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Happiness Begins

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Release Date

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Reviewer

Kristin Smith

Album Review

We’ve been covering a lot of Jonas Brothers music lately. That’s because these three siblings have been dominating the music scene in 2019. And that’s not just my opinion. In March and April, this reuninted trio released singles “Sucker” and “Cool,” with the former reaching No. 1. In May, Amazon Prime debuted its documentary of the band, Chasing Happiness, which focused on the group’s rise to fame, its breakup and, of course, its brotherly reunification.

And now, the moment all fans have been waiting for: the first Jonas Brothers album in six years: Happiness Begins.

A sonically diverse project, Happiness Begins largely focuses on the power of love and commitment (I mean, all three brothers are happilly married), as well as what happens behind closed doors and the connection found in brotherhood.

Pro-Social Content

Love in marriage is a big theme here as the brothers reflect on their own marriages and dole out some advice. On “Love Her,” they agree it’s better to work through issues than to let them fester (“I put my selfish ways in boxes/And shipped ’em back to where they came/Will never let it get close to bein’ toxic/And I promise I’ll never walk away”). Similar themes are heard on “Hesitate” as a husband encourages his wife to be vulnerable (“I’ll be there time and place/Lay it on me, all you’re hold, hold, holding”). And “Don’t Throw It Away” focus on a couple fighting for their relationship.

“I Believe” finds a man confessing his love to the woman he’s needed all along: “Baby, I didn’t know, but I’m glad that you found me/’Cause I’m seeing the most in your eyes.” And in “Sucker,” a man says he’d go anywhere and do anything for the one he loves.

While it faintly sounds like a song to a woman, “Comeback” is actually a song about continually supporting those you love: “Wherever you are right now/Know somehow/I’ll be on the way like a bat out of hell.” Similarly, “Rollercoaster” finds the brothers reminiscing about hard times, realizing that even though there were ups and downs, they’d do it all again: “We were up and down and barely made it over/but I’d go back and ride that roller coaster.”

“Happy When I’m Sad” is about people who assume they know exactly how the brothers feel based on what they see in the media, when they have no idea what the truth is. The Jonas Brothers love their lives on “Cool.” Two people have an instant connection on “Strangers.”

Objectionable Content

Lightly sensual notes, as well as some details about what goes on in between the sheets, finds their way to songs such as “Trust,” “Every Single Time,” “I Believe,” “Sucker,” “Strangers” and “Only Human.” The first of those tracks is all about a man who can’t trust his impulses around a certain woman (“Thinkin’ ‘bout my lips upon your mouth, yeah/Got me weak in the knees, my God, can’t breathe”). The last song in that list focuses on dancing and sex (“Oh, babe, you can’t fool me, you body’s got other plans … /‘Cause leaving now just don’t feel right/Let’s do it one more time, oh babe”).

A man wants to help his ex-girlfriend, recalling their lost love, but she constantly falls back on poor choices: “I’m the only one you know that’ll listen/… Lately I don’t even know ya’/Too many devils on your shoulder.”

In “Hesitate,” we hear this brief, pseudo-spiritual line: “I thank the oceans for giving me you.”

God’s name is misused a few times in two songs. Mild profanities “d–n” and “d–mit,” are heard on “Cool” and “Trust.” “Only Human” includes a reference to intoxication (“Drunk to an ’80s groove”), and on “Sucker” we hear something similar (“And stumbling out of bars”).

Summary Advisory

You’d think it would be hard to come back after so many years and give people what they want. But it’s not for Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas.

In an interview on the Today Show, Nick Jonas said of album: “We wanted to write songs and embody the way we all feel. The happiness we feel when we’re all together again but also, you know, our lives have changed so much in so many good ways, [such as] finding love [and] having children.”

And apparently, those changes—and the new perspectives that came along with them—were exactly what was needed to revive this boy (ahem, man) band sensation.

Happiness Begins, which debuted at No. 1, dives into marital advice, the power of human connection and just plain having fun with the people we love. That’s good stuff. But unlike the band’s first go ’round, we also find some more mature content here, stuff that’s not geared toward younger fans’ ears. The guys openly sing about sex and drinking, while throwing in some profanity—content that might surprise (or disappoint) some folks who are just returning to the JoeBros’ fold.

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Kristin Smith

Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).