Man, I fucking hate that song. “Happiness is the truth”, god, what pseudophilosophical bullshit. It really is the manifestation of all that thoughtless feel-good philosophy pushed by hyper-captitalist dickheads.
I’ve heard Pharrell agrees with this read. From what I’ve heard, he was contracted to write a song for something and the execs kept turning him down, so in his frustration he wrote the most shallow cheerful song he could. He thought they’d recognize that and reject it to, but they loved it.
I was surprised by this because it sounds like one of those internet stories that isn’t true, or was morphed so many times after multiple retellings. But a quick search shows me that this is completely true:
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/07/nx-s1-5001928/pharrell-says-his-hit-happy-came-from-a-sarcastic-place
WILLIAMS: Well, after nine times of, you know, nine nos, like, nope, doesn’t work, doesn’t work, doesn’t work, doesn’t work, doesn’t work, doesn’t work, doesn’t work, then I had to kind ask myself a rhetorical question. How do you write a song about someone that’s so happy that nothing can bring them down? I’m paraphrasing. And the song ended up being the sarcastic answer to that.
TIL
Kinda like how Sara Bareilles wrote “I’m not gonna write you a love song” in response to the execs asking her to write a love song and it was a hit. Now that I think of it, maybe this is a common excuse for artists who write corporate slop. They just blame the system and plead for “irony.”
oh the irony to be successful with exactly that
Well he didn’t mean for it to be sarcastic really
Yeah, it’s sarcasm. But I didn’t realize that I was being sarcastic. It just was - like, that was just my sarcastic response to my rhetorical question. And it was just like, OK, let me just go with this. And before you knew it, it was that.
This was around the time of the 08 housing bubble collapse, a lot of people were dealing with worse working conditions and the sheer number of breakups and divorces that occurred in 08 still surprises me. Fuck Pharell and the wave of shitty music around that time, always seemed to be punching-down music intended for the entertainment of the criminal managerial class.
wasn’t 08 around the time houses went down in price, aka the best time to buy housing?
Its a known phenomenon, seen with Shirley Temple during the depression as example. People tend to want entertainment counter to the world state.
Its how I know we are in clown world times, since not even this indicator seems to play out anymore.
It was a bit after that. This song came out in 2013. By that point the economy was better and housing was still reasonably affordable.
God forbid people have entertainment not designed to make them feel like they could be unemployed tomorrow.
Pharrell’s song was specifically formulated to punch down on us plebs, donchaknow. So hating him for the song is mandatory.
Pharell doesn’t deserve blame, according to this comment thread’s sources:
Happy by Pharrel vs Happy? by Mudvayne
Imagine if Bruno Mars and Travie McCoy made “I wanna be a billionaire” in 2026
🎵I want to be in the corner of a shitty livestream
Listening to my ex’s music, staring at the screen🎵
I think about the song, “lifestyles of the rich and the famous” by good Charlotte
Lifestyles of the rich and the famous
They’re always complainin’
Always complainin’
If money is such a problem
Well they got mansions
Think we should rob them
And I wonder if Benji and Joel still believe what they said… Because I still believe it
Stomp along if you feel unhappiness is the truth…hey hey
I’m not even Fappy these days.
Hell not even a little somber horney
Oh my!
Now we know how he truly felt when he wrote the song.
They are happy, OTOH. Happy in seeing how much further the West despairs and sinks in the quagmire of misery.
Touch grass
How ironic coming from you.
I don’t get it… Did I miss something?
Yes: we’re not happy any more.
That hat alone would merit a paddlin’.
I already found it distasteful at the time ngl
Never forget that he also shares responsibility for 2013’s ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke.
He must be brought to justice
Get Lucky was on the air at the time too
Ugh I always hated that song, the lyrics are so stupid coming out of Pharrell’s mouth, it makes no sense.
Sorry but get lucky is a banger
It’s an earworm for sure, it’s just also one of the most vapid, insincere, pandering pieces of pop nonsense ever written. And that’s even taking into consideration the existence of Maroon 5 and modern country music.
It’s a solid disco tune!
I forgave this song for existing once it gave us Weird Al’s Word Crimes.
Pharrel and Thicke got credits on the Weird Al version. They get a share of the royalties.
I thought that was “Tacky”?
Y’all need some digital detox. Especially if you’re the type of person who ruins his own mood and causes stress about things that will never, ever affect you and are going on at the opposite side of the world.
What’s the objective measure of best times?
Savings account, retirement funding, cost of living, unemployment, many ways
Could you be more specific? These many ways appear to be getting worse!
That’s actually… not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Bad yes, but once population growth reverses, rent will stop rising and basically everything else has increased less than incomes. Just need more old people to die, the young are already not reproducing much so that’s all that’s needed.
One might speculate that climate change could drastically increase CoL despite a shrinking population.
how so? the opposite is the case. CoL generally goes down as average temperature increases (at least until you reach southern europe levels). reasons are: less wall insulation needed for houses, more agricultural output per km², etc.
Do I get to stress if it’s happening to me and my neighbors in my country perpetrated by my government?
Colombia?
Nope, land of the free 🦅🦅🦅
Do I get to stress because my TV is selling summaries of my living room conversations to the GOP?
Do I get to stress because climate change has moved tornado alley into my county at the same time we’re destroying our ability to predict the weather?
Do I get to stress because my TV is selling summaries of my living room conversations to the GOP?
