The Verve Pipe is an American post-grunge band from East Lansing, Michigan.… Read Full Bio ↴The Verve Pipe is an American post-grunge band from East Lansing, Michigan. It was formed in 1991 by Brian Vander Ark, Brad Vander Ark, Donny Brown and Brian Stout, releasing their first album, I've Suffered a Head Injury later that year. They released a second album Pop Smear helping to gain a devoted following in their native state of Michigan, which led to signing with RCA Records in 1995.

Despite the similarity in name to the British band The Verve, there is no relation between the two.

In 1992, working with producer/engineer Jon Frazer, they released their first album, I've Suffered a Head Injury, which featured an acoustic version of the band's calling-card hit, "The Freshmen." The original 10-song version of the CD is no longer available. A 7-song version, without the original recording of "The Freshmen" and two songs written by Stout, was later released as an EP.

The band, known for its energetic live performances, built strong followings during its early years, especially in the college towns of Kalamazoo and East Lansing.

In the fall of 1993, the band released a second album, Pop Smear again working with Frazer that helped them gain a devoted following in their native state of Michigan and their eventual signing with RCA Records in 1995. AJ Dunning replaced Stout on guitar for the recording of Pop Smear and remained in the band for their three RCA records. This album featured the popular tracks "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Victoria" among others. While Doug Corolla played on Pop Smear, he was not a full member of the band until 1994.

Their first major label release was 1996's Villains, which was a minor hit and launched two respectably-selling singles, first Photograph then the #1 hit The Freshmen. They came back with The Verve Pipe in 1999, with such tracks as "Supergig," "Generations" and "She Has Faces." The album, however, failed to contain the commercial appeal of its predecessor.

The band's final release for RCA Records was 2001's Underneath. The song "Colorful," from Underneath, was featured on the soundtrack of Rock Star. Underneath's release unfortunately coincided with the September 11th terroist attacks which contributed to the album's poor sales which led to the band being dropped from RCA.

On September 15, 2009, Brian Vander Ark announced on his Web site that the band would be releasing a new album called A Family Album in October, 2009. The band had been approached to contribute a song for an album called "Calling All Kids" which led to them creating an entire album of family friendly songs.

Lead singer Brian Vander Ark has also released four solo albums: 2003's Resurrection, 2006's Angel, Put Your Face On, 2008's self-titled release Brian Vander Ark and 2011's Magazine.

Since the release of Underneath, the band's line up has changed frequently with former members including Joel Ferguson, Dan Matheny and John Conners. The current line up is as follows:

* Brian Vander Ark – lead vocals, guitars
* Donny Brown – drums, background vocals
* Andy Reed – bass, background vocals
* Randy Sly – keyboards, background vocals
* Lou Musa - guitars, background vocals
* Craig Griffith - harmonica, background vocals

Happiness Is
The Verve Pipe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And I wanna find it with you
Have you ever felt so out of place
That the smile on your face
Was to keep from cryin'
I don't know how we get so out of touch
But I don't want much
Just to find out
What happiness is
While everybody else is winning
You're stuck waiting for your new beginning
So happiness is
Wherever you find it
You may be full of life's frustrations
But I'm up for negotiations
My happiness is
Wherever I find it
And I wanna find it with you
Have you ever felt...
If you got your lucky break and broke it
I guess you've got your options open
But happiness is
Wherever you find it...yeah
And I wanna find it with you
Have you ever felt so out of place
That the smile on your face
Was to keep from cryin'
I don't know how we get so out of touch
But I don't want much
Just to keep on tryin'
People say a prayer every day
That they end up with more than their next door neighbor
I'm not buying all their ego trips
But I'll get my kicks

When I find out
What happiness is

Overall Meaning

The song "Happiness Is" by The Verve Pipe is an uplifting but bittersweet song capturing what happiness means amid life's struggles. The opening line "the world is giving you the run-around" sets the stage for the exploration of life's hardships, leaving the listener feeling low and let down. The singer, however, asserts that happiness is wherever you find it and dispels the common belief that happiness is predetermined by a higher power or by the people surrounding you. The chorus drives home the concept that happiness is not tied to anyone or anything but can be found in different ways for different people, including through love, personal goals, and small pleasures.

