Wanna Be Happy?

Album: Losing My Religion (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Kirk Franklin's first new single in almost five years, the contemporary gospel star premiered the song on the August 28, 2015 episode of the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show. He performed the song for the first time two days later during live season finale of BET's Sunday Best.
  • Franklin explained the song's inspiration to Billboard magazine: "First and foremost, every human being wants to be happy," he said. "And we will try different things all in the pursuit of that feeling."

    "With this song I'm saying if you really want to be happy, you have to start with the originator," Franklin continued. "It's like wanting to lose weight. Do you really want to lose weight? Because if you do, there's a price to pay: You have to work at it. And this song is saying if you really want to be happy, let's get to the nitty-gritty of what that is. We're not the architects of our lives. We've got to go to the manufacturer. And it's my goal to try to lead people to the manufacturer of their souls."
  • The song samples Al Green's "Tired Of Being Alone" in the chorus.
  • This won for Best Gospel Performance/Song as the Grammy Awards in 2016.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

U2

U2Fact or Fiction

How did The Edge get his name? Did they name a song after a Tolkien book? And who is "Angel of Harlem" about?

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Dave Mason

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.