| "Oh Happy Day" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Edwin Hawkins Singers | ||||
| from the album Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord | ||||
| B-side | "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" | |||
| Released | 1968 (April 1969, U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | 1967 | |||
| Studio | Ephesian Church of God in Christ, Berkeley, California, U.S. | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:59 | |||
| Label | Pavilion/Buddah | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Edwin Hawkins, based on 1775 hymn | |||
| Producer(s) | Edwin Hawkins | |||
| Edwin Hawkins Singers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Oh Happy Day" on YouTube | ||||
"Oh Happy Day" is a 1967 gospel music arrangement of the 1755 hymn[1] by clergyman Philip Doddridge. Recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching No. 4 on the US Singles Chart, No. 1 in France, Germany, and the Netherlands and No. 2 on the Canadian Singles Chart, UK Singles Chart, and Irish Singles Chart. It has since become a gospel music standard, selling over 7 million copies worldwide,[2][3] making it the second best-selling gospel song of all time.
The recording begins with a muted piano, drum, and bass, backing lead singer Dorothy Combs Morrison on the left-hand stereo channel, then alternates twice with a full-throated chorus that includes a large ensemble, rising to a crescendo with handclaps, and ending with a return to the muted sound as at the beginning. The track is notable for its clear sound given the powerful vocals and the modest equipment used to capture them. It was made at Hawkins' church, the Ephesian Church of God in Christ in Berkeley, California.[4]
- ^ "Oh Happy Day - Hymn Lyrics & Music". YouTube.
- ^ West, Hollie I. (August 26, 1978). "Making Room for the Music of the Lord". Library of Congress. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Bill Carpenter. ""Oh Happy Day" – The Edwin Hawkins Singers (1968)" (PDF). Library of Congress. p. 2. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ W. K. McNeil (2013-10-18). Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 9781135377007. Retrieved 2016-10-02.