Since last summer, this song has been everywhere. Movies. Commercials. The grocery store. I’m pretty sure I even heard it in a funeral home once.
And yet, I’m still not sick of it. Somehow, it’s still able to deliver on its promise of genuine, uncomplicated happiness.
I think Pharrell has managed to strike the delicate balance between all the ingredients of a song about happiness. For the visual types out there, I will try to explain what I mean with the following homemade (and hastily made) Venn diagram:
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. Everything’s understated. The drums aren’t huge. Pharrell never belts out the vocals. And the bass and keyboards are just poking their heads in, like someone who’s tip-toeing in late for a meeting.
2. The backup vocals. Especially when they start to cascade at 1:50.
3. The 24-hour video. A great concept, nicely executed, and not obsessed with its own coolness.
Recommended listening activity:
Whatever makes you happy.