That Happy Feeling
Encyclopedia
"That Happy Feeling" was an instrumental pop music
single recorded by Bert Kaempfert
on March 16, 1962 and featured as the second cut on his album A Swingin' Safari
. That song and the title track were among the first pop instrumentals to incorporate elements of South African music. It is also the title track of what is virtually the same album as the German "A Swingin' Safari", issued under a different name in America. The song was composed by Ghanaian musician Guy Warren
in 1956 under the original title "An African's Prayer (Eyi Wala Dong)".
Although Kaempfert's recording of the tune only peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart when issued as a single in 1962, its upbeat style, flute
/marimba
melody line and trumpet
/trombone
arpeggio
s combined with a full string section and chorus helped it to become a staple of beautiful music
radio.
The tune also proved to be a natural choice for locally produced children's television programming, especially in the United States
.
In New York City
, Sandy Becker
used it as the theme for his local program on WNEW
and in Southern California
, the song was used between children's programs during the early days of KBSC
Corona
/Los Angeles
. It was played over the title card of the station's logo and not always to its conclusion, presumably because a master control
technician was busy cueing the tape of whatever show was scheduled to air.
It should also be of note that the song was also used on another Los Angeles television station, KABC-TV
Channel 7, when the station would sign on in the early morning to begin its broadcast day well before round-the-clock broadcasting became the norm much later.
It is used in Adam Elliot's 2009 film, Mary and Max
.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
single recorded by Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...
on March 16, 1962 and featured as the second cut on his album A Swingin' Safari
A Swingin' Safari
A Swingin' Safari is an instrumental composed by Bert Kaempfert in 1962. It was recorded by Kaempfert on Polydor Records and released in the United States on Decca Records. It was also recorded by Billy Vaughn whose version became a bigger hit in the U.S. where it reached #13 on the Billboard...
. That song and the title track were among the first pop instrumentals to incorporate elements of South African music. It is also the title track of what is virtually the same album as the German "A Swingin' Safari", issued under a different name in America. The song was composed by Ghanaian musician Guy Warren
Guy Warren
Guy Warren of Ghana or Kofi Ghanaba was a Ghanaian musician, best known as the inventor of Afro-jazz and as a member of The Tempos.- Biography :...
in 1956 under the original title "An African's Prayer (Eyi Wala Dong)".
Although Kaempfert's recording of the tune only peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart when issued as a single in 1962, its upbeat style, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
/marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
melody line and trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
/trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
arpeggio
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
s combined with a full string section and chorus helped it to become a staple of beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
radio.
The tune also proved to be a natural choice for locally produced children's television programming, especially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Sandy Becker
Sandy Becker
George Sanford Becker , who was known professionally as Sandy Becker, was a television announcer, actor, and comedian who hosted several popular children's programs in New York City...
used it as the theme for his local program on WNEW
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
and in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, the song was used between children's programs during the early days of KBSC
KVEA
KVEA is a Spanish-language television station in the Los Angeles area owned and operated by NBC Universal and the West Coast flagship station of the Telemundo network. It was the first mainland U.S. station owned by Telemundo at the network's launch in the late 1980's...
Corona
Corona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...
/Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. It was played over the title card of the station's logo and not always to its conclusion, presumably because a master control
Master control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room in television studios where the activities such as switching from camera to camera are coordinated...
technician was busy cueing the tape of whatever show was scheduled to air.
It should also be of note that the song was also used on another Los Angeles television station, KABC-TV
KABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
Channel 7, when the station would sign on in the early morning to begin its broadcast day well before round-the-clock broadcasting became the norm much later.
It is used in Adam Elliot's 2009 film, Mary and Max
Mary and Max
Mary and Max is a 2009 Australian clay-animated black comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam Elliot and produced by Melanie Coombs. The voice cast included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Eric Bana, Bethany Whitmore, with narration by Barry Humphries. The film premiered on the...
.