topping the charts in Finland, Portugal and Spain. Outside Europe, the song topped the chart in Israel and the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart, while peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Tribal Dance" also peaked within the top 5 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and Zimbabwe. Its music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones.
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg, formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor. His work as a leading man spans the comedy, drama, and action genres. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, nine Primetime Emmy Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
"Two Princes" is a song by American rock group Spin Doctors, released in 1992 by Epic as the second single from the group's debut album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite (1991). The song peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Cash Box Top 100. Outside of the US, it topped the charts in Iceland and Sweden, and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The song earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. The group filmed two different music videos for "Two Princes"; one of them was in black-and-white. One of the videos was directed by Richard Murray and premiered in February 1992.
"Babe" is a song by English boy band Take That, released in December 1993 by RCA and BMG as the fourth single from the band's second album, Everything Changes (1993). Written by Gary Barlow, it features Mark Owen on lead vocals. Production was led by David Clayton, who later spent 10 years as keyboard player and backing vocalist with Simply Red. Accompanied by a music video directed by Gregg Masuak, the song was a number-one hit in both Ireland and the United Kingdom while peaking within the top 10 in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
You Gotta Believe is the second and final studio album by American hip hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, released on September 15, 1992. The album peaked at number 67 on the US Billboard 200.
Joe Paquette, better known by his stage name Prince Ital Joe, was a Dominican singer of reggae and ragga best known for his collaborations with Marky Mark and Death Row Records artists. Prince Ital Joe also did some acting, appearing in the Steven Seagal film, Marked for Death and in the TV series, EZ Streets and Players.
Life in the Streets is the debut album by reggae/ragga recording artist Prince Ital Joe and the third album by rapper Marky Mark. The album was released in 1994 for Ultraphonic Records and blended Prince Ital Joe's reggae with Marky Mark's hip hop. Life in the Streets was not released in the United States, but it was a success in Germany, where most of the album was produced in the Eurodance style. Four singles charted on Germany's Media Control Charts: "Life in the Streets" (#12), "Happy People" (#4), "Babylon" (#17), and "United", which held the #1 position for five weeks. Songs "Life in the Streets", "In Love" and "United" appeared in the Danny DeVito movie Renaissance Man, while "United" also appeared in The NeverEnding Story III.
The Remix Album is the second and final album by rap/reggae duo, Prince Ital Joe and Marky Mark. The album was released in 1995 for Ultraphonic Records and was a remix album featuring remixes from the duo's previous album, Life in the Streets, as well as a Marky Mark solo track, "No Mercy". This would mark the second and final album by Prince Ital Joe and the fourth album by Marky Mark.
"Think About the Way" is a song by British-based rapper Ice MC, released in March 1994 as the second single from his third album, Ice'n'Green (1994), on which it appears in four versions, and his tenth single overall. It was produced by Roberto Zanetti, also known as Robyx, and was written by Zanetti and Ice MC, though many releases credit Zanetti as the sole writer. The female vocals were performed by Italian singer Alexia, though she was also uncredited. The song was very successful in Europe, reaching the top 5 in Belgium and Italy, and the top 15 in Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. In the UK and Ireland, it was released under the title "Think About the Way ", which it refers to the first words of the first verse. Its music video was directed by Giacomo de Simone.
"United" is a song recorded by Dominican-American reggae/ragga recording artist Prince Ital Joe and American rapper Marky Mark. It was released in March 1994 as the third single from their debut album, Life in the Streets (1994). The song was co-written and produced by Alex Christensen and Frank Peterson. It reached number one in Germany and the top 10 in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
"Close to You" is a song by German Eurodance band Fun Factory, released in March 1994 by various labels as the second single from the band's debut-album, NonStop (1994). The song received positive reviews from music critics, peaking at number-one on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart and at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Additionally, it peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. In Europe, the song reached number 19 in Germany and number 97 in the UK. Its music video was directed by Swedish director Stefan Berg and filmed at a quarry. It was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in June 1994. "Close to You" uses the same melody as the 1993 hit single "Hold On" by German group Loft.
"No Mercy", or in its full title "No Mercy (The Fist of the Tiger)", is a 1995 song by Mark Wahlberg known at the time by the artistic name Marky Mark of the formation Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. "No Mercy" appeared on the collaborative Prince Ital Joe and Marky Mark album The Remix Album, although this particular track is actually a solo effort by Marky Mark with no participation from Prince Ital Joe.
"On a Ragga Tip" is a song by British breakbeat hardcore group SL2, released as a single in 1992. The song contains samples of Jah Screechy's "Walk and Skank" and Kid 'n Play's "Gittin' Funky ".
"Go on Move" is a song by American solo project Reel 2 Real, featuring ragga vocals by Trinidad and Tobago rapper the Mad Stuntman. Originally released in 1993 by Strictly Rhythm as a single from the project's debut album, Move It! (1994), it was re-released in 1994 after the success of "I Like to Move It". "Go on Move" became a top-10 hit in Canada (6), Finland (4), Ireland (6), the Netherlands (10) and the UK. In the latter, the song reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart. But on the UK Dance Singles Chart, it was a even bigger hit, peaking at number two. In the US, it peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, while it peaked at number one on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart. Its accompanying music video was directed by Craig McCall, who had previously directed the video for "I Like to Move It". "Go on Move" was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in August 1994.