“The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.”
Donna Fargo
Written by Donna Fargo
Billboard
#1 (3 weeks)
June 3 – June 17, 1972
Donna Fargo is one of those singers that you can hear smiling as she sings.
It would be easy to dismiss this record as cotton candy fluff, because it’s easy to miss just how deep a statement of gratitude this is.
That’s a credit to Fargo’s euphoric performance, which soars so high that it’s impossible to think that this woman ever had a moment of sadness or doubt. But she did, and she cops to it, and an allusion to her past provides the necessary contrast with the state of joy she’s currently in:
Skip-a-dee-do-dah, thank you, Lord
For makin’ him for me
And thank you for letting life turn out the way
That I always thought it could be
There once was a time
When I could not imagine
How it would feel to say
I’m the happiest girl in the whole USA
This tale of domestic bliss is a bit ahead of its time too, capturing a scene of gender parity as they fix each other’s lunch for work and both head out the door. Maybe she was looking for love for so long because she wouldn’t settle for less than an equal partner. No wonder she’s so happy. Those are still hard to find a half century later.
I love everything about this record and this artist, and I’m so happy that this is the first of many winning entries that we’ll cover in this series.
“The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the Seventies
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This is one of my favorite songs of the 1970s. It’s such a positive song about a couple so in love.
Fargo was such an incredible writer. This was all over the radio when it was released. Such an amazing and positive song.
Definitely an A for me.
I agree that this is an “A”. Such a great performance and definitely ahead of its time lyrically (at least in country music). People often think of Donna as a “one-hit wonder” but it’s not even close to true. When reviewing her chart run on Wikipedia her run was impressive.
I agree, this is a great song, one that expressed positive sentiments in a new way for country music. If this song had been released in the UK by a British artist, it would have been described as “Sunshine Pop” – there was a lot of very good British Sunshine Pop that never crossed the Atlantic.
Donna Fargo was the first female country artist to have consecutive million selling singles with “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.” and “Funny Face” and she was capable of having hits with covers of older hits. Her version of “Don’t Be Angry” is nearly as good as the Stonewall Jackson original and she had a very interesting take on the old Patti Page/ Les Paul & Mary Ford hit “Mockingbird Hill”. Her LPS were all worthwhile. There will be several more #1 records to follow.
Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with MS in late 1978 which slowed down (but did not completely derail) her career).
…i didn’t have much access to country at that time but britain’s middle of the road with the terrific sounding frontwoman sally carr surely were a major force in british sun shine pop in 71 and 72 and reigned on the continental airwaves too.
And in one of those very frequent things that happened throughout the 70’s, “Happiest Girl” was a big crossover hit on the pop chart as well, peaking at #11 on the Hot 100.
A: Donna Fargo, Lee Greenwood, Bruce Springsteen.
Q: Name three artists to have iconic songs with U.S.A. in the title.
A: Dona Fargo.
Q: Which was the only one that went to #1?
Bonus Beats:
An up and coming singer-songwriter named Lizzy Grant, later known as Lana Del Rey, covered “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA” at a 2009 gig. This was before she adopted the name we know her by. Here’s that performance:
https://youtu.be/OWFnB1Ch05U
And here’s the scene from the TV show Big Love where Daveigh Chase (best known as Lilo and the girl from The Ring) sings “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA”:
https://youtu.be/dSITsIkgq94
Daveigh Chase has one of the best two-year career runs of any performer: Lilo from Lilo & Stitch, Chihiro / Sen in the English dub of Spirited Away, Samara from The Ring, and Samantha Darko from Donnie Darko. And she was aces in all four roles, which couldn’t have been more different from one another. Had never seen this clip!
I used to think this song was overly chipper garbage. It just sounded like a kids’ song from a fourth-rate knockoff of “Sesame Street” to me. When I did a run through the 70s, I actually picked this as my least-favorite single of the year. (That dishonor now goes to “Chantilly Lace”, of course.)
But after that passage I wrote on “I Miss My Friend”, I can’t do that. After seeing how ahead of the times this song is by showing an equal partnership, I can’t do that. I actually feel bad for raining on her parade.
Maybe being more active around these parts has chipped away some of my cynicism?
…i wouldn’t go beyond hearing a young woman being exceedingly in love, but it’s awfully well and enthusiastically sung/presented. jolly enjoyable.
It is dangerously sweet in its sincerity. Its enthusiasm and gratitude could be interpreted as examples of an epic self-con or toxic positivity.
Yet, this is the sound of being confident in your contentment, of neither needing nor wanting more from life regardless of the options and possibilities.
Love is radiating from deep happiness in the sing-song melody with lyrics that celebrate the simple stuff of life.
This is the good stuff.
I love this song.