High on the Happy Side is the third studio album by Scottish pop quartet Wet Wet Wet, released on 27 January 1992 through Phonogram Inc. and Precious. Self-produced by the band in numerous worldwide studios, the album presents a mellower and more mature sound than earlier records, showcasing the band's soul sound alongside guitar-driven melodies and a variety of styles including pop, dance, reggae, balladry and acoustic music, with the group experimenting with new sounds and forgerounding vocal harmony. Its more basic, guitar-based genesis was in contrast to the dense sound of its predecessor, Holding Back the River (1989), which was disliked by the band. A limited edition of the album included a bonus disc, Cloak & Dagger, containing cover versions and credited under the pseudonym Maggie Pie & The Impostors.
Wet Wet Wet promoted High on the Happy Side with several acoustic shows and numerous appearances on music-oriented television shows. Although the first two singles from the album, "Make It Tonight" and "Put the Light On", were commercially unsuccessful on their release in late 1991, the release of the third single, the romantic ballad "Goodnight Girl", reversed the band's fortunes and spent four weeks at number one in Britain in early 1992. The success of the song helped the album debut at the top of the UK Albums Chart, where it stayed for two weeks. Music critics noted the group's change in musical style, and their maturing image won them new fans. The record was followed by two further hit singles, "More than Love" and "Lip Service".
Background Wet Wet Wet's second studio album, Holding Back the River (1989), produced a hit single with "Sweet Surrender", but further singles were less successful. Moreover, the album failed to repeat the million-selling success of their debut, Popped In Souled Out (1987), and received poor reviews from music critics. Members of the band, such as singer Marti Pellow and keyboardist Neil Mitchell, regretted the decision to self-produce the album and to portray a more mature image, feeling these moves were premature, and it prompted "a serious rethink for the band", according to Bruce Dessau of Vox, who notes that the band largely disappeared from the public eye after a free show on Glasgow Green prior to the album's 1989 release. Mitchell says the bad sales "definitely gave us a kick in the arse", but that the 'failure' was a learning curve that allowed them to produce High on the Happy Side more satisfactorily.
By the recording of High on the Happy Side, the group had amassed a total of 4,500,000 album sales, and were able to "make the transition from teenybopper idols to well respected major pop stars", according to Music & Medias Robbert Tilli. The record was recorded while Pellow grew his hair, demonstrating the continued maturity of the group and their image.
Recording Wet Wet Wet began work on the album in 1990 and initially planned to hire an outside producer. Dave Stewart was an early consideration, but the band discovered that he needed to be booked several years in advance and were unable to wait that long; however, they did book his recording studio. Another suggestion was Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) founder Jeff Lynne, who lived near Stewart; according to bassist Graeme Clark, Wet Wet Wet "learnt a lot" from the string arrangements from ELO's Greatest Hits (1979). Clark says that, after the band played Lynne demos of High on the Happy Side, Lynne told them they did not need a producer, thus restoring the band's confidence to produce the album themselves.
The self-produced album was recorded at numerous across the world, including two in Lincoln, England (one being The Chapel), one in Los Angeles (also 'The Chapel') and a studio in Switzerland. The recording began in Lincolnshire and ended in Los Angeles for post-production fixes, with the finishing touches of the album added at Dave Stewart's home garden studio in Encino. During production, an image of the Travelling Wilburys hung on the wall with the faces of the group changed to the faces of Wet Wet Wet. Several guest musicians appear on the record, including low whistle player Davy Spillane and bodhrán and bouzouk player Donal Lunny on "Put on the Light".
Pellow said that High on the Happy Side was "about the basics, getting the song right on the guitar", in contrast to Holding Back the River, which Pellow believes was marred by poor songs concealed by overproduction, using samples and technology "to shine a turd". According to drummer Tommy Cunningham, the sessions were more productive than those for Holding Back the River, and the group hired a man dubbed the Drum Doctor to help them achieve superior drum sounds. Cunningham notes that the final production cost was £300,000, lower than the £400,000 for their previous album: "That pleased Phonogram when we told them, though they'll probably be worried now that we've done it on the cheap."
Compostition Marking a departure from Wet Wet Wet's earlier sound, High on the Happy Side sees the band maturing and has a mellower groove, joining their strong soul influences and Hammond organ-based funk elements with guitar-friendly melodies "to draw in the Dire Straits brigade", according to Dessau. The critic Jonathan Lewis theorises that the band realised soul-pop ballads were their speciality, hence the album being less pop-oriented than Holding Back the River, returning the group to their soul roots. The album has been characterised as white soul, and pop, or more specifically "a collection of 'mature' pop songs". The reviewer Nick Duerden characterised the album as another "indulgence in Americana" for Wet Wet Wet, following The Memphis Sessions (1988) and Holding Back the River, adding that it balances bluesy ballads typical of the group, such as "More Than Love", with more upbeat material, including the horn-heavy "Lip Service".
