Happy

It was recorded by Surface as part of the sessions for the group’s debut album Surface, with Bernard Jackson, David Townsend, and David "Pic" Conley as the core personnel. The band recorded at The Lab, the 24-track studio they had built in Conley’s living room in New Jersey. Released in 1987 on Columbia, it became Surface’s breakthrough pop and R&B single and helped establish the group on radio. It peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song remained one of Surface’s signature records and has been widely sampled, including by later hip-hop and R&B artists. Its continuing reach is reflected in its many sample connections and repeated reissues on Surface compilations.