Download Instrumental    Since the goal this month is to keep things happy and upbeat, this piece is right up our proverbial alley.  Thanks to Keith Anderson for reminding me of this one.

There once was an Indian spiritual guide named Meher BaBa who claimed he was the Avatar – or God in human form.  He thought that the universe was largely just imagination and that every soul was God passing through that imagination on it’s way to divinity.  Well, alrighty then.  He also spent the last 44 years of his life in silence, refusing to speak in this world.  Probably a good idea.  His favorite expression was – you guessed it – “don’t worry, be happy”.

Singer and musician Bobby McFerrin noticed a poster of Meher BaBa in somebody’s apartment with the words “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” written underneath his picture.  Bobby liked the simplicity of such a philosophy and wrote a song about it.  He chose not to use even one musical instrument in his recording, instead opting to use his voice for all the parts.  So…  a few studio musicians lost some income on this one, but we won’t go there.  It’s the only a capella song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts and did so in 1988.  This tune was also featured in the movie Cocktail.

It’s a happy one.  And maybe even uplifting.  If you can whistle, mute track one and have at it.  Our arrangement is a little more reggae than McFerrin’s, but it works well on your beach gigs.  Have fun with it – I’m sure Mr. BaBa would approve… whereEVER he is in this universe.