"Don't Worry Be Happy" reached #1 on the US Hot 100, which is astounding for a song sung a cappella (without instruments). Bobby McFerrin recorded it using only his body to make all the sounds. The simple message and unusual sound made it a surprise hit.
The phrase "Don't Worry Be Happy" came from the Indian guru Meher Baba. In an interview with USA Weekend magazine, McFerrin explained that he saw a poster of Meher Baba with the phrase and thought it was "a pretty neat philosophy in four words."
A jazz artist, Bobby McFerrin has a very adult audience, but 1988 was a year when different generations shared the pop charts. There was plenty of hair metal (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard) and teen pop (Tiffany, Debbie Gibson), but many older-skewing artists as well: The Beach Boys, George Harrison, Chicago and Steve Winwood all had #1 hits. McFerrin was unusual in that he didn't alter his sound for his hit - he released two albums of a cappella jazz prior to Simple Pleasures.
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