Pharrell Says That His Hit Song “Happy” Was Never Meant to Be So Happy

Pharrell’s hit “Happy” wasn’t made from a burst of joy, but it came from a moment of sarcasm.

During an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Pharrell explained how the feel-good anthem wasn’t even meant to be that way.

After multiple attempts to make a real happy song for Despicable Me 2, he ended up going the opposite direction.

“When I was about 40, that’s when ‘Get Lucky,’ ‘Blurred Lines,’ and ‘Happy’ all happened in the same year,” Pharrell shared.

But unlike what most people think, those songs were commissions—not personal passion projects. Pharrell struggled through nine failed attempts at writing a song about happiness for the movie.

Pharrell explained his frustration: “I asked myself, ‘How do you make a song about a person so happy that nothing can bring them down?’” He ended up answering that question sarcastically, and that sarcasm gave birth to “Happy.”

It’s crazy to think that one of the happiest songs ever came from a place of pure, “I’m done trying” energy. And it ended up changing his career.

*Pharrell talks ‘Happy’ at 16 min mark*