"Happy People" is a song by Dominican-American reggae/ragga recording artist Prince Ital Joe featuring American rapper Marky Mark. It is their first single as a duo, released in November 1993 by EastWest and Ultraphonic as the lead single from the duo's first and only album, Life in the Streets (1994). Written by Ital Joe and Mark, and produced by Alex Christensen and Frank Peterson, the song became a hit all over Europe, peaking at number four in Germany. It sold over 400.000 copies there,[1] earning the duo a gold record. Additionally, "Happy People" was a top-10 hit in Finland (8) and a top-30 hit in Austria (23), Sweden (24) and Switzerland (22). Its accompanying music video was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in February 1994.[2]
Pan-European magazine Music & Media said, "The busy signal of a telephone drives you wild before the chorus starts, where "all the lonely people" out of the Beatles' 'Eleanor Rigby' suddenly become "happy"."[3]Music & Media editor Miranda Watson wrote, "'Happy People' is a strongly raggainfluenced track with a driving dance beat, a solid hook balanced by rapping from Marky Mark."[1] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it one out of five, adding, "Yet another rap tune with a message."[4] Another Smash Hits editor, Emma Cochrane, complimented it as a "great dance track".[5]
^Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
