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I jotted down the basic idea for this song in January, 2023, and started (and finished) writing it in July, 2025. The song was recorded using Logic Pro X, and I made the video using Final Cut Pro.
Baby Are You Happy (Basketball and Sex)
Words and music © 2025 Jonathan Ochshorn
1. Life can settle
Into a routine
Things can get a bit stale
If you know what I mean
We go about our daily tasks
We put away the different masks
We used to wear
When we wanted to be seen
A certain way
A certain way
2. For example
We were sitting down to eat
The working day was over
It was just about complete
We cleaned up and went to bed
But then she looked at me and said
Four words
That she often would repeat
At the end of the day
At the end of the day
CHORUS:
(When) She asks me
Baby are you happy?
Tell me if it's so
Well I certainly don't feel crappy
Yes, but that's setting the bar just a bit too low
Are you happy overall?
Well my answer's not complex
I say: Am I playing basketball?
Am I having sex?
3. I know it may seem
Somewhat cavalier
I could come off as cocky
And a little bit insincere
But happiness comes in many forms
And though it might challenge certain norms
That seek to place it
On a higher tier
I'll always say
I'll always say [CHORUS]
BRIDGE:
Yes these are simple pleasures
And I admit
There may be more than two
But by any standard measures
These are the things
I really like to do
4. I've heard that happiness
Really can't be bought
And I've come to believe
That it probably can't be taught
But though I'm not a connoisseur
And the answer that I give to her
Is certainly not
The answer that she sought
I have to say
I have to say [CHORUS]
Production notes:
Music arranged and produced by Jonathan Ochshorn
Recorded with Logic Pro X software
Vocals: Jonathan Ochshorn
Background vocals: Jonathan Ochshorn with additional backup vocals by Jennie Ox
Real instruments: Jonathan Ochshorn (acoustic guitar)
Software instruments played live on midi keyboard: Jonathan Ochshorn (drums, bass, piano, strings)
Recorded at home in Ithaca, NY, July 2025.
I made the video using Final Cut Pro, with my lip-synced vocals and guitar recorded on my tripod-mounted iPhone; the video of me playing the digital piano was recorded live. There are three short basketball clips interwoven into the video: the first shows one of my early flip books from 1966; the second, showing me shooting some hoops, also in 1966, was taken by our friend André Weiser using his new Kodak 8mm Brownie camera; and the third was taken more recently, December 2024, in Cornell's Barton Hall — I placed my iPhone on the gym floor and made a few consecutive baskets.
First posted 21 July 2025. Last updated: 01 August 2025