Happier (Olivia Rodrigo song)

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"Happier"
Song by Olivia Rodrigo
from the album Sour
Written2019
ReleasedMay 21, 2021
RecordedJune 2020
StudioAmusement (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length2:55
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Olivia Rodrigo
Producer(s)Dan Nigro
Lyric video
"Happier" on YouTube

"Happier" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, seen as the eighth track on Rodrigo's debut studio album Sour (2021), which was released on May 21, 2021, through Geffen Records. The song was produced by Dan Nigro. According to Rodrigo, this song was inspired by the song ''Perfect'' by Ed Sheeran in both the lyrics and the instrumental track.

Musically, "Happier" is a doo-wop piano ballad, with a deep bass production. The lyrics of the song details the struggles of moving on from a break-up while selfishly wishing their former partner to be less happy with their new relationship. The song received critical acclaim from music critics upon the release of Sour, with many naming it as one of the album's best songs and highlights.

Background[edit]

"Happier" was released as one of the eleven songs from Olivia Rodrigo's debut album, Sour. The song is one of the few songs Rodrigo previewed as a demo on Instagram which caught the attention of music producer Dan Nigro. This led to the production of the song and was released with the album.[1][2] On April 1, 2021, Rodrigo announced that her debut album was set to be released on May 21, 2021. On April 13, Rodrigo announced that the album is titled Sour. Alongside the album name announcement, the track listing was also revealed. "Happier" appears as the eighth track of the album.[3] The song was released on May 21, 2021, alongside its parent album, with an accompanying lyric video released on Rodrigo's YouTube channel.[4]

Composition[edit]

"Happier"
A 17-second sample of the first chorus of "Happier" as Rodrigo admits her selfishness and criticizes herself in the song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The song's music sheet, published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing at musicnotes.com, shows that the song is written in the key of F-sharp major, at a tempo of 56 beats per minute. Rodrigo's vocals span from the low note of G♭3 to the high D♭5.[5]

"Happier" is a piano-led Fifties-style doo-wop ballad,[6] with a deep bass production. Rodrigo wrote this song by herself in 2019, with production by Dan Nigro. It has a total duration of two minutes and 55 seconds. The song's lyrics speak of "dealing with the flawed narrative of female rivalry" while selfishly wishing her ex-partner and new love a happy future, just not as happy as when they were still together, with the lyrics "I hope you're happy, but don't be happier."

Critical reception[edit]

Chris Willman from Variety named "Happier" as the "best song" of the album, and stated that the song has a "clever-but-real lyrical twist".[7] P. Claire Dodson of Teen Vogue, described the song as one of the "strongest" among the songs written by Rodrigo.[8] Rolling Stone critic Angie Martoccio said that the song is "one of the [album]'s sparkly highlights".[9]

Commercial performance[edit]

In the United States, following the release of Sour, "Happier" debuted within the Billboard Hot 100 at number 15, next to the 10 other tracks from the album.[10] The following week, the song fell five places to number 20.[11] The song also debuted at number 14 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.[12] "Happier" charted in both Australia[13] and Canada[14] at number 15, and New Zealand at number 14. In the United Kingdom, the song failed to chart within the official UK Singles Chart, but it did on the UK Streaming Chart at number 18. In other countries, "Happier" charted within the top 40 in Greece, Norway, and Portugal, at numbers 29, 28, and 19, respectively.

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal and the liner notes of Sour.[15][16]

Recording

  • Recorded at Amusement Studios (Los Angeles)
  • Mixed at SOTA Studios (Los Angeles)
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

  • Olivia Rodrigo – vocals, backing vocals, songwriter
  • Daniel Nigro – producer, backing vocals, recording engineer, piano, bass, drums, synth, guitar
  • Paul Cartwright – viola, violin
  • Kathleen – backing vocals
  • Dan Viafore – assistant engineer
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "Happier"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[37] 3× Platinum 120,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[38] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
France (SNEP)[39] Gold 100,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[40] 3× Platinum 420,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[41] Gold 30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[42] Platinum 50,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[43] Gold 5,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[44] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[46] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Every Song Ranked on Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour': Critic's Picks". Billboard. May 21, 2021. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo: SOUR". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Martoccio, Angie (April 13, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo Details Debut Album 'Sour,' Reveals Tracklist". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo - Happier (Lyric Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "happier". musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. May 24, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "'Happier'". Rolling Stone Australia. September 13, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Willman, Chris (May 21, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' Is One Sweet Entreé Into a Lifetime of Music-Making: Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  8. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo "Sour" Album Review: It's Brutal Out Here". Teen Vogue. May 25, 2021. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Martoccio, Angie (May 21, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo Is a Revelatory New Pop Voice on 'Sour.' Deal With It". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart: Week of June 5, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  11. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart - June 12, 2021". Billboard. June 12, 2021. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  12. ^ "Global 200 Chart". Billboard. June 5, 2021. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  13. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". ARIA. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  14. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart: June 5, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  15. ^ Sour (liner notes). Olivia Rodrigo. Geffen Records. 2021. 00602438077441.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR credits". Tidal. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  17. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo – Happier". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  18. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  19. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202124 into search. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  20. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo – Happier" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  21. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  22. ^ "Charts". June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  23. ^ "Top 20 Most Streamed International +Domestic Songs Week 29 (16/07/2021-22/07/2021)". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  24. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo – Happier". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  25. ^ "Discography Olivia Rodrigo". Topplista. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  26. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo – Happier". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  27. ^ "RIAS Top Charts". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  28. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202124 into search. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  29. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo – Happier" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  30. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 25" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  31. ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  32. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Popular Songs - May 21, 2021". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  34. ^ "Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  35. ^ "Top 1000 Singles + EPs Digitais: Semanas 01 a 52 de 2021" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  36. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  37. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – Happier" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  38. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – Happier". Music Canada. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  39. ^ "French single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – Happier" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  40. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved July 5, 2023. Type Olivia Rodrigo in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Happier in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  41. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  42. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 25, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Happier in the search box.
  43. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – Happier" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  44. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – Happier". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  45. ^ "British single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – Happier". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  46. ^ "American single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – Happier". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
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