Talk:Don't Worry, Be Happy

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Don't Worry, Be Happy article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

A Cappella Low‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject A Cappella, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of a cappella (professional and collegiate) and related articles such as its groups, recordings, institutions, and public figures on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.A CappellaWikipedia:WikiProject A CappellaTemplate:WikiProject A CappellaA Cappella articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale.

Pop music Mid‑importance

	Pop music portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Pop music, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of articles related to pop music on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Pop musicWikipedia:WikiProject Pop musicTemplate:WikiProject Pop musicPop music articles
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Songs

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Songs, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of songs on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SongsWikipedia:WikiProject SongsTemplate:WikiProject Songssong articles

Library of Congress Low‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Library of Congress, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the Library of Congress on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Library of CongressWikipedia:WikiProject Library of CongressTemplate:WikiProject Library of CongressLibrary of Congress articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale.

Untitled

The following entry was recently placed under Usage in films, popular culture, and advertising:

Ninja Movie Used it as the end soundtrack. It was very famous for being used their

Ninja Movie doesn't link anywhere. Not sure which Ninja movie this refers to. Perhaps Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film), but there are two sequels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. There are also other Ninja films since it is also a whole film genre. Please clarify which movie included Don't Worry Be Happy in the end credits and then replace. Thanks. Cott12 Talk 20:00, 18 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

First - only?

The introduction lists it as the first a capella song to reach the number one spot on the billboard charts. As of this point, isn't it the only song to do so? Also, what the heck does "tie up one's camel" mean?

Not. In 1943, Comin' In On A Wing And A Prayer by the Song Spinners and You'll Never Know by Dick Haymes & The Song Spinners were both a capella #1s on Billboard. I believe studio musicians were on strike at the time, thus a capella. dvp —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.12.140.206 (talk) 19:37, 16 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

One-hit wonder?

Does a song by an 8-time Grammy Winner qualify as a "One-hit wonder?" Cott12 Talk 17:38, 26 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Clone Wikipedia page

sorry guys... i will eventually test this out.. i knew that %2C was the same as a comma, but it was weird because parts of the article had completely different words substituted, that's all.. thats why i thought it was really weird that a browser could do that...

oh well.. was weird. ive deleted my webpage bout it anyway.. thanks...

kat

Not a Clone Wikipedia Page

There's nothing strange about it. 2C is the hex code for a comma. Those two links you have are the exact same thing. One of your browsers has an old version of the Wikipedia article in its cache. Baltikatroika 21:50, 31 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

?On the Trail?

I've always thought McFerrin's song owed something to Ferde Grofe's "On the Trail." It seems to be in the same key, utilize the same chords, and the main theme of each ends with a very similar note pattern. Similar rhythmically also. Anyone agree or ready to have me commited? --Tapered 10:55, 19 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use rationale for Image:DontWorryBe.jpg

Image:DontWorryBe.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 05:32, 13 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I added additional fair use rationale. Cott12 12:17, 13 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

singing fish

Should we add that singing fish always used to sing this song? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.107.252.120 (talk) 13:24, 9 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I think there are far more notable examples of the fame of the song! Besides, this is better kept at Big Mouth Billy Bass. Papa November (talk) 13:35, 9 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

think the fish did it better...

Bob Marley

Did Bob Marley cover this song or did he not ? Either way, I think it should be mentionned in the article (with sources). Zouavman Le Zouave 18:20, 24 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No, Bob Marley died 7 years before this song was released. You may be thinking of Three Little Birds, which features the lyrics: "Don't worry about a thing, 'cos every little thing is gonna be alright." Papa November (talk) 21:28, 24 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your answer. I think it should probably be noted that many sources claim Marley recorded the song, shouldn't it? Zouavman Le Zouave 17:23, 25 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I wasn't aware of any sources of that nature. If it really has appeared in some prominent sources (i.e. newspapers/books, not just internet forums etc), then it might be worth looking at further. Papa November (talk) 23:45, 25 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Like Papa said, if there are any credible sources that state any connection between Bob Marley and this song, then feel free to add it to the article and cite it. As far as I know, though, it's just a misconception among random individuals (as well as many YouTube users). Sandwiches99 (talk) 00:19, 9 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I removed for now: It is a common misconception that Bob Marley recorded this song, and the song is commonly credited to him. This is incorrect. Bob Marley died in 1981, roughly 7 years before this song was released. The problem with this quote is that it says it is a common misconception. I think it was a misprint once or twice on the internet, which is not a common conception. If it is a common conception that people have of the song (in spite of the music video and the grammy award and the obvious voice of Bobby McFerrin), then a citation (reference) should be given from a reliable source. Also, this point has been put on this page in the past and removed before. [1] Thanks. Aliphanta (talk) 12:48, 17 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, it is misconception - I had to use wikipedia just now to confirm it is Bobby McFerrin. It is indeed all over youtube that it was Bob Marley or Bobby McFerrin. It should be in the article that Bob Marley's song is Three Little Birds, of similar theme, than this song. But there won't really be any "sources" - and it's not just random individuals, it's a lot of people. Of course, no one does polls on whom people think this song is by, so there would not be sources concerning the mix-up. I agree therefore to include it in the article. ~ GoldenGoose100 (talk) 20:25, 8 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

As I've said before, the Bob Marley confusion can be mentioned only if reliable sources can be found. If someone wants to know who wrote the song, then they can already see the answer in the article. A mistake made by people on web forums/youtube is not encyclopaedic information and cannot be added to Wikipedia. If the mistake really is significant, then at least one serious journalist or author will have written about it. If not, then you should note that Wikipedia is not a text book - it is not here to "teach people" about the song; it merely presents encyclopaedic facts in a logical and clear way. Papa November (talk) 22:42, 8 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The text-book reference seem to have little bearing in spirit and literal interpretation both.

