In less than four years since its 2018 release, Bastille and Marshmello’s collaboration “Happier” has hit one billion views on YouTube.
The highest-charting single for both acts, the track marks the British band’s first video to hit one billion views, surpassing the success of their “Pompeii” video. American DJ Marshmello, meanwhile, is celebrating his third visual to hit the YouTube milestone, following the accomplishments of 2016’s “Alone” and his 2018 collaboration with Anne-Marie, “FRIENDS.”
Upon its release in August 2018, “Happier” landed at number two on the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100. Over the following weeks, the track spent 27 weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100 and peaked at No.1 on the US Dance/Electronic Songs chart, where it remained for a record-breaking 69 weeks.
Bastille frontman Dan Smith revealed that the song was initially written for Justin Bieber, but the band decided to keep it for themselves. “We wrote a song called ‘Happier’ and everyone got really excited about it so we thought it would be good as a collaboration,” Smith expressed to the NME in 2018. “We had a really interesting time getting to work on it with Marshmello who managed to find some euphoria in a pretty melancholy, direct song. It’s always good to step into somebody else’s world for a minute and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
The music video follows the story of a young girl and her birthday present, a golden retriever named Mello. As the girl becomes a teenager (played by Miranda Cosgrove) and begins struggling with adversity, Mello never leaves her side, comforting her after the most challenging days. As the years pass, Mello grows sick, leading to the duo’s final goodbye. The video’s final scenes capture the main character twenty years later, now a mother to a young girl. She gifts a very special birthday present to her daughter: a puppy, just like Mello.
The video’s caption includes a statement from Marshmello: “When Bastille sent me ‘Happier’ for the first time, I was taken back. The amount of emotion that you could feel in the lyrics was crazy. As I listened to the song more and more, it reminded me of so many things I’ve been through in my life. Toxic relationships, letting go of things I didn’t want to, and just situations where happiness came with a sacrifice. Recently I lost my best friend, my companion, and my lifelong friend. I wanted this video to embrace the pain that we feel losing or sacrificing something and the cycle of life that comes with it. I hope this song and video can bring closure in any situation you may be and make us all happier.”
The single from the unlikely collaborators took the world by storm – eventually being certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA in 2020 and placing 33rd on Billboard’s Hot 100 Songs of the decade. Additionally, the song earned three awards at the 2020 ASCAP London Music Awards, as the track was recognized as Song of the Year, Top EDM Song, and Top Streaming Song.
Following the success of “Happier,” Bastille released two new albums (2019’s Doom Days and 2022’s Give Me The Future) and a mixtape, while Marshmello released two albums of his own (2019’s Joytime III and 2021’s Shockwave).