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Oh Happy Day

Summary

"Oh Happy Day" is a 1967 gospel music arrangement of the 1755 hymn[1] by clergyman Philip Doddridge. Recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching No. 4 on the US Singles Chart, No. 1 in France, Germany, and the Netherlands and No. 2 on the Canadian Singles Chart, UK Singles Chart, and Irish Singles Chart. It has since become a gospel music standard, selling over 7 million copies worldwide,[2][3] making it the second best-selling gospel song of all time.

"Oh Happy Day"
Single by Edwin Hawkins Singers
from the album Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord
B-side"Jesus, Lover of My Soul"
Released1968 (April 1969, U.S.)
Recorded1967
StudioEphesian Church of God in Christ, Berkeley, California, U.S.
Genre
Length4:59
LabelPavilion/Buddah
Songwriter(s)Edwin Hawkins, based on 1775 hymn
Producer(s)Edwin Hawkins
Edwin Hawkins Singers singles chronology
"Oh Happy Day"
(1968) 		"All God's Children Got Soul"
(1969)
Official audio
"Oh Happy Day" on YouTube

The recording begins with a muted piano, drum, and bass, backing lead singer Dorothy Combs Morrison on the left-hand stereo channel, then alternates twice with a full-throated chorus that includes a large ensemble, rising to a crescendo with handclaps, and ending with a return to the muted sound as at the beginning. The track is notable for its clear sound given the powerful vocals and the modest equipment used to capture them. It was made at Hawkins' church, the Ephesian Church of God in Christ in Berkeley, California.[4]

Origins edit

The gospel style arrangement of the hymn "Oh, Happy Day" by Edwin Hawkins has a long pedigree. It began as a hymn, written in the mid-18th century ("O happy day, that fixed my choice"), by English clergyman Philip Doddridge (based on Acts 8:35) set to a 1704 melody by J. A. Freylinghausen.[5] By the mid-19th century it had been given a new melody by Edward F. Rimbault, who also added a chorus,[6] and was commonly used for baptismal or confirmation ceremonies in the UK and USA. The 20th century saw its adaptation from 3
4 to 4
4 time and this new arrangement by Hawkins, which contains only the repeated Rimbault refrain, with all of the original verses being omitted.

The B-side of the single was Hawkins' own modern arrangement of "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" originally written by Charles Wesley in 1740.[7][8]

Recording edit

Hawkins rearranged the hymn to give it more of a gospel feel, and devised a piano introduction which he said was influenced by the music of Sérgio Mendes. When the choir made the recording in 1967, lead singer Dorothy Morrison added some lyrical improvisations influenced by James Brown, which, she said, "made the song feel even more current".[9]

Legacy and influence edit

Hawkins' arrangement quickly became a “standard” and has been recorded by hundreds of artists. It was included on the RIAA Songs of the Century list and won Hawkins a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance in 1970 (performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers).[10]

In 2005, "Oh Happy Day" was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.[11]

In live performances and acoustic versions of the Nick Cave song "Deanna" (1988), portions of "Oh Happy Day" are included, revealing the inspiration for Cave's song.[12] George Harrison has stated the song was a primary inspiration in the writing of his 1970 international hit single "My Sweet Lord."[13][14]

The song has appeared in many movies, beginning with the German film Seventeen and Anxious [de] in 1970, but most notably Whoopi Goldberg's Sister Act 2,[15] with then 14-year-old Ryan Toby singing lead. The song also appears in Big Momma's House,[16] Nutty Professor II: The Klumps,[17] David LaChapelle's 2005 movie Rize,[18] Robin Williams’s 2007 movie License to Wed,[19] the 2010 biographical film produced by Walt Disney Pictures: Secretariat (played when Secretariat wins the Belmont), and Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.

