Happier

"Happier" delves into the complex and painful theme of sacrificing one's own happiness for the sake of a loved one. The lyrics narrate the story from the perspective of someone in a failing relationship who realizes that their presence is the source of their partner's unhappiness. It's a tale of letting go, not out of falling out of love, but as an ultimate act of love. The central message is that true love can mean making the difficult decision to leave, even if it causes immense personal pain, so that the other person can find joy. The song captures the internal conflict between the desire to hold on and the selfless knowledge that departure is necessary. While the lyrics are melancholic and direct, Marshmello's production adds a layer of "euphoria," creating a signature bittersweet feeling that makes you question whether to "be crying, or dancing." This contrast between the sad lyrics and the upbeat tempo highlights the complex emotional state of finding a strange sense of relief or rightness in a heartbreaking situation.

The narrative begins with a period of intense reflection. The protagonist has been consumed by the thought of their partner's happiness, repeating the mantra, "I want you to be happier." This repetition underscores a deep-seated desire that has become a central focus. The setting for this emotional turmoil is established in the first verse, which speaks of the harsh reality that daylight brings. Metaphorically, they are a "flame in the wind," fragile and easily extinguished. The relationship is weighed down by past arguments and words that cannot be retracted, leading to the somber acknowledgment that both individuals know how this story will inevitably conclude.

The central conflict is one of selfless love versus personal pain. The singer expresses a genuine desire to uplift their partner, to "raise your spirits" and "see you smile," but understands that achieving this requires the ultimate sacrifice: their own departure. This decision is not made lightly. A moment of hesitation surfaces, a fleeting desire to "change my mind" because the act of leaving feels fundamentally wrong. However, this internal struggle always resolves with the same conclusion – leaving is the only path forward for the other person's well-being.

The emotional weight of this decision becomes heavier in the second verse. The quiet moments of the evening bring a torrent of painful thoughts. The image of their former partner finding happiness with someone new is a torturous thought, described vividly as "eating me up inside." Despite this personal agony, the resolve remains. There's a mature recognition that the relationship has run its course and that pretending everything is okay is a futile exercise. The lyrics use the imagery of a shipwreck, suggesting that their shared life has become a disaster. Yet, there's a glimmer of shared action even in separation, a proposal to "jump together" to escape "the wreck we made." This implies a mutual, albeit painful, understanding that they must abandon the broken relationship to save themselves.

The recurring pre-chorus and chorus act as the emotional anchor of the song, constantly circling back to the core theme. The phrase "Lately, I've been, I've been thinking, I want you to be happier" is both a quiet confession and a loud declaration. It is the thought that initiates the painful journey of letting go. The final lines, "So I'll go, I'll go, I'll go," represent the final, heartbreaking acceptance and action. It’s a reluctant, stuttered farewell, emphasizing the difficulty of the choice. The song masterfully captures the paradox of causing oneself immense pain out of a profound love for another, encapsulating a story of a difficult, yet necessary, goodbye.

"Happier" was released on August 16, 2018. The song was written by Dan Smith, the frontman of the English band Bastille, along with hitmaker Steve Mac. Initially, Smith had penned the song with Justin Bieber in mind, but the members of Bastille grew attached to it and decided to keep it for themselves as a collaboration. Smith explained that they had been writing for other artists and when "Happier" came about, everyone was so excited about it that a collaboration felt like the right path. They connected with American DJ and producer Marshmello (Christopher Comstock), who produced the final track. Smith noted that Marshmello skillfully "managed to find some euphoria in a pretty melancholy, direct song." Marshmello himself spent a significant amount of time perfecting the drop, making around 15 different versions before settling on the final one. The collaboration marked the first time Marshmello had worked with a British band. In May 2019, producer Arty filed a copyright infringement lawsuit, claiming the song copied elements from his 2014 remix of OneRepublic's "I Lived," but the case was ultimately rejected by a federal judge.

"Happier" utilizes a relatively simple and direct rhythmic and rhyming structure that prioritizes emotional clarity over complex poetic form. The song is primarily in a 4/4 time signature, typical for the dance-pop genre, with a steady tempo that drives the track forward. Musically, the rhythm builds from a simpler, piano-led verse into a more driving, beat-heavy chorus, creating a dynamic shift that mirrors the lyrical journey from quiet contemplation to emotional declaration.

