If It Makes You Happy

"If It Makes You Happy" received positive reviews from music critics. Scottish Aberdeen Press and Journal stated that Sheryl Crow "continues to stay near the top of the premier league of slightly off the-wall female solo singers with what seems a near-certain Top 10 hit."Aberdeen Press and Journal. September 13, 1996. p. 16. Swedish Aftonbladet described the song as "shuffling trad-rock".Aftonbladet. August 17, 1996. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called it "weary"{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sheryl-crow-mw0000075511|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Sheryl Crow – Sheryl Crow|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=November 6, 2020}} and "sexily exhausted".{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-very-best-of-sheryl-crow-mw0000763728|title=Sheryl Crow – The Very Best of Sheryl Crow|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=November 6, 2020|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}} Larry Flick from Billboard magazine 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."{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1996/BB-1996-08-24.pdf|first=Larry|last=Flick|title=Single Reviews|magazine=Billboard|volume=108|issue=34|page=113|date=August 24, 1996|access-date=February 5, 2020|author-link=Larry Flick}}

Daina Darzin from Cash Box viewed it as "an appropriately plain, anthemic song with the universally-appealing hook, "if it makes you happy, it can't be that bad", adding, "Fans who usually shop Wal-Mart will be looking for a new record store with this one, so retailers should stock lots and lots."{{cite magazine|first=Daina|last=Darzin|title=Pop Singles|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/90s/1996/CB-1996-10-19.pdf|magazine=Cash Box|date=October 19, 1996|page=7|accessdate=November 15, 2022}} The Daily Vault's Sean McCarthy remarked that here, a "dirty guitar riff is established, complimenting Crow's gritty swagger."{{cite web|url=http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=480|title=Sheryl Crow – Sheryl Crow|last=McCarthy|first=Sean|publisher=The Daily Vault|date=August 13, 1998|access-date=November 20, 2020}} Another Swedish newspaper, Göteborgs-Tidningen called it "darkly moody", picking it as one of two favourites from the album.Göteborgs-Tidningen. September 27, 1996. Rachel Cohen from The Heights felt "the familiar more expressive Crow of the first album is evident" on the song, declaring it as "one of the most peppy" on the Sheryl Crow album.{{cite magazine|url=https://newspapers.bc.edu/cgi-bin/bostonsh?a=d&d=bcheights19960930.2.79|title=Love is in the air for John's latest collection|last=Cohen|first=Rachel|magazine=The Heights|page=28|date=September 30, 1996|access-date=April 28, 2020}} A reviewer from Music Week rated it five out of five and named it Single of the Week, noting that it "captures the raunchy rawk'n'roll feel of Crow's live sets. Though some may miss the fragility of her debut, this is good enough to shift bucketloads and is already winning airplay."{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-08-31.pdf|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=10|date=August 31, 1996|access-date=September 1, 2021}} People magazine described the song as "country-tinged".{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-sheryl-crow-vol-46-no-13/|title=Picks and Pans Review: Sheryl Crow|magazine=People|date=September 23, 1996|access-date=November 13, 2020}} David Fricke from Rolling Stone said that "If It Makes You Happy" "is as good as it gets, juicing the feel of Tuesday Night with a little Friday night fire."Fricke, David (December 26, 1996-January 9, 1997). "The year in recordings". Rolling Stone. Issue 750/751.

In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number 10 on their list of the 10 greatest Sheryl Crow songs,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/country/sheryl-crow-songs-best-hits-list-7897022/|title=Sheryl Crow's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks|first=Chuck|last=Dauphin|magazine=Billboard|date=August 10, 2017|accessdate=August 31, 2023}} and in 2023, The Guardian ranked the song number four on their list of the 20 greatest Sheryl Crow songs.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/03/sheryl-crows-20-greatest-songs-ranked|title=Sheryl Crow's 20 greatest songs – ranked!|first=Michael|last=Cragg|website=The Guardian|date=August 3, 2023|accessdate=August 31, 2023}}

The song entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 44 on the week of September 21, 1996.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1996-09-21|title=The Hot 100 – Week of September 21, 1996|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 18, 2020}} It entered the top 20 on October 19, 1996,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1996-10-19|title=The Hot 100 – Week of October 19, 1996|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 18, 2020}} and fluctuated within the top 20 for roughly three months before reaching its peak of number 10 on January 25, 1997. The song spent a total of 27 weeks on the Hot 100. In Canada, on September 2, 1996, "If It Makes You Happy" debuted at number 78 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.9639&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.9639.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.9639|title=RPM 100 Hit Tracks – September 2, 1997|magazine=RPM|via=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=November 18, 2020}} Ten issues later, on November 11, it topped the chart for a single week. It also reached number one on RPM{{'}}s Adult Contemporary and Alternative 30 listings.

