Happy People/U Saved Me

Happy People/U Saved Me is the sixth studio album and the second double album by R&B singer R. Kelly, where he mixed feel-good danceable soul records (Happy People) with gospel anthems (U Saved Me). Released in 2004, it peaked at No. 2 on the pop albums chart and went on to be certified three times Platinum. The album contained the hit single "Happy People" (US No. 19, UK No. 6), and the minor hit "U Saved Me" (US No. 52, UK No. 6). On "Red Carpet (Pause, Flash)," Kelly sampled the song "Step in the Name of Love" on his previous album, which was released a year earlier.[1]

Happy People/U Saved Me
Studio album by
R. Kelly
ReleasedAugust 24, 2004
StudioThe Chocolate Factory, Chicago, Illinois
Genre
Length100:12
LabelJive
ProducerR. Kelly
R. Kelly chronology
Chocolate Factory
(2003)		 Happy People/U Saved Me
(2004)		 TP.3 Reloaded
(2005)
Singles from Happy People/U Saved Me
  1. "Happy People"
    Released: September 14, 2004
  2. "U Saved Me"
    Released: October 19, 2004

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+/B-[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
Stylus MagazineB−[7]
Uncut[8]
The Village VoiceD+[9]

Happy People/U Saved Me received mostly positive reviews. The Los Angeles Times said, "Charming, unpretentious and effortless, the singer presides over a party whose pace never flags and whose soul is fun-loving and wholesome."[5] Uncut said, "Happy People is a cunning, crackling, can't-keep-still classic."[8] However many found his gospel/Christian based songs to be at stark contrast to his legal history.

Commercial performance

In his home country of the United States, Happy People/U Saved Me debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 264,000 copies in its first week, behind Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying.[10] The album was the sixth consecutive Kelly solo album (seventh overall) to debut at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. In its second week, the album remained in the top ten at Billboard 200, falling to number six, selling 127,000 copies.[11] On September 24, 2004, the double album has been certified 3x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipping more than 3 million units (in this case, 1.5 million double album sets, which are double-counted by the RIAA).[12] As of December 6, 2011, Happy People/U Saved Me has sold 5.2 million copies worldwide.[13]

Track listing
  • All songs written, produced and arranged by R. Kelly.
Happy People — Disc one[14]
No.TitleLength
1."Weatherman"2:41
2."Red Carpet (Pause, Flash)"3:37
3."Love Signals"5:28
4."Love Street"4:37
5."Ladies' Night (Treat Her Like Heaven)"3:45
6."If"4:49
7."The Greatest Show On Earth"4:48
8."It's Your Birthday"2:44
9."Steppin' Into Heaven"3:54
10."If I Could Make the World Dance"5:28
11."Happy People"7:49
U Saved Me — Disc two[14]
No.TitleLength
1."3-Way Phone Call" (featuring Kelly Price, Kim Burrell & Maurice Mahon)7:03
2."U Saved Me"6:13
3."Prayer Changes"6:24
4."How Did You Manage"3:45
5."I Surrender"4:45
6."When I Think About You"4:06
7."Diary of Me"4:19
8."Spirit"3:57
9."Leap of Faith"4:51
10."Peace"5:09

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[15]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] 3× Platinum 1,500,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 5,200,000[13]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

References
  1. Danton, Eric R. (August 26, 2004). "Half sweet but half sickening". Hartford Courant. p. 91. Retrieved September 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Happy People / U Saved Me - R. Kelly > Critic Reviews". metacritic.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  3. "R. Kelly: Happy People/U Saved Me" at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  4. Browne, David (August 16, 2004). "Happy People: R. Kelly". Entertainment Weekly (779–780).
  5. Cromelin, Richard (August 22, 2004). "R. Kelly puts his legal strife aside in a fine new set". Los Angeles Times. p. 66. Retrieved September 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Pareles, Jon (September 2, 2004). "R. Kelly: Happy People/U Saved Me". Rolling Stone.
  7. Burns, Todd (August 25, 2004). "R. Kelly: Happy People / U Saved Me". Stylus.
  8. "R Kelly - Happy People". Uncut. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  9. Christgau, Robert (November 30, 2004). "Consumer Guide: Mine Enemy the Turkey". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  10. Whitmire, Margo (September 1, 2004). "McGraw's 'Live' Powers To No. 1". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  11. Whitmire, Margo (September 8, 2004). "McGraw Lives Large At No. 1". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  12. "American album certifications – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  13. "R. Kelly: Worldwide Album Sales". Rkellynews.blogspot.com. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  14. R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me (CD, Album) at Discogs
  15. Happy People/U Saved Me - R. Kelly | Credits at AllMusic
  16. "Austriancharts.at – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  17. "Ultratop.be – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  18. "Ultratop.be – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  19. "R. Kelly Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  20. "Dutchcharts.nl – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  21. "Lescharts.com – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  22. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  23. "Italiancharts.com – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  25. 4, 2004/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  27. "Swedishcharts.com – R. Kelly – Happy People / U Saved Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  28. "R. Kelly | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  29. 4, 2004/115/ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  30. "R. Kelly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  31. "R. Kelly Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  32. "Best of 2004 – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  33. "Best of 2004 – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  34. "British album certifications – R Kelly – Happy People/U Saved Me". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Happy People/U Saved Me in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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