The “Happy” Movement!

For decades, we have enjoyed new dances,songs, and videos that motivate us to make our own version such as the Harlem shake, but “Happy” by Pharell Williams, is one of those videos that is trending in today’s pop-culture.
“Happy” was written by Pharell Williams for the movie “Despicable me 2.” Later, Pharell Williams made a video for the song and within a short period of time it turned into a hit. The song, with catchy and feel-good lyrics, is very relatable and the video was made in such a simple way that it gave ordinary people the sense of being carefree and happy. It did not take much time after the release of the video for it to go viral world-wide. Now, the song has become a phenomenon pop-culture movement because almost every country around the globe has their own version of the “happy” song. The “happy” song possesses those characteristics that defines a pop culture.

One of the pop culture characteristics is that it is sudden, and what is talked about is the reaction towards the subject. For instance, when the “happy” song came out and became viral, Oprah sat down with Pharell and interviewed him about the song. During the interview, however, it was not so much of the character of the music they talked about, but how it blew up overnight. They discussed how people from different countries around the world started uploading their versions of “Happy” and how it was one thing one minute and turned into another the next.

This conversation between Oprah and Pharell draws one’s attention to what Linda Holmes was explaining in the interview “Why Pop Culture Matters.”

“Well, it’s not important in a vacuum. I am the first person to acknowledge Justin Bieber, in a vacuum, in a closed environment, is not important, and neither is twerking and neither is “Duck Dynasty.” What makes these things important to me is how people react to them and how people take them in and make them part of kind of the worldview that they hold, and that is important. Popular culture is what people are swimming in and sort of poaching themselves in all the time. And as that kind of a medium, it matters a great deal.”

Similarly, the pop culture in Pharell’s “happy” song is not so much about what happiness really means, but the reaction to Pharell’s well”constructed” words.

The “happy” song also has the representation and construction characteristics which are part of the pop-culture illustration. For example, “The representation” From Media in Minutes explains how things seen in media are not in their true nature, and  what ever is seen has been reconstructed to send the message it intended. such as pictures, video, or comments made has been edited, choreographed and made more appealing to its viewers. Likewise, this Happy song and video contain words and behavior that have been picked to produce certain results. Words such as:

“It might seem crazy what I’m about to say
Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break
I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air, like I don’t care baby by the way
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel likethat’s what you wanna do
Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah,
Well, give me all you got, and don’t hold it back, yeah,
Well, I should probably warn you I’ll be just fine, yeah,
No offense to you, don’t waste your time
Here’s why
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along…”happy lyrics

have the power to captivate listeners. Furthermore, The actors or performers in the video are portrayed as just ordinary people, doing ordinary things. This is the core of what draws the attention of our pop-culture. The need to respond to the challenging words in the video or the constructed look and performers in the video that communicates with us. thus, The pop culture sees those looks and wished or feel that that is how they feel. Although the representing words and actions were just the beginning because the pop culture took it from there and with the devices at their finger tips answered back by making and uploading their own videos. Which in a way challenged each others, and then everyone felt the excitement to meet the demand.

Finally, part of the pop culture characteristic is abandoning a subject when something new arrives. For example, “Macarena,” “Gangnam style,” and the “Harlem shake” went viral. People around the country were dancing these dances and some were viral globally as well. Now, however, they have died down except at those occasional gatherings where people want to do them for the sake of fun and and memorable times. For this reason, would the pop culture end the “happy” trend or would it continue into something greater because of its global awareness and timeless lyrics and the continued need people have to want to feel or prove that we are happy and carefree?
Personally, I hope the pop-culture of “happy” does not go away because even though the words and actions in the video are constructed, it has a positive effect in the world, and I cannot wait to make my version of “Happy” with my friends.