It was released on February 8, 2000 by record label DreamWorks as the first single from his fifth studio album, Figure 8.

[citation needed] "Happiness" was released on February 8, 2000[1] by record label DreamWorks as the first single from his fifth studio album, Figure 8.

On Figure 8, the track is labeled as "Happiness/The Gondola Man" due to the short instrumental that plays after "Happiness" ends.

The instrumental that follows on the single is a reversed clip of "Take a Fall", a song recorded in Smith's early duo called A Murder of Crows.

CMJ New Music Report wrote, "While the tune's production recalls the shimmer of XO, it possesses curiously upbeat energy atypical for Smith".