Simple Pleasures (Bobby McFerrin album)

Simple Pleasures
Studio album by
Bobby McFerrin
ReleasedMarch 23, 1988[1]
Recorded1987–88
Studio
Genre
Length33:50
LabelManhattan
ProducerLinda Goldstein, Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin chronology
Elephant's Child
(1987) 		Simple Pleasures
(1988) 		Don't Worry, Be Happy
(1988)
Singles from Simple Pleasures
  1. "Don't Worry, Be Happy"
    Released: July 24, 1988
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Village VoiceB−[4]

Simple Pleasures is the fourth studio album by American singer and musician Bobby McFerrin, released in 1988 by Manhattan Records.

The album was McFerrin's commercial breakthrough and contained the hit single "Don't Worry, Be Happy".[5] The song was featured in the film Cocktail and peaked at No. 1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] "Don't Worry, Be Happy" won the 1988 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.[7]

Simple Pleasures spent 55 weeks on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., peaking at No. 5.[6] On September 26, 1988, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[1]

The album features unaccompanied a cappella singing, with all parts performed exclusively by McFerrin via overdubbing.[5][8]

  1. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum - Bobby McFerrin". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (May 26, 2021). "The Number Ones: Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy". Stereogum. Retrieved November 12, 2023. Bobby McFerrin's album Simple Pleasures went gold — pretty great for a covers-heavy album of novelty a cappella jazz-pop.
  3. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Bobby McFerrin - Simple Pleasures review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 29, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Simple Pleasures – Bobby McFerrin". Bobby McFerrin. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Chart History - Bobby McFerrin". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  7. ^ "31st Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Waring, Charles (March 11, 2021). "'Don't Worry, Be Happy': It's The Simple Pleasures For Bobby McFerrin". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved December 28, 2022.