The second verse references feeling out of place and smiling through the pain, as many people do in their day-to-day lives. The lyrics express a desire to find out what happiness truly means, despite feeling stuck in life while others around you appear to be thriving. The bridge provides a slight contrast as the singer acknowledges the possibility of luck and options in finding happiness while reiterating that it can be discovered in different ways for different people.

Overall, "Happiness Is" is a hopeful reminder that the power to find happiness lies within oneself and can be discovered in different manifestations. It encourages listeners to keep trying despite life's challenges to find their own personal happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

The world is giving you the run-around
The world is causing you trouble and confusion

And leaves you feeling low and let down but
And makes you feel sad and disappointed

Happiness is
Happiness exists

Wherever you find it
It can be found anywhere

I'm not waiting for a friend beside me
I'm not relying on having someone with me

Or for the lord above to guide me
Or relying on divine guidance

My happiness is
I am responsible for my own happiness

Wherever I find it
It can be found anywhere

And I wanna find it with you
I want to find happiness with you

Have you ever felt so out of place
Have you ever felt like you don't belong

That the smile on your face
That your smile

Was to keep from cryin'
Was to hide your sadness

I don't know how we get so out of touch
I don't know why we become disconnected

But I don't want much
But I don't need a lot

Just to find out
Just to discover

What happiness is
What true happiness means

While everybody else is winning
While everyone else is succeeding

You're stuck waiting for your new beginning
You're stuck waiting for a fresh start

So happiness is
Happiness exists

Wherever you find it
It can be found anywhere

You may be full of life's frustrations
You may be filled with frustrations from life

But I'm up for negotiations
But I am open to working things out

My happiness is
I am responsible for my own happiness

Wherever I find it
It can be found anywhere

And I wanna find it with you
I want to find happiness with you

If you got your lucky break and broke it
If you got your chance and squandered it

I guess you've got your options open
You have other opportunities available

But happiness is
Happiness exists

Wherever you find it...yeah
It can be found anywhere

And I wanna find it with you
I want to find happiness with you

Have you ever felt so out of place
Have you ever felt like you don't belong

That the smile on your face
That your smile

Was to keep from cryin'
Was to hide your sadness

I don't know how we get so out of touch
I don't know why we become disconnected

But I don't want much
But I don't need a lot

Just to keep on tryin'
Just to keep making an effort

People say a prayer every day
People pray daily

That they end up with more than their next door neighbor
That they have more than the person next to them

I'm not buying all their ego trips
I don't believe in their self-centered endeavors

But I'll get my kicks
But I'll find my enjoyment

When I find out
When I discover

What happiness is
What true happiness means

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: A.J. DUNNING, BRIAN VANDER ARK, DONNY BROWN, DOUG CORELLA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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01Only Words3:36

02Never Let You Down3:34

03I Want All Of You4:16

04Miles Away4:44

05Happiness Is3:31

PT3M31S

The Verve Pipe

06Medicate Myself4:49

07Gotta Move On3:42

08Local Boys3:57

09Colorful4:25

10Wonderful Waste4:33

11Underneath3:31

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Mike Gleghorn

The world is giving you the run-around
And leaves you feeling low and let down but
Happiness is
Wherever you find it
I'm not waiting for a friend beside me
Or for the lord above to guide me
My happiness is
Wherever I find it
And I wanna find it with you

Have you ever felt so out of place
That the smile on your face
Was to keep from cryin'
I don't know how we get so out of touch
But I don't want much
Just to find out
What happiness is

While everybody else is winning
You're stuck waiting for your new beginning
So happiness is
Wherever you find it
You may be full of life's frustrations
But I'm up for negotiations
My happiness is
Wherever I find it
And I wanna find it with you

Have you ever felt...
If you got your lucky break and broke it
I guess you've got your options open
But happiness is
Wherever you find it...yeah
And I wanna find it with you

Have you ever felt so out of place
That the smile on your face
Was to keep from cryin'
I don't know how we get so out of touch
But I don't want much
Just to keep on tryin'
People say a prayer every day
That they end up with more than their next door neighbor
I'm not buying all their ego trips
But I'll get my kicks
When I find out
What happiness is

All comments from YouTube:

Mike Baker

4y↑3

For a band that wrote so many great songs, they really deserved more air play! I got into them based upon Colorful as it was on the soundtrack for Rock Star, but I don't think they got any airplay over here in the UK during their prime, which is a shame.