Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 2021
Happier (Olivia Rodrigo song)
Buy Happier (Olivia Rodrigo song) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Happier
| cover =
| alt =
| caption =
| type = song
| artist = Olivia Rodrigo
| album = Sour
| written = 2019
| released =
| recorded = June 2020
| studio = Amusement (Los Angeles)
| venue =
| genre = Folk-pop
| length = 2:55
| label = Geffen
| writer = Olivia Rodrigo
| producer = Dan Nigro
| misc =
}}
"'Happier'" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, seen as the eighth track from Rodrigo's debut studio album 'Sour', which was released on May 21, 2021, through Geffen Records. The song was produced by Dan Nigro.
Musically, "Happier" is a folk-pop piano ballad, over 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
"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 and caught the attention of Nigro, who produced the song, to make it onto the album. 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. The song was released on May 21, 2021, alongside its parent album, with an accompanying lyric video released on Rodrigo's YouTube channel.
Composition
"Happier" is a piano-led, folk-pop ballad, with a deep bass production. The song was the first song written for the album, written solely by Rodrigo in 2020, with the production handled by Dan Nigro. It runs for a total length of two minutes and 55 seconds. The lyrics of the song talks about "grapples with the faulty narrative of female rivalry" as [the writer] selfishly wishes her former partner and his new love a happy future, not just as happy as they were when they were still together, with the lyrics "I hope youre happy, but dont be happier". 'Billboard' opined the song is sonically reminiscent to Rihanna's 2016 song "Love on the Brain". According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony Music Publishing, the song is written in the key of G major with a tempo of 56 beats per minute. It is set in time, and Rodrigo's vocals span from G3 to D6.
Critical reception
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". P. Claire Dodson of 'Teen Vogue', described the song as one of the "strongest" among the songs written by Rodrigo. 'Rolling Stone' critic Angie Martoccio said that the song is "one of the [album]'s sparkly highlights".
Commercial performance
In the United States, following the release of 'Sour', "Happier" debuted within the 'Billboard' Hot 100 at number 15, alongside the 10 other tracks from the album. The following week, the song fell five places to number 20. The song also debuted at number 14 on the 'Billboard' Global 200 chart. "Happier" charted in both Australia and Canada 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. Elsewhere, "Happier" charted within the top 40 in Greece, Norway, and Portugal, at numbers 29, 28, and 19, respectively.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal and the liner notes of 'Sour'.
'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
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Buy Happier (Olivia Rodrigo song) now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 2021