“Oh Happy Day” is a gospel song arranged by Edwin Hawkins and performed in 1967 by his Edwin Hawkins Singers. The song is based on a Christian hymn (O happy day, that fixed my choice), composed in the middle of the 18th century by the English priest Philip Dodridge. The song was recorded at the Church of God in Christ in Berkeley. Lead vocals by Dorothy Combs Morrison. Edwin Hawkins acted as arranger, choir director and piano player. The song was released as a single with another gospel Jesus, Lover of My Soul (1968, in the US in April 1969) and was also included on the album Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord (1968), then to the album It’s a Happy Day (1969).

In 1969, the song became a hit, reaching number one on the weekly charts in France, Germany, and Switzerland, and number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 (at the end of the year, the song was number 93 on the list of the best singles of the year). In 1970, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance. Later, as part of the American project “Songs of the Century”, the song took 63rd place. The song has been covered by many singers, including Joan Baez, Quincy Jones, Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, Nana Mouskouri and others. George Harrison cited Oh Happy Day as a major inspiration for his famous 1970 hit My Sweet Lord.