So it was one day when I was listening to the radio on an old Nokia mobile phone that the station (what it was I can’t recall) was frequently reminding the audience that they could vote to hear the exclusive premieres of two brand new singles to be released from their respective upcoming albums. One was by Calvin Harris (that turned out to be “I’m Not Alone“) and the other being Röyksopp’s new song “Happy Up Here”. Calvin Harris was the popular pick. Not really sure a mainstream audience would have really known who Röyksopp were, and Harris was already known for songs like “The Girls” and “Acceptable in the 80s“. “I’m Not Alone” got played to death and reached number one. Though it “Happy Up Here” that I started to like, maybe a few days/weeks later, when its video started showing in various places.

The track was something of a comeback single by the Norwegian electronic duo, released four years after their then most recent album The Understanding in 2005, and appeared as the first song on its album Junior. Its melody is driven by a sample of a twinkling keyboard riff taken from the song “Do That Stuff” by the 70s soul group Parliament alongside various electronic blips and swooshes, a steady beat, synthesized strings at some points and calming, airy vocals which come together to make a relaxing, uplifting, and comfortable two minutes and fourty-five seconds of your time. Another song about being happy, but in the case of feeling content with where you are at certain moment in time.

After hearing it the first couple of times I was sure that I heard that keyboard part somewhere in the past. It had the same sound, though it wasn’t the same note pattern. Turned out I was thinking of “Eple“, coincidentally another song by the duo. Quite funny.