Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe

Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe is a pop song by Harold Arlen (music) and EY Harburg ( lyrics ) written and published in 1942.

Use of the song and first recording

Arlen and Harburg wrote the song for the film version of the musical Cabin in the Sky, which was based on Vernon Duke's stage version, in which he was presented by Ethel Waters and repeated her stage role of Petunia. Life's Full of Consecuences ( a duet for Eddie " Rochester " Anderson and Lena Horne ) and Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe were among the most successful songs of the musical, which was one of the first MGM productions in which all roles were occupied only with African Americans. The song was nominated in the category Best Song for an Oscar, the Harry Warren and Mack finally 1944 Gordon received for the song You'll Never Know.

Cover versions

In 1943 the song was covered by Thore Ehrling; 1945 took him Woody Herman and His Orchestra on the Bandvokalistin Frances Wayne. This version prompted Judy Garland, Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe incorporate it into their stage repertoire. She sang him in 1955 in their revue Miss Show Business. Ss followed from the 1940s recordings by Tony Bennett, Ruth Brown, Dorothy Donegan, Georgia Gibbs, Ella Fitzgerald, Curtis Fuller / Manny Albam, Erroll Garner, Bengt Hallberg, Harry James, Peggy Lee, Abbey Lincoln, Patti Page, Andre Previn, Della Reese, Frank Sinatra, Cal Tjader and Sarah Vaughan, who made the song also a well-known jazz standard. Susan Hayward sang it in the film And tomorrow I shall cry ( 1955). In later years a took and also Rosemary Clooney, Helen Forrest and Bette Midler or in instrumental versions, inter alia, Red Holloway, Roland Hanna and Bill Charlap of the song. Tom Lord lists 59 cover versions of the title.