Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) better known by his stage nam… Read Full Bio ↴Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and record producer. Debuting in 1992 with the group Public Announcement, Kelly went solo in 1993 for a successful solo career starting with the album, 12 Play. Kelly is known for a collection of hit singles including "Bump n' Grind", "I Believe I Can Fly", "Gotham City", "Ignition", "If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time", "The World's Greatest", and the hip-hopera "Trapped in the Closet".

Kelly has also produced and performed in many tracks by other R&B and hip-hop artists. In 1994, Kelly produced and wrote the debut album of R&B singer Aaliyah. Kelly has sung the hooks for many notable hip-hop songs, such as "Lovin' You Tonight" by The Notorious B.I.G., "We Thuggin'" by Fat Joe, "Gigolo" by Nick Cannon, and "Go Getta" by Young Jeezy, and has collaborated for two albums with Jay-Z.

In his personal life, Kelly has had several sex scandals. Reports surfaced that he married the then-teenaged Aaliyah, for whom he was a songwriter. Kelly and Aaliyah allegedly annulled their marriage. After a video of a man purported to be him having sex with an underage girl was released, Kelly was indicted on several counts of child pornography in 2002. After several delays, his case went to trial in 2008, with the jury ruling Kelly not guilty

Happy People
R Kelly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ladies and gentlemen
This here is another one for the steppers
DJ Wayne Williams put the record on

Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh whoa yeah
Whoa yeah
Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh whoa yeah
Whoa, whoa

Tell me what do we do
When the DJ's playing our favorite groove
We step
To when
The whole night through
And what do we do
When we're all dressed up and in the mood
We step
To what
A steppers groove
Where do we go soon as the weekend gets here
The club
Why
To party and have some fun
What is it that,
Can come and take away all your stress, tell me
Music
No further questions, you have passed my test

Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keep the world turning, turning
Oh I believe that, happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keep us all dancing, dancing, dancing
Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keep us all stepping, keep us stepping, stepping
Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keeps the music grooving, grooving

Tell me, now what do you do
When a feeling has come over you
You let go,
And what
Let it take control, let it
What do you say
When a gentleman asks you to dance, you
Say yes
And then
Get on the dance floor
Even when it seems, we're goin' through some hard times
What do we do
Keep smiling 'cause we know
We're gonna make it through
Now what is it that,
Can come and take away all your stress, tell me
Music
No further questions, you have passed my test

Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keep the world turning, turning
Oh I believe that, happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keep us all dancing, dancing, dancing
Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keep us all stepping, keep us stepping, stepping
Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keeps the music grooving, grooving

I just want to get dressed and go out yeah
(I wanna get dressed, I wanna go out, can you tell me where the spot is)
Well we're partying all night, and everybody is having a good time
(I wanna get nice, I wanna get live, can you tell me where the spot is)
Come on and take me to that place
Where there ain't nothing but happy, happy, happy, happy

Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
They keep the world turning, turning, turning
I'm talking about happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
They keep the world dancing, dancing, dancing
Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keep the world stepping, stepping, stepping
Nothing but happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Keeps the world grooving, grooving

Uh uh uh, alright, uh huh
Now if you want to step
You gotta play it by the rules
You gotta do what I do
When I do, what I do
If you want to step
You gotta play it by the rules
You gotta do what I do
When I do, what I do
Now

Step to the left, step to the right
Spin around and bring it down tonight
Bring it on up, move in close
Let me see you and your partner stroll

Step to the left, step to the right
Spin around and bring it down tonight
Bring it on up, move in close
Let me see you and your partner stroll

Step to the left, step to the right
Spin around and bring it down tonight
Bring it on up, move in close
Let me see you and your partner stroll

Break it down y'all, break it down
All the way to the ground
Happy people baby, happy people
Happy people baby, happy people

Now bring it up, bring it up
Until you're all standing up
Happy people baby, happy people
Happy people baby, happy people

Wayne Williams keep the groove right there baby
We gon' have some fun
Chocolate Factory
My people
Now we all know no matter how much
I sing about happy people and love and all of those good things
There's still gonna be somebody out there with attitude, right? Right?
But that's OK because this album, we gon' change things with this album baby
Because I know, in my heart
That there's way more people out there lovin' than it is hatin'
Ain't that right, huh?
Well this is what we gon' do
I want all of the people out there with love in they hearts
That's positive that feels real good about themselves, loves themselves
I want y'all to repeat after me
And maybe those few haters, they'll tag along aight?
Y'all ready? Come on, one two three

