"Happy People" is a song recorded by American country group

Little Big Town Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group from Homewood, Alabama. Founded in 1998, the group has had the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman (née Roads), Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook. Fa ...

from their eighth studio album, '' The Breaker'' (2017). The song was released digitally February 3, 2017, as the album's first

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

and was released to country radio as the album's second official single on April 3, 2017. "Happy People" was written by

Lori McKenna Lorraine McKenna ( Giroux; born December 22, 1968) is an American folk, Americana, and country music singer-songwriter. In 2016, she was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and won Best Country Song for co-writing the hit singl ...

and

Hailey Whitters Hailey Faith Whitters (born September 9, 1989) is an American country music singer originally from Shueyville, Iowa. Songwriting and music career Whitters has written songs for Little Big Town and Alan Jackson, and has written with Lori McKe ...

. McKenna later included her own rendition of the song on her 2018 album, '' The Tree'' and Whitters recorded a version for her 2020 album, '' The Dream''.

Content

"Happy People" features positive lyrics that encourage kindness and self-actualization. The song is backed by a "driving percussion rhythm" and incorporates influences of pop and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

genres. Perri Blumberg of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' wrote that the optimistic lyrics of "Happy People" serve as a thematic counterpoint to previous single, " Better Man". Karen Fairchild sings lead vocals on the song, with harmonies provided by the remaining group members.

Promotion

Little Big Town first performed "Happy People" on

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

on February 24, 2017. The group also performed the song at the 2016 ACM Awards on April 2, 2017, which ''Billboard'' called "one of the most memorable performances" of the night.

Critical reception

In a review of ''The Breaker'', Annie Reuter of ''Sounds Like Nashville'' wrote that the "standout" song "immediately pulls the listener in with its slick beats and memorable lyrics." Glenn Gamboa of ''

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'' wrote that "Happy People" sounds "more like '' Rumours''-era

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

than the bro country that currently fills country radio," and that its lyrics are "surprisingly poignant."

Commercial performance

"Happy People" debuted at number 56 on the

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...

chart dated April 22, 2017. The song debuted at number 47 on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart dated February 25, 2017 from digital downloads. Following its release as a single, it re-entered at number 49 on the chart dated April 15, 2017, and reached a peak of number 40, while it peaked at number 46 on the Country Airplay chart, becoming their lowest-peaking single to date.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2017 songs 2017 singles Little Big Town songs Songs written by Lori McKenna Song recordings produced by Jay Joyce Capitol Records Nashville singles Songs written by Hailey Whitters