The rhyme scheme is largely inconsistent, leaning towards a free verse structure in the verses, which enhances the song's conversational and confessional feel. For example, in the first verse, "comes" and "become" create a slant rhyme, while "back" and "ends" do not rhyme, focusing the listener on the meaning rather than a predictable pattern. The pre-chorus and chorus introduce more consistent end rhymes (e.g., "thinking"/"thinking", "leave"/"leave"), which helps to make these sections more memorable and anthemic. The repetition of the title phrase in the chorus creates a strong lyrical hook that is independent of a strict rhyme scheme, relying on its melodic and rhythmic catchiness instead.

"Happier" masterfully blends literary and musical techniques to create its emotional impact. Lyrically, the song employs a direct, first-person narrative voice, creating an intimate and confessional tone. The repetition of the key phrase "I want you to be happier" serves as a powerful refrain that drills home the central theme of selfless love. Metaphors like being a "flame in the wind" and a "wreck we made" add poetic depth to the otherwise straightforward lyrics.

Musically, the song is a prime example of Bastille's signature style of pairing melancholic lyrics with upbeat, danceable music. Marshmello's production features a clean, synth-driven sound with a prominent, melodic drop that contrasts with the sad nature of the vocals. The song is set in the key of F Major. The arrangement builds dynamically, starting with a relatively sparse piano and vocal combination, which puts the focus squarely on the emotional weight of the lyrics, before building to the full, euphoric EDM drop in the chorus. This musical journey from somber contemplation to a cathartic, dance-pop climax is a key technique that defines the song's bittersweet character. Dan Smith's vocal delivery is emotive and sincere, conveying the pain and resolve in the lyrics.

"Happier" was a massive commercial success and left a significant cultural footprint. It became the highest-charting single for both Marshmello and Bastille in the US and the UK, peaking at number two on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. The song achieved record-breaking longevity on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, where it held the number one position for an unprecedented 69 weeks. It was ranked as the 33rd biggest song of the 2010s on the Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart. The song was certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA in 2020.

The song's official music video, starring Miranda Cosgrove, became a viral phenomenon, amassing over one billion views on YouTube. Its touching story about the bond between a girl and her dog resonated deeply with audiences, separate from the song's romantic breakup lyrics. The track's popularity led to its inclusion in various media, including a prominent feature in Google's "Year in Search 2018" retrospective video, an Amazon Echo commercial, and the video game FUSER. The song's success solidified Marshmello's status as a mainstream music powerhouse and earned Bastille their biggest hit since "Pompeii."

The lyrics of "Happier" are rich with metaphors that illustrate the state of the decaying relationship.

• Flame in the Wind: The line "we're a flame in the wind" poetically captures the fragility and instability of the relationship, suggesting it's vulnerable and on the verge of being extinguished by the slightest trouble.
• Shipwreck: In the second verse, the relationship is compared to a shipwreck with the lyric, "Now if we jump together at least we can swim / Far away from the wreck we made." This powerful metaphor frames the relationship as a disaster, something that has been destroyed and must be abandoned for survival.
• Eating Me Up Inside: The phrase "the image of you being with someone else, well it's eating me up inside" is a visceral hyperbole that conveys the intense jealousy and emotional pain the narrator feels, making the sacrifice feel all the more significant.

The official music video adds another layer of symbolism. While the song's lyrics describe a romantic breakup, the video tells the story of a girl (played by Miranda Cosgrove) and her bond with a golden retriever named Mello. Here, the dog symbolizes unconditional love and companionship through difficult times. The dog's eventual passing and the subsequent gift of a new puppy to the main character's own daughter represents the cyclical nature of love, loss, and life. Marshmello stated this was a personal theme, as he had recently lost his own dog and wanted the video to "embrace the pain that we feel losing someone close to us and the cycle of life."

The most significant recurring motif in "Happier" is the lyrical phrase, "Lately, I've been, I've been thinking / I want you to be happier, I want you to be happier." This phrase acts as the song's central thesis and emotional core. Its repetition at the beginning of the chorus and throughout the song emphasizes the narrator's obsessive focus on their partner's well-being, framing it as the catalyst for the painful decision to leave. Its recurrence reinforces the song's central conflict: the self-sacrificial nature of love.

Another key recurring phrase is "Know that means I'll have to leave." This line directly follows the expression of wanting the other person to smile, creating a powerful cause-and-effect statement that is repeated to underscore the heartbreaking conditionality of their happiness.

Musically, the primary recurring motif is the instrumental drop. This euphoric, synth-led melody serves as the song's main hook and provides a stark, yet effective, contrast to the melancholic lyrics. Marshmello noted that he spent the most time crafting this lead melody to perfectly complement the song's emotional tone.