Happiness Is Easy by Talk Talk—one of my favourite songs, yet one I’d never truly understood until now. Like much of their work, it carries a dark, introspective tone, yet it’s a song about happiness… or is it?
Was Mark Hollis being ironic? Was happiness really that easy? Or was there something far more unsettling beneath the surface?
The Meaning of ‘Happiness is Easy’
At first glance, Happiness Is Easy might sound like an ironic statement—especially given the weight of its lyrics. Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene weave together themes of war, religion, and blind faith, creating a stark contrast between the song’s title and its true meaning. The sparse opening—a minimal drumbeat before the melody unfolds—sets the stage for something almost hymn-like, yet unsettling.
Lines like “It wrecks me how they justify their acts of war, they assemble, they pray” suggest disillusionment with how religion has historically been used to justify violence. The addition of children’s voices in the chorus is particularly striking—does their innocent, almost angelic delivery reinforce the indoctrination of these ideas, or is it a counterpoint to the cynicism of adulthood?
Given that The Colour of Spring was released four years after the Falklands War, it’s easy to read a broader reflection on conflict and the way society frames morality. Mark Hollis was also a father at this point, which may have influenced his perspective—how do we teach children about war and righteousness without corrupting their innocence?
In true Talk Talk fashion, the song leaves room for interpretation. Is Hollis making a straightforward critique, or is there an underlying hope in the refrain “Happiness is easy”? The beauty of Talk Talk’s work is that they rarely spell things out, letting the atmosphere do as much of the storytelling as the words.
Happiness is Easy Lyrics
Makes you feel much older, sublime the blind parade
It wrecks me how they justify their acts
Of war, they assemble, they pray
Take good care of what the priests say
‘After death it’s so much fun’
Little sheep, don’t let your feet stray
Happiness is easy
(Joy be written on the Earth)
(And the sky above)
(Jesus, star that shines so bright)
(Gather us in love)
Guilt upon their shoulders, how well the cause evades
Infecting your religions, claiming pacts
It’s easy to shoulder the blame
Happiness is easy
(Little ships of Galilee)
Happiness is easy
(Standing on the sea)
Happiness is easy
(Jesus tried to love us all)
Happiness is easy
(Be a friend to me)
Try to teach my children
To recognise excuse before it acts
From love and conviction to pray
Take good care of what the priests say:
“After death it’s so much fun”
Little sheep, don’t let your feet stray
Happiness is easy
(Little ships of Galilee)
(Standing on the sea)
(Jesus tried to love us all)
(Be a friend to me)
(Little ships of Galilee)
(Standing on the sea)
(Jesus tried to love us all)
(Be a friend to me)
(Joy be written upon the Earth)
(And the sky above)
(Jesus, star that shines so bright)
(Gather us in love)
(Gather us in love)
Songwriters: Mark David Hollis / Timothy Alan Friese-Greene
My Connection to Talk Talk
Emerging from London’s early ‘80s synth-pop scene, Talk Talk began as a new wave outfit often compared to Duran Duran—but they quickly outgrew the genre. I was hooked from the first time I heard ‘Talk Talk’ on the charts, buying and living the cassette of their debut album The Party’s Over. Fronted by Mark Hollis, with Paul Webb (bass), Lee Harris (drums), and later, producer/keyboardist Tim Friese-Greene, the band evolved into something far more complex. Their early hits, like Today and It’s My Life, hinted at their melodic strengths, but it was 1986’s The Colour of Spring that marked a turning point. A richer, more organic sound emerged, setting the stage for their later, more experimental work.
The release of their greatest hits album, ‘Natural History’ really opened up the band to a wider audience and me to their deeper work. Happiness is Easy was the final track on this album which always felt like it was tagged on the end of some pop hits,
The Colour of Spring
When I finally played the album, I was straight down the rabbit hole—wrapped in melancholy and introspection. The Colour of Spring opens with Happiness Is Easy, a song that could be labelled ‘depressing’, but that doesn’t quite do it justice. It sets the tone for something deeper—an album that unfolds like a comfort blanket of sound, drawing you in and holding you there.
The journey continues with I Don’t Believe in You, keeping you firmly in its grip, before offering brief moments of respite with the poppier Life’s What You Make It and Living in Another World. But even those glimmers of light are underpinned by the album’s signature mood—rich, layered, and quietly brooding. It all comes full circle with Time It’s Time, a closing track that manages to be both upbeat and somber in the same breath.
Writing this made me do something I don’t usually forget—actually read the lyrics. It struck me as strange, because I always devour the words of my favourite tracks. But with The Colour of Spring, maybe it’s not about the lyrics. Maybe it’s the atmosphere, the feeling, that keeps me coming back.
At 45 minutes, the album disappears before you realise you’ve been lost in it. And when it ends, there’s only one thing to do—hit play again. Stay in the warm, immersive comfort of melancholy just a little longer.
You could call it depressing, introspective, or something else entirely. But sometimes, it’s good to switch off, sink in, and let the music take over. And The Colour of Spring? It’s the perfect soundtrack for that.
I’m off down the rabbit hole…
With thanks to the excellent Snow in Berlin to help with some perspective on Hollis and Talk Talk.
