From the opening guitar notes, “Happy Together” has all the trimmings of a runaway hit. The Turtles delivered just that when the song was released in 1967, as it was absolutely tailor-made for the year of the Summer of Love.
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Not many folks know what it overcame to get to that point, how it was written by members of a struggling band and was turned down by others before The Turtles, also desperate for a hit, took it on. Luckily, it reached the point where it was able to wow us all as pop music perfection.
Come On, Get “Happy”
The story of “Happy Together” begins with a guitar player doing some tuning exercises. His name was Allan Jacobs, who played in a band called The Magicians. Upon hearing Jacobs do this many times, Alan Gordon, the band’s drummer, started to form a melody from it.
The Magicians were still a working concern at this point, but Gordon was already looking to broaden his horizons and write songs for outside artists to record. After Jacobs showed no interest in working on the nascent song that would become “Happy Together,” Gordon turned to Garry Bonner, the group’s singer, to help him complete it.
The pair put together a demo that was then shopped around. Several bands had the opportunity to record “Happy Together,” but they turned it down. That’s when The Turtles entered the picture and, as it would turn out, music history as well.
Turtle Time
The Turtles formed in Los Angeles and enjoyed success right out of the gate with a taunting cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” that soared to the Top 10 in 1965. These guys were a little unusual for an American band in that they could write their own material (although they also covered songs as well) and play it (instead of relying on studio pros).
Unfortunately, they went through a dry patch following that initial success, to the point where there was concern whether or not they were going to be able to continue. They discovered a demo of “Happy Together” that was somewhat unpolished, although they could hear the song’s potential.
Howard Kaylan did a fantastic job on lead vocals, and the harmonies of the other members of the group also made a huge difference. Meanwhile, the arrangements of the horns and woodwinds by bassist Chip Douglas brought “Happy Together” into baroque rock heaven. The song shot to No. 1 upon its release and boosted The Turtles, who would score several more hits in the coming years.
What is “Happy Together” About?
“Happy Together” is interesting because many people hear a love song when they listen to it. But there’s no definitive indication the two people in the song are even involved. Imagine me and you, I do, the narrator begins, and later, Imagine how the world could be, so very fine / So happy together.
In other words, maybe this relationship is only theoretical at this point. But this guy is determined for them to get there: No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be / The only one for me is you, and you for me. There is no other alternative for him: I can’t see me lovin’ nobody but you / For all my life.
With the pleasant rush of all those horns and voices, it certainly makes you believe the narrator will indeed make his fantasy a reality. “Happy Together” may have taken an odd road to get there, but it ended where it belonged as a masterpiece about the power of aspiration.
Photo by CBS via Getty Images
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