Why did you buy a trojan horse in the first place?
Do I get to stress because climate change has moved tornado alley into my county at the same time we’re destroying our ability to predict the weather?
I mean…no? Just be ready for it. Make sure your basement is ok, you got food and water reserves. Imagine stressing all your life about possible tornato hitting your location. Probably would live by 20 years less. I’m living under an threat of invasion by a much larger power, and even I don’t stress about that. Got bags ready and set to jump ship if something happens.
Don’t be intentionally obtuse about the TV. People buy what’s available. Yes, there are edge cases, and no it’s not the argument you think it is to assume everyone has the foreknowledge, means, and wherewithal to employ one of those edge cases.
The U.S. government does not offer its citizens a right to privacy against corporate surveillance, and that is not something you can blame on the average person.
Hi, American here. My shit hole country is collapsing. Can I stress yet?
Nope. 1/2 of the countries in the world are doing worse than US. Trump regime is temporary and US will not collapse.
My father-in-law says the same thing. “The law is the law, just let it work itself out.” The man’s faith in the system is unshakable.
Well that’s a bold comment, let’s see how it plays out
Goes well with your username for sure 🤣
That’s maybe true, but not sure if it’s any consolation
Let me put it like this. Our gas price is around $8 per gallon. Our average wages are almost 3x lower. Government feels like a circus, our prime minister even recently stepped down. There’s lingering threat or an invasion.
Life’s good. Sure, I can’t travel the world or buy expensive cars, but that’s normal. Not too long ago majority could not afford more than a bed and few accessories, including in US. Can you imagine the world where everyone could fulfill their presumably capitalist dreams of being rich? What would be the consequences of mass consumerism and manufacturing?
Feels like you have lived in the golden age for so long you forgot how it’s like to be normal. Enjoy what you have and stop stressing over shit you can’t change.
This comment alone is probably dumber than anything I’ve ever written, and I’m sure I’ve said some shit stupider than I can even remember.
Sick, pack it up everyone! It’s been solved.
Solved? You’re not going to be doing any solving whatsoever besides fixing relationships with friends and family after being a grumpy old ass brainraped by fox news.
It’s a joke, lot of assumptions here too.
I meant that about people who are constantly grumpy and angry, people whose entire online activity is expressing hate and anger. I meant half of lemmy. I’ve noticed this platform is quite depressing in comparison to others. You could say “more politically active”, but your hate means nothing when it’s echoed in a bubble and eventually it becomes tiresome to others.
This meme is literally threatening to beat someone up for being happy
I don’t think you understand humor. The mood of the world, not just Lemmy, has shifted and for good reason. This is a fact. Coincidentally, people are allowed to joke about that fact without someone ragingly inventing a lot of baggage to go with it.
Where do we apply to be allowed to worry? I’m just trying to do things the legal way, o wise one.
The fuck are you talking about? Do the things legal way digitally? Like, paying for news? Do you not understand what “digital detox” means? No, it has nothing to do with your life responsibilities.
It’s about constantly consuming negative content, bad news, watching death, etc… eventually it starts consuming you.
But I want to please REDaCTeD!!
People know what a digital detox is, you’re just getting an expected response when you yell commands at people while dismissing their valid worries. If you wanna pretend the world’s problems don’t affect anyone that’s on you, stop trying to force everyone else’s head in the sand like nothing bad ever happens to anyone, besides of course Internet-only negative content. It makes you look like a child on top of being unhelpful and annoying.
I said “especially IF it doesn’t affect you”.
IF
Pretty important in programming too
With all due respect, go and take a flying fuck at a flying doughnut
Imagine laughing at a meme of beating up someone for singing happy and then getting hostile after someone tells you that you might positively benefit from change in environment.
Feels like I went from 4chan to reddit and somehow back to 4chan. Everyone is so getting used to shitty humans we are becoming one.
There are so many situations that a comment like this would make sense. But not this one, honestly. I just recently posted about Lemmy having a lot of toxicity. This post and this thread are not an example of it. It was just a joke that you took seriously and then got condescending about. That’s all.
It’s ironic you posted this in a shitpost community. Kind of the point of this place ya?
Man, this is a great example of “you’re not wrong, you’re just an asshole”.
Does the internet in general(not just lemmy) constantly feed that negativity bias? Oh, absolutely. Hard agree that’s probably one of the biggest problems in society in general right now.
Have people in general and especially in the west list perspective because we’ve had it so good for awhile? Hoo boy, hard agree again.
But uhh… yeah, this is a shitpost community. Time and place. Also, I know it seems a bit pedantic, but it is important; science doesn’t “prove” shit. Science is a method and a tool to help us better refine knowledge. It’s important you actually point to the studies.
EDIT2: you people are weak. Now downvote me harder, daddy
upvote for this line specifically lol
edit also you’re right of course :) (about the rest of your comment)
Pharrell with that Arby’s looking ass hat.
That hat is actually an entire Arby’s sign.
We could try to whoop him, but he’s got a truncheon, a handgun, and a small Christmas ham hidden in his hat and he knows how to use them. They make him happy, you see.
I’d be happy too if I had a Christmas ham hidden in my hat
Better have some tin foil under there too unless you want your head soaked in ham juices.
If I’m keeping all that in my hat, I’ll definitely line it with foil. How else would I stop them from stealing my thoughts.
