My Happiness (popular song)

"My Happiness" is a pop music standard which was initially made famous in the mid-twentieth century.

High profile versions

An unpublished version of the melody with different lyrics was written by Borney Bergantine in 1933.

The most famous version of the song, with lyrics by Betty Peterson Blasco, was published for the first time in 1948. The first known recording of this version was in December 1947 by the Marlin Sisters but the song first became a hit in May 1948 as recorded by Jon and Sondra Steele (Damon 11133) (#3) with rival versions by The Pied Pipers (Capitol 1628/15094)¹ and Ella Fitzgerald (Decca 24446) entering the charts that June reaching respectively #4 and #8 with the Marlin Sisters version (Columbia 38217) finally charting with a #24 peak that July. A version by John Laurenz (Mercury catalog number 5144, with the flip side "Someone Cares"^[1]), entered the Billboard magazine charts on August 7, 1948 where it stayed for 2 weeks, peaking at #26.

Connie Francis — whose favorite song at the age of eight had been the Jon and Sondra Steele version of "My Happiness" — remade the song in a 6 November 1958 session at the Radio Recorders studio in Hollywood, CA produced by Morton Craft and Jesse Kaye; David Rose conducted the orchestra. The song almost became Francis's first #1 hit in the first months of 1959 but was kept at #2 by another remake of a standard: the Platters' version of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes".

Other versions

"My Happiness" is reportedly one of two songs — the other being "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" — Elvis Presley recorded in his first recording session at the Memphis Recording Service (Sun Studios). In January 2015, Presley's version of "My Happiness" sold to a then unknown online bidder at an auction for $300,000.^[2] The bidder was later identified by Billboard Magazine's 5 March 2015 edition, as having been top rock musician Jack White, a huge fan of Presley who briefly but adroitly played his character in the 2007 satirical film "Walk Hard".

The song has also been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Gale Storm, Vera Lynn, Fats Domino, Jim Reeves, Andy Williams, Kitty Wells, Teresa Brewer, Pat and Shirley Boone, Paul & Paula, Lucille Starr, the Bachelors, Skeeter Davis, Lena Zavaroni, Albert West, Freddy Fender, Margo Smith, Slim Whitman, Roger Whittaker, Chris Isaak, and Amanda Lear.

"My Happiness" has also been recorded as rendered in Czech by Yvetta Simonová (cs) ("Drahoušku Můj"/ 1966), in Dutch by Ciska Peters (nl) ("Daar Droom Ik Van"/ 1982), in Finnish by Pärre Förars (fi) ("Onneni"/ 1959), in German by Lale Andersen ("Wenn Die Lindenbäume Blüh'n"/ 1951) and also by Ernie Bieler (de) ("Immer will ich treu dir sein"/ 1959), and in Swedish by the Streaplers ("En Junidag": album Valentino/ 1976).

References

Connie Francis U. S. albums Who's Sorry Now? The Exciting Connie Francis My Thanks to You Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites Christmas in My Heart Connie's Greatest Hits Rock 'n' Roll Million Sellers Country & Western - Golden Hits Connie Francis Sings Fun Songs for Children One for the Boys Connie Francis Sings Spanish and Latin American Favorites Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites Songs to a Swinging Band More Greatest Hits Connie Francis Sings "Never on Sunday" Connie Francis Sings Folk Song Favorites Connie Francis Sings Irish Favorites Connie Francis Sings Modern Italian Hits Connie Francis Sings Award Winning Motion Picture Hits Greatest American Waltzes In the Summer of His Years Connie Francis Sings German Favorites Connie Francis and Hank Williams, Jr. Sing Great Country Favorites Movie Greats of the 60s Connie's Christmas Connie Francis and The Kids Next Door Love, Italian Style Happiness – Connie Francis On Broadway Today Grandes Exitos del Cine de los Años 60 Connie & Clyde – Hit Songs of the 30s Connie Francis Sings Bacharach & David Connie Francis Sings the Songs of Les Reed International albums Connie Francis en El Patio Melodien, die die Welt erobern Somewhere, My Love U. S. singles Who's Sorry Now? Stupid Cupid/Carolina Moon Fallin'/Happy Days and Lonely Nights I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) My Happiness You Always Hurt the One You Love If I Didn't Care Lipstick on Your Collar Among My Souvenirs/God Bless America Mama Everybody's Somebody's Fool My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own/Malagueña Where the Boys Are Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart/Someone Else's Boy Together When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart) Don't Break the Heart That Loves You Vacation He Thinks I Still Care I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter/Al di là If My Pillow Could Talk In the Summer of His Years Be Anything (but Be Mine) For Mama Forget Domani Jealous Heart Love Is Me, Love Is You So Nice (Summer Samba) My Heart Cries for You Lonely Again I Don't Wanna Play House International singles Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel Ich komm' nie mehr von dir los Wenn ich träume Schöner fremder Mann Einmal komm' ich wieder Eine Insel für zwei Lili Marleen Jamais Tu' mir nicht weh Wenn du gehst Barcarole in der Nacht Ho bisogno di vederti Notable songs Volare Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Young at Heart Mein Herz weiß genau, was es will Once a Day The Shadow of Your Smile Strangers in the Night Misty Blue Filmography Where the Boys Are Follow the Boys Looking for Love When the Boys Meet the Girls Related topics Discography Bobby Darin Brenda Lee Patti Page Neil Sedaka Lesley Gore Carole King Ricky Nelson Book: Connie Francis