Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin scribbled the lyrics to "Don't Worry Be Happy" in the studio at the last moment, writing and recording the entire thing in under an hour with no prior preparation. Elektra Records considered cancelling the album's release entirely, fearing the track would undermine his credibility as a jazz artist. While the song climbed the charts, McFerrin stayed home with his family and refused to tour, disappearing so completely from public view that rumors spread he had died. When it reached number 1, it became the first a cappella recording in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to do so.
In our deep dive into Don't Worry Be Happy, we trace the song from a last-minute studio impulse to the unlikely number 1 that McFerrin never wanted to promote, and what it reveals about an artist whose real musical ambitions ran in a completely different direction.