Now first of all love god (love god)
Love myself (love myself)
Love on another (love one another)
No matter what the color (no matter what the color)
Respect that woman (respect that woman)
Respect that man (respect that man)
You see a person down (you see a person down)
Then give them a hand (then give them a hand)
Hit the health club (hit the health club)
Every now and then (every now and then)
Put a smile on your face (put a smile on your face)
And make a friend (and make a friend)
Stop that hatin (Stop that hatin')
And negativity (and negativity)
Love your neighbor (love your neighbor)
Said the powers that be (Said the powers that be)
You goin' through something (you goin' through something
Don't take it out one me (don't take it out on me)

Just ask God to fix it (Just ask God to fix it)
Now be happy (now be happy)

Overall Meaning

The song "Happy People" by R. Kelly is a lively and upbeat song that speaks about the joy of living in the moment while enjoying the company of others. The song's lyrics reflect on the happiness that comes from listening to good music and being around people who are happy and carefree. The song's opening lyrics ask what one can do when the DJ is playing their favorite song, and the answer is simply to dance and have a good time.

The lyrics continue to describe how one can let go of worry and stress when they dance and allow the feeling of joy to take over. R. Kelly encourages listeners to embrace the weekend and head out to the club to let loose on the dance floor. He then follows it up by speaking about the power of music in taking away stress and energizing listeners. The chorus is all about the "happy people," who keep the world turning with their dance and steps.

Finally, R. Kelly encourages listeners to love God, love themselves, and love their neighbors, putting all the haters aside and embracing the joyful spirit of living in the moment. The song's high energy and positive lyrics make it a popular song for stepping, which is a style of dance that originated from Chicago.

Line by Line Meaning

Ladies and gentlemen
Attention, everyone

This here is another one for the steppers
This song is dedicated to the dance style known as stepping

DJ Wayne Williams put the record on
The DJ named Wayne Williams is playing the music

Whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh whoa yeah
Expressing excitement and joy through vocalizations

Whoa yeah
More expressions of excitement and joy

Tell me what do we do
Please explain what actions we take

When the DJ's playing our favorite groove
When the DJ is playing the music we love

We step
We start dancing in the stepping style

To when
Until

The whole night through
Throughout the entire night

And what do we do
Moreover, what actions do we take

When we're all dressed up and in the mood
When we are well-dressed and feeling enthusiastic

We step
We dance in the stepping style

To what
In response to what

A steppers groove
A specific type of music that is popular among steppers

Where do we go soon as the weekend gets here
As soon as the weekend arrives, where do we head to

The club
We go to a nightclub

Why
For what reason

To party and have some fun
To celebrate and enjoy ourselves

What is it that, can come and take away all your stress, tell me
Identify something that has the power to relieve stress completely

Music
It is music

No further questions, you have passed my test
There is no need for additional inquiries, you have given the correct answer

Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Individuals who are content and joyful

Keep the world turning, turning
Contribute to the continuous motion of the world

Oh I believe that, happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Personally, I have confidence in the power of happy people

Keep us all dancing, dancing, dancing
Enable everyone to engage in dancing

Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Individuals who are content and joyful

Keep us all stepping, keep us stepping, stepping
Encourage everyone to continue dancing in the stepping style

Happy people (yeah, yeah yeah, yeah)
Individuals who are content and joyful

Keeps the music grooving, grooving
Maintains the lively rhythm of the music

Tell me, now what do you do
Please inform me, what actions do you take

When a feeling has come over you
When a strong emotion has affected you

You let go
You release your inhibitions

And what
Moreover, what

Let it take control, let it
Allow that feeling to guide your actions

What do you say
How do you respond

When a gentleman asks you to dance, you
If a man politely requests you to dance, your response is

Say yes
You accept the invitation

And then
Subsequently

Get on the dance floor
Proceed to the area designated for dancing

Even when it seems, we're goin' through some hard times
Even in difficult situations

What do we do
How do we respond

Keep smiling 'cause we know
We maintain a positive attitude because we are aware

We're gonna make it through
We will overcome these challenges

Now what is it that, can come and take away all your stress, tell me
Identify something that has the power to relieve stress completely

Music
It is music

No further questions, you have passed my test
There is no need for additional inquiries, you have given the correct answer

I just want to get dressed and go out yeah
I have a desire to dress up and go out

(I wanna get dressed, I wanna go out, can you tell me where the spot is)
(I want to put on nice clothes and socialize, would you kindly inform me about the location of the event)

Well we're partying all night, and everybody is having a good time
We are celebrating throughout the entire night, and everyone is enjoying themselves

(I wanna get nice, I wanna get live, can you tell me where the spot is)
(I want to look attractive and have an exciting time, could you please provide me with the whereabouts of the gathering)

Come on and take me to that place
Please take me to that location

Where there ain't nothing but happy, happy, happy, happy
Where there is only joy and happiness, and nothing else