‘Oh Happy Day’ began as a hymn written in the mid-18th century (“O happy day, that fixed my choice”) by English clergyman Philip Doddridge (based on Acts 8:35) set to an earlier melody (1704) by J.A. Freylinghausen. By the mid-19th century it had been given a new melody by Edward Rimbault, who also added a chorus, and was commonly used for baptismal or confirmation ceremonies in the UK and USA.
The 20th century saw its adaptation from 3/4 to 4/4 time. Edwin Hawkins rearranged the hymn so that it contains only the repeated Rimbault refrain, with all of the original verses being omitted to give it more of a gospel feel. He devised a piano introduction which he said was influenced by the music of Sergio Mendes. When the choir made the recording in 1967, lead singer Dorothy Morrison added some lyrical improvisations influenced by James Brown, which, she said, “made the song feel even more current”.
Hawkins’ arrangement quickly became a “standard” and has been recorded by hundreds of artists. It was included on the RIAA Songs of the Century list and won Hawkins a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance in 1970 (performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers). Since then there have been many versions of the song. Joan Baez performed it at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Sadly there is no footage of this performance but there is a live version from a concert in France in 1971.
In an exciting move that marked music history, legendary superstar Ray Charles was joined by the world famous 120-member Voices of Jubilation Gospel Choir of Newark New Jersey. This was actually a Christmas concert because mistakenly, the song has become recognised as a Christmas song and also used for the celebration of the New Year.
The song has appeared in many movies, beginning with the German film Seventeen and Anxious in 1970, but most notably in Whoopi Goldberg’s Sister Act 2 with then 14-year-old Ryan Toby singing lead. The song also appears in Big Momma’s House, David LaChapelle’s 2005 movie Rize, Robin Williams’ 2007 movie Licence to Wed.
In live performances and acoustic versions of the Nick Cave’s song “Deanna” (1988), portions of “Oh Happy Day” are included, revealing the inspiration for Cave’s song. George Harrison has stated the song was a primary inspiration in the writing of his 1970 international hit single “My Sweet Lord”.
