The song was rated #98 in Rolling Stones' 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #861 in Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Soul Train historian Stephen McMillian called it "quintessential Al Green" and "one of the greatest soul songs of all time." Writing in Vibe, Alan Light called it "perhaps his most perfect song."
Green wrote "Love and Happiness" with Teenie Hodges, with whom he also collaborated in writing "Take Me to the River," "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)," "Full of Fire," and other songs. It was produced by Willie Mitchell in the 1972 recording session for the album "I'm Still in Love with You". Of the recording process, Green said:
"I wouldn’t say it was a return to the old style soul of my early days, but I definitely pulled it from the same source of raw and gritty need. The result was like a slow fever, building on the beat, pushing up the temperature with each breath of the staccato horns and pushing through to delirium as we came up on the fade."
In his 2000 autobiography Take Me to the River, Green said of the song:
"Love and Happiness" was like mixing explosive chemicals — everything had to be added at just the right time and at just the right dose. The tempo was the most important thing to Willie, and, if you listen close, you can hear Teenie counting off with his foot on a cardboard box for the take that nailed it.
On April 27, 1973, London Records released "Love and Happiness" as a U.K. single, backed with "So You're Leaving" (catalog number 10419). Hi Records, however, did not release the song as a single at the time that the album I'm Still in Love with You was on the charts, instead releasing the title track, "Look What You Done for Me," and "For the Good Times." The song nonetheless gained popularity in the U.S. from radio airplay.
In an attempt to boost Green's flagging record sales, an edited version of the song was finally released as a U.S. single in the summer of 1977, backed with "Glory Glory" (catalog number 45-2324). The single peaked at #104 on the pop chart and #82 on the R&B chart.
The song was also featured as the lead-off track on "Al Green's Greatest Hits, Volume II" (1977) and appeared on reissues of his first greatest hits compilation.
A cover of the song by Earnest Jackson was released as a single on John Fred's Louisiana-based Stone Records in 1973. It has also been covered by such performers as Toots and the Maytals, Lee "Scratch" Perry (with The Upsetters - Jungle Lion), Etta James, Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Graham Central Station, and Living Colour.
Love and Happiness
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something that can make you do wrong, make you do right
Love
Love and happiness
But wait a minute
Something's going wrong
Someone's on the phone
Talkin' about how she can make it right, yeah
Well, happiness is when, you really feel good with somebody
But nothing wrong with being in love with someone, yeah
Oh, baby, love and happiness
Love and happiness
Love and happiness (love and happiness), oh
I have to say
Love and happiness (love and happiness)
Love and happiness (love and happiness)
You be good to me
I'll be good to you
We'll be together, yeah
We'll see each other
Walk away with victory, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Love and happiness (love and happiness)
Love and happiness (love and happiness), oh
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Make you do right, love'll make you do wrong
Make you come home early, oh
Make you stay out all night long
The power of love
Wait a minute
Let me tell you
Oh, the power
Power of love
Power of love, power
Make you do right, love'll make you do wrong
Ha, yeah
(Love and happiness, love and happiness)
Say love
(Love and happiness, love and happiness)
Make you want to dance
Love and happiness
Love is, wait a minute, love is
Yeah, walkin' together, yeah, talkin' together
Say it again, say it together, yeah
Say wanna moans
Moan for love, say, hmm
Moan for love, hmm
Moan for love
Talkin' 'bout the power, wait a minuite
The song "Love and Happiness" by Al Green is a classic soul tune that delves deep into the nature of love and relationships. The opening lines of the song suggest that love and happiness are two interconnected concepts that can have a powerful effect on people. Love is something that Green sees as an essential component of true happiness. However, as the song progresses, he notes that there is something "going wrong." The person on the phone in the early hours of the morning is a clear indication that not all is well in the relationship. Yet, despite this, Green still sees love and happiness as the ultimate goal, something that can help a couple to "be good" to each other and "walk away with victory."
The second half of the song focuses on the power of love. Green describes the many ways in which love can affect a person's behavior, making them do things that are either right or wrong. Love has the power to make people feel joyous and free, but it can also lead them down darker paths. Despite this, there is no denying the overwhelming force that love can have. Green proclaims that "the power of love" is something that can make people "want to dance." In other words, it can have a transformative effect on their lives.
Overall, "Love and Happiness" is a song that speaks to the essence of what it means to be in a relationship. It acknowledges the challenges and struggles that couples face, but it also highlights the joy and fulfillment that can be found through love and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Love and happiness, yeah
The feeling of love and happiness that we all want
Something that can make you do wrong, make you do right
Love is a powerful force that can have both positive and negative effects on our actions
But wait a minute, something's going wrong
Despite the feeling of love and happiness, something isn't quite right
Someone's on the phone, three o'clock in the morning, talkin' about how she can make it right, yeah
A person is calling at an inconvenient time to try to fix something with love and happiness
Well, happiness is when you really feel good with somebody, but nothing wrong with being in love with someone, yeah
Happiness comes from feeling good with someone, and there's nothing wrong with also being in love with them
Oh, baby, love and happiness, love and happiness, love and happiness (love and happiness) oh
Emphasizing the importance of love and happiness
I have to say
Introducing a personal point of view
You be good to me, I'll be good to you, we'll be together, yeah
A partnership in which both parties treat each other well and stay together
We'll see each other, walk away with victory, yeah oh baby
Walking away from the partnership with a feeling of victory and success
Hey, hey, hey, hey
An exclamation of excitement or enthusiasm
Make you do right, love'll make you do wrong
Love is a powerful motivator that can lead us to do either the right or wrong thing
Make you come home early, make you stay out all night long, the power of love
The power of love can make us behave in ways we wouldn't have expected
Wait a minute, let me tell you, oh the power, power of love, power
Emphasizing the immense power that love holds over us
Ha yeah, (love and happiness, love and happiness), say love, (love and happiness, love and happiness)
Repeating the importance of love and happiness
Make you want to dance, love and happiness
The joy of love and happiness can inspire people to dance
Love is, wait a minute, love is, yeah, walkin' together, yeah, talkin' together
Describing one aspect of what love is - spending time walking and talking together
Say it again, say it together, yeah, say wanna moans, moan for love, say, hmm, moan for love, hmm, moan for love, talkin' 'bout the power
Lyrical wordplay painting love and happiness as something that makes us want to sing and moan in pleasure and enjoyment of life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Green, Mabon Lewis Hodges
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind