I. Introduction
"Happiness (행복)" is the debut digital single from South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released on August 4, 2014.
II. Background & Overview
Several members of Red Velvet were part of SM's pre-debut group, SM Rookies, which also included future members of NCT and aespa. Red Velvet was the first group formed from SM Rookies members, as well as being the first new SM girl group in 5 years. This single and the subsequent single, "Be Natural," only features 4 members (Irene, Seulgi, Wendy and Joy), as the group's fifth member Yeri was not added until 2015, just ahead of the group's debut mini album.
SM's legendary songwriter and producer Yoo Young-jin was one of the writers on the song, as well as Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. The video was originally released on August 1, but was removed and re-edited due to controversial scenes that alluded to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and 9/11 in the background of the video. The company said the director used a collage from an image source without realizing the issues. The video was re-edited and the song released on August 4. Yeri also makes an appearance in the video.
III. Tracklist
| Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Happiness (행복)" | Yoo Young-jin | Will Simms, Chad Hugo, Anne Judith Wik, Chris Holsten | Will Simms, Chad Hugo, Anne Judith Wik, Chris Holsten | 3:40 |
IV. Spotify
V. Videos
MV:
Teaser:
Debut Performance - Music Bank - August 1, 2014
Performance - Music Core - August 2, 2014
VI. Concept Photos
VII. Reception
"Happiness" debuted at #5 on the Korean Gaon Digital chart and #4 on the U.S. Billboard Digital World Song chart. The song was nominated for a Digital Bonsang at Golden Disk Awards in 2015. In 2020, the music video became SM's first group to have over 100 million views on YouTube for their debut video. It was Red Velvet's ninth video to reach this mark.
