Originally released in conjunction with the film Cocktail, the song peaked at number-one on September 24, 1988,[4] displacing "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses.

In 2024, the single was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

In 1988, McFerrin noticed a similar poster in the apartment of jazz duo Tuck & Patti in San Francisco,[citation needed] and he was inspired by the expression's charm and simplicity.

[13] He wrote and recorded the song for his album Simple Pleasures[14] and it was included in the soundtrack of the movie Cocktail, which subsequently led to it becoming a hit single the next year.

[14] Kieran McCarthy of AllMusic expected that the song would "probably remain prevalent in pop culture as long as humans speak English and play music.

"[18] Pan-European magazine Music & Media picked it as Single of the Week, writing "Cool a capella by this unusual artist.

With the reggae-style vocals and a snappy rhythm, this Linda Goldstein produced US top 10 single is a novelty record of considerable substance.

[23] However, in 2011, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" was named as the worst song of all time by Village Voice critic Michael Musto,[24] and it topped Q100 DJ Bert Weiss's list of tracks he would forever ban from radio.