Download with Lead    I hate this song… I really, really do.  The lyrics are repetitive and banal, the music simplistic, and Pharrell Williams is just too damn happy to be real (the abrupt ending doesn’t help either).  I know, the rest of the planet loves this little ditty, but too much of a good thing gets tedious after awhile.

Pharrell wrote, produced, and sang “Happy” for the soundtrack of the movie Despicable Me 2, which was fun and stupid all at the same time (which kinda explains this song).  The instrumentation is sparse by modern standards:  bass, programmed drums (not even a real drummer, Pharrell?),  and a keyboard.  The vast array of backup singers pretty much makes the bass and keyboard players immaterial.  Bingo!  That’s why I don’t like this song!  I knew I’d figure it out if I whined about it long enough.

Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do, and this tune is one of them.  If you’re a singer without a band and using my backups, you’ll want to snatch this one off the Pop/Rock list.  You’ll get sick of it, but it’ll make your crowd…well, happy.

The video is sorta fun though: