Wanna Be Happy?

Album: Losing My Religion (2015)
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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.

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