In Europe, the single debuted and peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Crow's second top-ten single in the United Kingdom. The British Phonographic Industry certified the song silver in January 2021 for sales and streaming figures of over 200,000. It reached the top 40 in France, Iceland, and Sweden, reaching numbers 29, 17, and 20, respectively, and also charted in Flanders, Germany, and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "If It Makes You Happy" settled at a peak of number 56. It additionally reached the top 20 in Australia, rising to number 20 on November 17, 1996, and in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 12 one week later.

Two different music videos for the song were made, both were directed by Keir McFarlane.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} 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.

Q Magazine placed "If It Makes You Happy" at number 663 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever" in 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/Q1001bestsongsever.htm|title=Q – 1001 best songs ever (2003)}} Slant Magazine listed it at number 92 in their ranking of "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s" in 2011, writing, "After allegations that she was simply a pretty mouthpiece for her Tuesday Night Music Club, Sheryl Crow had a lot to prove with her sophomore effort. Originally conceived as a country song by co-writer Jeff Trott, the self-produced lead single, 'If It Makes You Happy', was a pointed departure from the gin-soaked roots-pop of Tuesday Night Music Club, starting with its heavy electric guitar riff and plodding drum beat, but not ending there. Crow's lyrics are a reflection on the massive success of her debut, with her stint at the muddy, mosquito-ridden Woodstock '94 festival serving as a metaphorical narrative for the stinging accusations and acrimony that followed."{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/best-singles-of-the-1990s/|title=The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s|website=Slant Magazine|date=January 9, 2011|access-date=May 3, 2021}}

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• US CD and cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=US CD single liner notes|publisher=A&M Records|id=31458 1874 2}}{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=US cassette single sleeve|publisher=A&M Records|id=31458 1874 4}}

1. "If It Makes You Happy" (edit)
2. "Keep On Growing"

• US maxi-CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=US maxi-CD single liner notes|publisher=A&M Records|id=31458 1875 2}}

1. "If It Makes You Happy" (LP version) – 5:23
2. "Keep On Growing" – 5:24
3. "I'm Going to Be a Wheel Someday" – 3:38
4. "No One Said It Would Be Easy" (Live in Nashville) – 5:37

• US 7-inch single{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=US 7-inch single vinyl disc|publisher=A&M Records|id=31458 1874 7}}

:A. "If It Makes You Happy" (edit) – 4:30

:B. "I'm Going to Be a Wheel Someday" – 3:38

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• UK CD1 and cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=A&M Records|id=581 903-2}}{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=A&M Records|id=581 903-4}}

1. "If It Makes You Happy" (edit)
2. "All I Wanna Do"
3. "Run Baby Run"
4. "Leaving Las Vegas"

• UK CD2{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=UK CD2 liner notes|publisher=A&M Records|id=581 885-2}}

1. "If It Makes You Happy" – 4:30
2. "On the Outside" – 4:42
3. "Keep On Growing" – 5:24
4. "The Book" – 4:34

Note: The Australian and Japanese CD singles switch tracks two and three.{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=Australian CD single liner notes|publisher=A&M Records|id=581 885-2}}{{cite AV media notes|title=If It Makes You Happy|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=Japanese CD single liner notes|publisher=A&M Records|id=POCM-1199}}

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Credits are lifted from the UK CD1 liner notes and the Sheryl Crow album booklet.{{cite AV media notes|title=Sheryl Crow|title-link=Sheryl Crow (album)|others=Sheryl Crow|year=1996|type=US CD album booklet|publisher=A&M Records|id=31454 0587 2}}

Studios

• Recorded at Kingsway Studios (New Orleans) and Sunset Sound Factory (Los Angeles)
• Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine, US)

Personnel

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• Sheryl Crow – writing, keyboard, production
• Jeff Trott – writing, guitars
• Dan Rothchild – bass
• Michael Urbano – drums

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• Trina Shoemaker – recording
• Tchad Blake – mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|artist=Sheryl Crow|title=If It Makes You Happy|award=Platinum|relyear=1996|certyear=2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Sheryl Crow|title=If It Makes You Happy|type=single|relyear=1996|certyear=2021|award=Gold|source=radioscope}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Sheryl Crow|title=If It Makes You Happy|award=Silver|relyear=1996|certyear=2021|id=16959-1740-1|access-date=January 8, 2021|refname="bpi"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Sheryl Crow|title=If It Makes You Happy|award=Platinum|relyear=1996|certyear=2022|access-date=January 16, 2022}}

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• List of RPM number-one singles of 1996 (Canada)
• List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)

{{Reflist}}

{{Sheryl Crow}}

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Category:1996 singles

Category:1996 songs

Category:A&M Records singles

Category:Black-and-white music videos

Category:Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance

Category:Music videos directed by Keir McFarlane

Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles

Category:Sheryl Crow songs

Category:Songs written by Jeff Trott

Category:Songs written by Sheryl Crow