The Edwin Hawkins Singers' performance of the song at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival appears in the 2021 music documentary, Summer of Soul.[14]

The song is regularly performed by space-rock band Spiritualized as the last song of their live sets.[20]

Personnel edit

The song was also included on the album Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord (1968).[21] It was released as a 7-inch single on Pavilion Records in April 1969,[22] then on the Buddah Records album It's a Happy Day also in 1969.[23]

Chart performance edit

Awards edit

Other notable versions edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[51] Gold 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Oh Happy Day - Hymn Lyrics & Music". YouTube.
  2. ^ West, Hollie I. (August 26, 1978). "Making Room for the Music of the Lord". Library of Congress. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  3. ^ Bill Carpenter. ""Oh Happy Day" – The Edwin Hawkins Singers (1968)" (PDF). Library of Congress. p. 2. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  4. ^ W. K. McNeil (2013-10-18). Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 9781135377007. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  5. ^ a b c d Myers, Marc (2012-11-23). "When He Washed My Sins Away". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  6. ^ P. Doddridge and E. F. Rimbault, "Happy Day", in Joseph Flintoft Berry and Charles H. Gabriel (1914), edd., Hymns of the Heart, New York: Methodist Book Concern, Hymn 134.
  7. ^ "Jesus, Lover of My Soul". The Army and Navy Hymnal/Hymns/Jesus, Lover of My Soul - Wikisource, the free online library. Retrieved 2016-10-02. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh Happy Day / Jesus, Lover Of My Soul - Buddah - UK - 201048". 45cat.com. 1969-05-17. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  9. ^ Myers, Marc (2016). Anatomy of a Song. Grove Press. pp. 149–152. ISBN 978-1-61185-525-8.
  10. ^ Hawkins Grammy Award 1970, Washington Post.
  11. ^ "The National Recording Registry 2005". The Library of Congress. October 25, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Acoustic Version Video on YouTube
  13. ^ DeMain, Bill. "George Harrison’s 'My Sweet Lord' Copyright Case". Performing Songwriter. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  14. ^ a b Greene, Bryan (June 2017). "Parks and Recreation: Harlem at a Crossroads in the Summer of '69". Poverty and Race Research Action Council.
  15. ^ Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit, IMDB Soundtrack Track Listing.
  16. ^ Big Momma's House, IMDB Soundtrack Track Listing.
  17. ^ Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, IMDB Soundtrack Track Listing.
  18. ^ "Various Artists, Flii Stylz, Dizee Rascal, Christina Aguilera, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Dap & Planet Asia, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, The Caravans, Alice Ridley, Lil' C & Bloezarf - Rize - Music From the Original Motion Picture - Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  19. ^ "License to Wed Soundtrack Track Listing". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  20. ^ "Spiritualized - Oh Happy Day (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) [Official Audio]". YouTube.
  21. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers* - Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord". Discogs. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  22. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers* - Oh Happy Day". Discogs. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  23. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers* - It's A Happy Day". Discogs. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  24. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers – Oh, Happy Day" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  25. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers – Oh, Happy Day" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  26. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers – Oh, Happy Day" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  27. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  28. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  29. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers – Oh, Happy Day" (in French). Les classement single.
  30. ^ "Edwin Hawkins Singers – Oh Happy Day" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  31. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Oh Happy Day". Irish Singles Chart.
  32. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Edwin Hawkins Singers The" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  33. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers – Oh, Happy Day" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  34. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. 1969-08-08. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  35. ^ "SA Charts 1965 - 1989". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  36. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers – Oh, Happy Day". Swiss Singles Chart.
  37. ^ "Edwin Hawkins Singers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  38. ^ "The Edwin Hawkins Singers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  39. ^ "Edwin Hawkins Singers Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  40. ^ "Edwin Hawkins Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  41. ^ a b "Top 100 1969-06-07". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  42. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  43. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahreschart 1969". offiziellecharts.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  44. ^ "Top 100 1969 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  45. ^ "TOPSINGLES1969" (PDF). Record Mirror. December 27, 1969. p. 15. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  46. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1969/Top 100 Songs of 1969". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  47. ^ "RPM100" (PDF). RPM. RPM. May 5, 1970. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  48. ^ "Oh Happy Day (Live at New Bethel Baptist Church, Detroit, MI - July 1987)" – via www.youtube.com.
  49. ^ "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism - Aretha Franklin" – via www.allmusic.com.
  50. ^ "Club Nouveau - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  51. ^ "American single certifications – Edwin Hawkins' Singers – Oh Happy Day". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 24, 2024.

Sources edit

External links edit

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