Happy Pills – Norah Jones Song Meaning

Jazz singer Norah Jones began work on her fifth studio album, Little Broken Hearts, in the summer of 2009. Then she spent five days in the studio with Brian Burton, better known by his stage name Danger Mouse. During this period, the first drafts of the future record appeared, but they clearly lacked something. The musicians decided to return to them later and over the next two years they were engaged in other projects independently of each other.

The history of creation and the meaning of the song Happy Pills

In 2011 they got together again with the intention of finishing the album. Norah Jones just broke up with her boyfriend and, being in the grip of emotions, composed some new tunes.

On this occasion, she later told a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine:

I’ve always heard those old stories about how much better you write songs when you’re in some shit. It’s disgusting, but it’s true!

But not all the songs later included in the album were written in the period between the two stages of work on the record. One of the compositions that Nora composed with Brian right in the studio was Happy Pills. Here’s what Jones had to say about the process of making the song in an interview with Spinner:

As we started on Happy Pills, he leaned over to me… and started humming, “Na-na-na-na,” as if he was playing a joke on me. And I said, “That sounds good,” and we started working on it. It really sounded happy, which was a little different from the rest of the album. Not that it was depressing, but the other songs were a little darker.

And this one turned out to be very joyful, and it never left our minds, so we decided to write words with a bias in the dark side, perhaps even evil or a little stupid, but still unkind. In it, joyful music directly coexists with a gloomy text.

The heroine of Happy Pills, having broken off relations with her former lover, understands that she feels better without him, and frankly tells him about it.

Happy Pills release and achievements

When the song was ready, she surprised her songwriters. They doubted that she would fit well on the album, but they constantly hummed her. As a result, it became clear that it was impossible to refuse Happy Pills, as it is a potential hit.

At the end of February 2012, Norah Jones presented the song on SoundCloud, and a week later Happy Pills was released as the lead single from the album “Little Broken Hearts”, which was produced by Brian Burton. The song entered the charts in many countries and received favorable reviews from critics.

Clip Happy Pills Norah Jones

The singer called the Happy Pills music video “murder-thriller” (“murder thriller”). We will not describe it – see for yourself.

Interesting Facts

  • The horse that Nora rides in the video is called Cordoba. She’s from a riding center in the Potomac.

Happy Pills Lyrics

Trying to pick up the pace
Trying to make it so I never see your face again
Trying to throw this away
Want to make sure that you never waste my time again
How does it feel?
Oh how does it feel to be you right now dear?
You brought this upon
So pick up your piece and go away from here

chorus:
Please just let me go now
Please just let me go
Would you please just let me go now?
Please just let me go
I’m going to get you out
I’m going to get you out
I’m going to get you out of my head,
get out
I’m going to get you out
I’m going to get you out
I’m going to get you out of my head,
get out

Never said we’d be friends
Trying to keep myself away from you
‘Cause you’re bad, bad news
With you gone, I’m alive
Makes me feel like I took happy pills
And time stood still
How does it feel?
Oh how does it feel to be the one shut out?
You broke all the rules
I won’t be a fool for you no more my dear

Happy Pills Lyrics – Norah Jones

I try to go faster
Trying to make sure I never see your face again
I try to put it out of my mind
I want to make sure that you will never waste my time again.
How are you?
Oh how are you now?
You made it yourself
So take your things and leave

Chorus:
Please let me go now
Please let me go
Please just let me go
Please let me go
I want to throw you away
I want to throw you away
I want to get you out of my mind
throw away
I want to throw you away
I want to throw you away
I want to get you out of my mind
throw away

I didn’t say we’d be friends
I try to stay away from you
‘Cause you’re nothing but trouble
After you left, I came to life
Feels like I’m on tranquilizers
And time has stopped
How are you?
Oh, what’s it like for you to stay overboard?
You broke all the rules
I won’t be a fool no more for you dear

Song quote

The song is a simple, catchy and pop-inducing track that makes us all the more excited for Jones’ return this year.

Ray Rahman, Entertainment Weekly

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