Pharrell Says Cee Lo Green Originally Recorded “Happy”

During a recent radio interview with Howard Stern, Pharrell Williams’ revealed that his hit single “Happy” was originally recorded by Cee Lo Green.

“[Cee Lo Green] wanted to do it…and he did do it,” said Williams. “He sounded amazing on it. I mean he burns my version! But how do I say this diplomatically? The powers that be, at the time, did not see it fit for him. Some folks on the team just felt that the priority should be on [Cee Lo’s] album at the time, so they elected not to do the song.”

The hit song first appeared on the soundtrack for Despicable Me 2. Williams co-wrote the score with Heitor Pereira, and in the end, he stated, “The movie company insisted [I sing the song].”

Williams’ claimed that Cee Lo is not harboring any bitterness over the matter. “There was a much bigger agenda for CeeLo,” stated Williams. “It’s not his fault- he was totally down with it…. He was one of the most gracious people about it when Happy came out.”

Since the release in November, “Happy” has peaked at number one in 25 countries. Meanwhile, Cee Lo Green is currently preparing for the release of his fifth studio album.