"Be Happy" contains an instrumental sample of the song "You're So Good to Me" (1979) by musician Curtis Mayfield and a re-sung vocal portion of the record "I Want You" (1976) by Marvin Gaye.

Upon its release, Blige performed the song on Friday Night Videos, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Soul Train, Teen Summit, and Showtime at the Apollo among others.

The official remix features Def Squad rapper Keith Murray, which samples 1980s hip hop artist Jimmy Spicer's "Money (Dollar Bill Ya'll)".

"[1] Steve Baltin from Cash Box felt that "Be Happy" "is a little more R&B-oriented that her previous hits, making it a work that needs to grow on listeners rather than exploding with them.

"[4] Ralph Tee from Music Week's RM Dance Update gave it four out of five, writing that here, "the queen of hip hop soul returns, this time utilising a massive great chunk of Curtis Mayfield's 1979 gem "You're So Good to Me" as her accompaniment.