Wednesday 6 July 2016

Record of the Year 1963: Jimmy Soul - If You Wanna Be Happy


After picking a number one for my record of 1962 I've gone to the other end of the top 40 for 1963 picking a record which reached number 39. It did however enjoy greater success in America reaching number 1 over there.

This song is based on a calypso called "Ugly Woman" and I would say its the mix of doo wop and calypso which makes this record sound so good. The lyrical content is quite amusing to say the least, but the uplifting vibe you get from the tune makes it for me.

It was Jimmy Souls only hit and after failing to follow up with any more hits he joined the US army. Later on in life he became addicted to drugs and ended up going to prison before he died of a heart attack in 1988 aged just 45.

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