Simple Pleasures (Bobby McFerrin album)

Simple Pleasures is the fourth studio album by American singer and musician Bobby McFerrin, released in 1988 by Manhattan Records.

Simple Pleasures
Studio album by
Bobby McFerrin
Released2 May 1988 (1988-05-02)[1]
Recorded1987–88
Studio
GenreVocal, a cappella, jazz
Length33:50
LabelManhattan
ProducerLinda Goldstein, Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin chronology
Elephant's Child
(1987)		 Simple Pleasures
(1988)		 Don't Worry, Be Happy
(1988)
Singles from Simple Pleasures
  1. "Don't Worry, Be Happy"
    Released: July 24, 1988
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Village VoiceB−[3]

The album was McFerrin's commercial breakthrough and contained the hit single "Don't Worry, Be Happy".[4] The song was featured in the film Cocktail and peaked at No. 1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] "Don't Worry, Be Happy" won the 1988 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.[6]

Simple Pleasures spent 55 weeks on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., peaking at No. 5.[5] On September 26, 1988, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[7]

The album features unaccompanied a cappella singing, with all parts performed exclusively by McFerrin via overdubbing.[4][8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bobby McFerrin, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Don't Worry, Be Happy" 4:54
2."All I Want" 2:56
3."Drive My Car"Lennon–McCartney2:44
4."Simple Pleasures" 2:08
5."Good Lovin'"Rudy Clark, Artie Resnick2:58
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Come to Me" 3:38
2."Susie-Q"Eleanor Broadwater, Dale Hawkins, Stan Lewis2:50
3."Drive" 3:58
4."Them Changes"Buddy Miles3:55
5."Sunshine of Your Love"Pete Brown, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton3:43

Personnel
  • Bobby McFerrin – all vocals[4]
Technical
  • Linda Goldstein – co-producer
  • Bobby McFerrin – co-producer
  • Chris Tergesen – engineer
  • Gary Solomon – assistant engineer
  • Matthew La Monica – assistant engineer
  • Don Rodenbach – assistant engineer
  • Dave Luke – assistant engineer
  • Jack Skinner – mastering
  • Henry Marquez – art direction
  • Carol Friedman – photography

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for Simple Pleasures
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[20] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[21] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[22] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Music Week" (PDF). Music Week. 2 April 1988. p. 26. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. Yanow, Scott. "Bobby McFerrin - Simple Pleasures review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  3. Christgau, Robert (November 29, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  4. "Simple Pleasures – Bobby McFerrin". Bobby McFerrin. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  5. "Chart History - Bobby McFerrin". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  6. "31st Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  7. "Gold & Platinum - Bobby McFerrin". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  8. Waring, Charles (March 11, 2021). "'Don't Worry, Be Happy': It's The Simple Pleasures For Bobby McFerrin". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  9. "Australiancharts.com – Bobby McFerrin – Simple Pleasures". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Bobby McFerrin – Simple Pleasures" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bobby McFerrin – Simple Pleasures" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  12. "Charts.nz – Bobby McFerrin – Simple Pleasures". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  13. "Swedishcharts.com – Bobby McFerrin – Simple Pleasures". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  14. "Swisscharts.com – Bobby McFerrin – Simple Pleasures". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  15. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  16. "Bobby McFerrin Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  17. "Bobby McFerrin Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  18. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  19. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  20. "Canadian album certifications – Bobby McFerrin – Simple Pleasures". Music Canada. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  21. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Bobby McFerrin; 'Simple Pleasures')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  22. "American album certifications – Bobby McFerrin – Simple Pleasures". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 23, 2022.


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