Be Happy (Mary J. Blige song)


"Be Happy" is the hit lead single by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige from her critically acclaimed second studio album, My Life. Co-written and performed by the artist, the song was also written with Sean Combs, Arlene DelValle and J.C. Olivier. The song contains an instrumental sample of "You're So Good To Me" by musician Curtis Mayfield and a re-sung vocal portion of "I Want You" by Marvin Gaye. The song reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Blige's third single to reach the top forty of that chart, while reaching number six on the R&B singles chart, becoming her fifth top-ten single on that particular chart. The music video is well known as it was directed from September 16–17, 1994 by Diddy and Hype Williams, shows Mary singing in a white background amidst other things, including stand abroad of a mountain creek. It reached the top 40 in the UK, reaching number thirty on the UK Singles Chart, staying on the charts for five weeks.
Upon its release, Blige performed the song on shows such as Friday Night Videos, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Soul Train, Teen Summit, Showtime at the Apollo among others. It has since become one of Blige's signature songs.

Remixes

The official remix features Def Squad rapper Keith Murray, which samples 1980s hip hop artist Jimmy Spicer's "Money ". This version also garnered heavy rotation as well.
Blige and Murray performed the remix version during Showtime at the Apollo's 200th episode that aired in early February 1996.

Charts

Release history