THROWBACK THURSDAY Sheryl Crow -If It Makes You Happy

Sheryl Crow was the undoubted rock queen of the 90's. A throne she shared perhaps with the  more angrier and introspective Canadian Alanis Morrisette.
Crow however , seemed more authentic and her rich blend of bluesy , folky rock saw her win 9 Grammy's and shift millions of albums that decade.

It was the classic All I Wanna Do that catapulted Crow to stardom in 1994 , launching her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club.
The album went 7 times platinum in the US and at the 1995 Grammy's Crow scooped the prestigious Best New Artist and record Of The Year gongs , as well as Best Female Pop Vocal.


Fast forward to the autumn of 1996 , and Alanis Morissette and Jagged Little Pill were a worldwide phenomenon. Girl Power was in its first flush and Britpop was reaching its zenith.
Crow felt that she was under pressure to repeat the success of her huge debut album. Cue the defiant and rousing rock of If It Makes You Happy from her eponymous sophomore album.

Crow performs the song with a gritty , snarling swagger, and the song remains a high point in her long career.
The track is anthemic and life affirming , not least on the massive chorus


If it makes you happy
it cant be that bad
If it makes you happy
Then why the hell are you so sad

Its a vintage 90s rock anthem that earned Crow another Grammy in 1997 for Best  Female Rock Vocal and Best Rock Album. So much for a sophomore slump. Twenty years , eight albums later and Crow remains one of music's ultimate female rock icons.
She has been through the wars in the intervening years and her commercial success hasn't quite matched her 90s peak.
Crow has battled breast cancer , depression and a tumour , yet remains an enduring figure in music. Her last album , 2013's Feels Like Home , saw Crow release her first full country album.


For now though , take a trip back to 1996 and one of the decades greatest rock anthems.

Revisit Sheryl Crow's If It Makes You Happy below