Throughout the album, Wet Wet Wet explore a variety of styles, including, pop, soul, balladry, quasi-dance, rock on "Two Days After Midnight" and restraint on the torch song "Brand New Sunrise". The strings on the latter track were arranged by Paul Buckmaster, famous for arranging Elton John's "Your Song" (1970). Unlike earlier albums, vocal harmonies are brought to the fore – although Pellow's voice remains the focus – and the group largely abandoned the use of synthesisers that had typified their early sound; as a result, there are several acoustic songs on the album. There are ultimately fewer rock songs than on earlier albums, with slower pop songs like "Put the Light on" and "Make It Tonight" typifying the album. According to the critic Jeremy Miles, the band showed a greater desire to experiment than on earlier albums, as is particularly evident with the Stone Roses-inspired drum beat on "Lip Service".
Although critics had often compared Wet Wet Wet to Simply Red and Hue and Cry, Pellow preferred the band to be grouped alongside Squeeze and Elvis Costello, who were both early major influences on them. Clark, who wrote many of the record's melodies, noted that several lines and riffs were derived from those artists, such as a breakdown from Squeeze's 1978 debut album and "bits" of Costello's album Trust (1981). He felt that High on the Happy Side "is more Eagles, more Fleetwood Mac. Then again 'More Than Love' is more epic. The beginning is like the theme to World in Action."
"More Than Love" begins panoramically before settling into a groove, whereas "Lip Service" is a horn-driven gospel song evoking the band's early work. Colin Larkin believes the song "suggested a new interest in more dance-oriented music." "Put the Light On" incorporates a folk jig and was named the highlight by Dessau, who believes it "places Wet Wet Wet alongside The Waterboys as true Scots lads discovering their raggly taggly roots with a bit of jiggery Poguery." In addition to the Pogues, the song has been compared to Del Amitri and Elvis Costello. The title track features a reggae-flavoured lilt, while "Maybe Tomorrow" blends UB40-style reggae with a shuffling soul sound and has been described as a "horizontal mambo", characterised by harmonies, brass instruments and samples of Little Feat's "Dixie Chicken" (1973).
"Goodnight Girl" is a violin-driven love song with striking strings arranged by Fiachra Trench, famous for their work with Van Morrison. The critic David Quantick described it as a "throbbing, swirling, melody-laden ballad of total harmonic bossness and wisely-apportioned vocal delight", while Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger said it married a strong hook to lyrical vagueness. "Celebration" is an "acoustic guitar-strum" with upbeat harmony vocals and is reminiscent of America's "A Horse with No Name" (1971). "Make It Tonight", one of the more dance-oriented songs, has been compared musically to Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" (1982), whereas "How Long" has been compared to the music of Gerry Rafferty.
Release and promotion Early marketing and album shelving Wet Wet Wet's label, Phonogram, utilised a standard marketing campaign for the album, according to their international marketing manager Ian Grenfell, who contended that the band were not one "to experiment on". To this end, in August and October 1991, the band played two acoustic shows in London and Cologne, with members of the press in attendance. These shows, which marked the group's return after almost two years, were described by Grenfell as "very causal showcases" to display their musicality and seriousness, evoking Elvis Presley's 1968 comeback special. Another acoustic set was recorded for Countdown Cafe on Radio Veronica in the Netherlands. Later in 1991, the band travelled around Britain and Europe on a promo tour, appearing on as many TV programmes as possible. Grenfell says that more music-oriented, "quality" TV shows were sought out, such as Germany's Live Aus Dem Schlachtof, for whom Wet Wet Wet performed an electric set in December. On 21 September, three songs from the upcoming album were broadcast on the French radio staiton NRJ to commemorate its 10th anniversary.
Released in late 1991, the first two singles pulled from High on the Happy Side were commercially unsuccessful. "Make It Tonight" reached number 37 on the UK Singles Chart in September, the lowest chart peak for the band to date. The journalist Andrew Collins noted that "the serious press" enjoyed the failure of Wet Wet Wet's comeback single, as the band had become "so established and safe". The record was then broken by the second single, "Put the Light Out", which reached number 56 in October. At this point, according to Cunningham, the band were at high risk of being dropped from their label. As a music reviewer, Quantick bemoaned the band's lack of top-five chart success compared to bands like Deacon Blue, saying Wet Wet Wet "release bizarre and often groovy records that too often drop silently down the chart well to fall unnoticed into the earth's core". Although High on the Happy Side was intended for release prior to Christmas 1991, it was held back for a strategic rethink, and Phonogram ultimately sat on the album for three months.
"Goodnight Girl" and album release