"Happy Days Are Here Again" is a 1929 song with music by
Milton Ager and lyrics by
Jack Yellen.[1] The song is a
standard that has been interpreted by various artists.
It appeared in the 1930 film Chasing Rainbows and was the campaign song for
Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1932 presidential campaign. It is the unofficial anthem of Roosevelt's
Democratic Party. The composition was renewed in 1956, so it will enter the American public domain on January 1, 2025.[2] Sound recordings from 1929 will follow on January 1, 2030, under the provisions of the
Music Modernization Act.
The song was recorded by
Leo Reisman and His Orchestra, with vocals by Lou Levin in November 1929[citation needed] and was featured in the 1930 film Chasing Rainbows.[3] The song concluded the picture, in what film historian Edwin Bradley described as a "pull-out-all-the-stops
Technicolor finale, against a
Great WarArmistice show-within-a-show backdrop".[4]
In popular culture
Closely associated with
Franklin D. Roosevelt's successful presidential campaign in 1932, the song gained prominence after a spontaneous decision by Roosevelt's advisers to play it at the
1932 Democratic National Convention: after a dirge-like version of Roosevelt's favorite song "
Anchors Aweigh" had been repeated over and over, without enthusiasm, a participant reportedly shouted: "For God's sake, have them play something else", which caused the band to play the new song, drawing cheers and applause, and subsequently becoming the
Democratic Party's "unofficial theme song for years to come."[5] The song is also associated with the
Repeal of Prohibition, which occurred shortly after Roosevelt's election where there were signs saying "Happy days are beer again" and so on.[6]
Matthew Greenwald described the song as "[a] true saloon standard, [and] a
Tin Pan Alley standard, and had been sung by virtually every interpreter since the 1940s. In a way, it's the pop version of "
Auld Lang Syne".[7]
The song has been recorded hundreds of times,[8] and appeared in over 80 films, including many from the 1930s. The song has also appeared in the popular TV show "Doctor Who", in the first 10 seconds of season 3, episode 4, "Daleks In Manhattan."
Barbra Streisand first recorded the song over three decades after its initial release. While traditionally sung at a brisk pace, Streisand's rendition became notable for its slow and expressive performance.
On a May 1962 episode of The Garry Moore Show, Streisand sang the song during the That Wonderful Year skit representing 1929. She performed it ironically as a millionaire who has just lost all of her money and enters a bar, giving the bartender her expensive jewelry in exchange for drinks.
Streisand first recorded the song in October 1962 at Columbia's NYC studio, some months before her first album sessions. This version, arranged and conducted by
George Williams, became Streisand's first commercial single in November 1962, with When the Sun Comes Out as a
B-side. Only 500 copies of this single were pressed for the New York market, and no copies were sent to radio stations. This 1962 version was re-released as a single in March 1965 as part of the Hall of Fame series with the 1962 recording of My Coloring Book.
Streisand re-recorded the song in January 1963 for her debut solo The Barbra Streisand Album, including the introductory lyrics, which are rarely sung in most releases.
The song was sung by prisoners in an ironic comic version in 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932).
Television and nightclub comedian
Rip Taylor used "Happy Days Are Here Again" for years as his theme song; the music played as he made his entrance carrying a large bag of confetti throwing handfuls at everyone within reach.
The song was also used as the entrance and closing theme for comedian
Mark Russell's PBS specials that aired from 1975 to 2004 and featured topical political humor.
A recording of the song by
Mitch Miller and the Gang was used as the theme for the PBS sports history series The Way It Was in the 1970s.
The television show M*A*S*H used an Asian-influenced orchestration of the song on multiple episodes early in the series, in which the female vocalist would sing the verses in Japanese while singing the title in English.
A rousing rendition of the tune often accompanied the arrival of recurring character Lady Constance de Coverlet in the radio show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again.
Miss New York 1983
Vanessa Williams performed the song during the talent competition of the
Miss America 1984 pageant. Williams went on to win both a preliminary talent award and was crowned Miss America 1984.[11]
The song was used as the theme tune by
Lotto during 1989.
The cast of Amen performed the song, with
Jester Hairston and
Roz Ryan singing solos as their respective characters, Rolly Forbes and Amelia Heterbrink.
Walter Strony used the song to open his concert at Chicago Stadium for the 1993 ATOS National Convention
A harmonica rendition was played early in the Christmas-themed pilot episode of The Waltons, entitled "The Homecoming", by one of the Walton children until John Boy requested something more Christmas-y.
In July 2013, a rock and roll version of the song was used by Fox in a commercial ad campaign to introduce a new sports channel called
Fox Sports 1.[14]
In 2014, actress Jessica Lange provided a speaking version of the song that was played in the background throughout designer Marc Jacobs' Fall/Winter runway show.
The song was featured in the opening scene of the first episode of the 2015 PBS Masterpiece drama series Indian Summers, which is set in India in the summer of 1932.
The song is sung in the 1964 film The Night of the Iguana by the women in the tour group on the bus as Richard Burton's character roils in sweat, loathing each moment.
^Bradley, Edwin M. (July 1996). The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography of 171 Features, 1927–1932. McFarland & Company. p. 213.
ISBN978-0-89950-945-7.