That Bob Marley isn't involved in the song is a fact. A fact is also that a lot of sites give credit for the song to Bob Marley. Both facts are verifiable, and since wikipedia is to inform it certainly has merit to include it. BP 81.225.216.15 (talk) 15:53, 29 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Well said! And sorry if you repeated. ~ GoldenGoose100 (talk) 05:12, 10 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Even though there may not be any reliable sources on this, almost every person I know who knows this song believes it is by Bob Marley, and I used to as well. It is not "one or two misprints" as it says here, but thousands of "misprints", all stemming from one original misprint no doubt. Perhaps it can be included to simply say that many people mistakenly attribute this song to Bob Marley even though Bob Marley died 7 years before this song was made. Something like that, just to clear it up for those who are still confused, since there is actually a LOT of debate online about this. One need only search for "bob marley don't worry be happy" in google, and you'll find so many people attributing the song to him. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.235.139.199 (talk) 22:35, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Update: I just did a google search for "bob marley don't worry be happy", without the quotes, and got back 608,000 results. Doing a search for "bobby mcferrin don't worry be happy", again without the quotes, gives back just 244,000 results. I think this itself is more than enough evidence for that fact that this is a common misconception and therefore should be included in the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.235.139.199 (talk) 22:39, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I understand that there is a lot of confusion about this, but Wikipedia is not intended to "teach people" about a subject. Instead, it merely summarises information from reliable sources. Additionally, the truth isn't good enough; all information must be verifiable by reliable sources, even if it is visible with your own eyes. The google test, web forums and the like are explicitly not considered reliable sources. Sorry to be so negative about this, but unless someone reliable has written about the Bob Marley thing, it's beyond the scope of Wikipedia. Papa November (talk) 23:02, 17 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You quoted the No original research page which speaks about "unpublished facts". The fact is that some people credits Bob Marley as the author of the song. It is a fact. Yes, your search engine is not a evidence, but it will gives lots of pages with the Bob Marley's credit. Those pages are the facts. However, if you believe that the part about Bob Marley has the proprieties of a textbook article, then this part should be removed. But, as far I'm concerned, as we (or a encyclopaedia) link to other articles when need, I think it is important to "unlink" when needed. --Pyccknn (talk) 20:11, 26 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I arrived here convinced that Bob Marley was the composer of this song and Bobby was the one who covered it... YouTube deceived me, there are some versions of this song with different lyrics and a lot of them relate to Bob Marley. As long as this misconception exists, the Article should provide at least a reference to it. It is a fact that you by your own means can confirm the misconception at this right moment, as any reliable source can do it. To get rid of a misconception, you only have to let people know it exists!!! By expressing the misconception in the Article and placing a "reference needed" link, those reliable sources appear sooner and they even may write their own articles about it. Very few people know about or visit the Discussion page, here's the fact: take a look at the dates above. If the misconception was mentioned in the Article when the first guy wrote about this in this page, the publicity that went to Bob Marley from all those videos would have gone to Bobby, as it should have been going since the beginning. --RespectTheRealAuthor1stly (talk) 21:58, 3 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Yo munters

To ever wrote or contributed to this article. If this song cleaned up at the 1989 grammy awards, then what is the relevance of a link at the bottom of the article to the 1988 grammy awards??? 121.98.147.250 (talk) 11:21, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Can someone provide a citation for this?

Bobby McFerrin has not performed the song live in over 17 years, due to his displeasure with constantly playing it.

Nice factoid, but currently unverified. Anybody have more info? --Nemonoman (talk) 18:03, 13 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Plagiarism"

There are hundreds of songs that have the same chord patterns, that doesn't mean at all it's plagiarism. Was that a joke? Knopffabrik (talk) 01:57, 5 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Fight The Power

Public Enemy attacked this song in the lyrics of "Fight The Power" - "'Don't Worry Be Happy' was a No.1 jam, damn if I say it you can slap me right here" Andrew07 (talk) 17:27, 22 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Music video

Could be more about this (the black Wall Street guy, Bobby McFerrin in the little white circle, etc.). AnonMoos (talk) 04:38, 14 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

on another point, i recall the first video bobby made on this song was multiple versions of he alone, composing every "instrument" on the song just like the song itself, where he does every sound. can anyone find references for this? specially the video itself?! :) Caue (T | C) 23:35, Tuesday 2018-04-24 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Don't Worry, Be Happy. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

Added archive http://www.webcitation.org/5hFf8iFDu?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishcharts.ie%2Fsearch%2Fplacement to http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at {{Sourcecheck}}).

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 05:41, 15 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Don't Worry, Be Happy. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 22:19, 9 September 2017 (UTC) +++ uchenna===add ==Khalifa — Preceding unsigned comment added by 105.112.40.23 (talk) 00:44, 20 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Bias statement

Try and be more neutral in commentary __Hailey959 (talk) 22:27, 4 February 2021 (UTC)hailey959[reply]

I don't see anything here to be concerned about. If you have a specific issue, state it clearly. Binksternet (talk) 22:49, 4 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Include mention

Could you please include mention of Oreo by Shotgun Willy under Impact and Legacy? 2600:1700:D150:17F0:70F8:9088:2C68:F489 (talk) 19:05, 23 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]