It appears that people all over the world are feeling a stream of joy lately-uploading funny dancing videos to YouTube and posting lighthearted tweets with hashtags #gethappy or #HappyInternationalDayofHappiness.
So, who is to blame for all this happy fever going around?
Well, of course music artist Pharrell Williams and his Despicable Me 2 theme song, “Happy.”
Ever since the song has hit airplay, thousands of people across the globe have been catching on to the upbeat, funky tune.
Williams and the United Nations Foundation recently teamed up to make March 20 the International Day of Happiness, “celebrating the happiness and well-being of individuals and communities everywhere.”
He has encouraged fans to donate to the organization and upload their version of the song to his 24Hoursof Happiness website.
Tons of parody videos and music covers of Williams’ song are now taking the World Wide Web by storm, showcasing a lot of happiness both in the U.S. and internationally.
Check out Tokyo’s version of being #happy:
Tahiti shows off their beautiful weather along with some happiness:
A cover by the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences singing “Happy” goes viral:
Even our furry friends know how to be happy. Check out this rendition of the song:
“Happy” has made such a major impact that a Virginia Pilot columnist suggested the song be adopted as the anthem for Williams’ home state of Virginia, which doesn’t have a state song.
(And may I just add…I’m from Virginia Beach, Va., so the answer for me would be HELLZ YEA!)
Additionally, “Happy” has held top spot on Billboard charts for four consecutive weeks now. It also ranks No. 1 in over 80 countries and is the leading song on the R&B charts.
Nothing is quite like the original! Very entertaining and you can’t help but to feel HAPPY:
In a February interview with the Los Angeles Times, Williams mentioned how humble he was to know that his song received such great feedback since it’s “bigger” than anything he has ever done.
Even Chris Meledandri of Illumination Entertainment, which made the Despicable Me films for Universal Pictures, said that the tune is contagious by nature.
“When you look at the history of songs written for films, the ones that [have] broken out to have a meaningful life beyond the film are very rare,” he said. “There’s an infectious quality to ‘Happy’ that just resonates.”
To see some of Williams’ favorite “Happy” videos for International Day of Happiness, watch it here.
Image via YouTube