If It Makes You Happy


"If It Makes You Happy" is the lead single from Sheryl Crow's 1996 eponymous album. The song peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1997 Grammy Awards. The song ties with her 1998 single, "My Favorite Mistake", as her third-highest-charting single in the United Kingdom, reaching number nine on the UK Singles Chart. It also peaked at number one in Canada and was her final top-ten solo hit in the United States, making it to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "If It Makes You Happy" at number 663 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".

Critical reception

Aftonbladet described the song as "shuffling trad-rock". Larry Flick from Billboard stated that it is a "straight-ahead rocker that has far more bite than anything on her Grammy-lavished debut." He added that "seemingly endless touring has given her voice a sharp rasp, which benefits the song's ironic lyrics and holds up strong against the track's crunchy guitars." He also noted the track's "edgy nature" and "subtle but unmistakable hook." Göteborgs-Tidningen called it "darkly moody" and picked the song as one of two favourites from the album. Rachel Cohen from The Heights said that "the familiar more expressive Crow of the first album is evident" in "If It Makes You Happy", noting it as "one of the most peppy" on the Sheryl Crow album.

Chart Performance

The song initially entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #44 on the week of September 21, 1996. It then entered the top 20 on October 19, 1996 and fluctuated within the top 20 for roughly three months before finally reaching the #10 position on January 25, 1997. The song spent a total of 27 weeks on the Hot 100.

Music video

Two music videos for the song were made; both were directed by Keir McFarlane.
The first was shot entirely in black-and-white. It begins with Crow in an apartment, donning a black raincoat. She then walks down a city street, rides a subway, is shown on a boardwalk, buys coffee at a mall, and then returns to the apartment.
The second video was shot in color and features Crow in the Endangered Species section of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. She is dressed in a leopard-print fur coat and Yves Saint Laurent leather boots.

Track listing

US CD single
  1. "If It Makes You Happy" - LP version
  2. "Keep On Growing"
  3. "I'm Going to Be a Wheel Someday"
  4. "No One Said It Would Be Easy" - Live in Nashville
EU CD single 1
  1. "If It Makes You Happy" - Edit
  2. "Keep On Growing"
  3. "On the Outside"
  4. "The Book" - LP version
EU CD single 2
  1. "If It Makes You Happy" - Edit
  2. "All I Wanna Do"
  3. "Run Baby Run"
  4. "Leaving Las Vegas"
Crow performed the song on her live album alongside Chrissie Hynde.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Canada Adult Contemporary 42
US Billboard Hot 10055