I would describe this song as "relentlessly cheerful but harmless". I could tolerate listening to it. The CHUM Chart Book, my source for these entries, lists this song as "Oh So Happy"; I don't know whether the actual charts got it wrong as well.
The Shades of Blue were from a suburb of Detroit. "Oh How Happy" was written by Edwin Starr, who became famous in 1970 for his version of "War". It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Two subsequent singles reached #72 and #78 but later releases were unsuccessful. The group broke up in 1970. Original member Nick Marinelli became part of a four-person group in 2003 that toured as The Shades Of Blue and as The Valadiers, an early 1960s group also out of Detroit. I wonder how they decided which name to use at any given time.
Created March 30, 2026.