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Video: Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe – Bette Midler – Tribute To Joe Layton
By The Divine Miss M Fansite
Jan. 10, 2026
A Tribute to Joe Layton by Bette Midler: “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe”
In April 1995, Bette Midler delivered a deeply moving and heartfelt tribute to the late director and choreographer Joe Layton during a special benefit concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, organized by L.A. Shanti. Joe Layton, a Tony and Emmy Award winner known for his groundbreaking work in Broadway, television, and concert staging, had passed away on May 5, 1994, at the age of 64 due to complications from AIDS. He had collaborated closely with Bette Midler, notably conceiving and directing her acclaimed 1975 Broadway revue Clams on the Half Shell and later choreographing her 1991 film For the Boys.
The event featured an impressive lineup of performers honoring Layton’s legacy, but Midler closed the show with a tender and emotional performance. She sang “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” — the classic Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg standard from the 1943 film Cabin in the Sky — as a poignant nod to Layton, playfully adapting the “Joe” in the title to honor her friend and collaborator. She followed it with “Wind Beneath My Wings,” creating a fitting, heartfelt conclusion to the evening that was described by critics as both tender and deeply moving.
Here are the lyrics to “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” (as performed by Bette Midler on her 2005 album Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook, though her 1995 live tribute rendition carried special emotional weight):It seems like happiness is just a thing called Joe
He’s got a smile that makes the lilacs want to grow
He’s got a way that makes the angels heave a sigh
When they know little Joe’s passing by
Sometimes the cabin’s gloomy and the table’s bare
But then he’ll kiss me and it’s Christmas everywhere
Troubles fly away and life is easy go
Does he love me good? That’s all I need to know
Seems like happiness is just a thing called Joe
Little Joe, my little Joe, little Joe
This performance stands as one of the most touching tributes in Midler’s career, blending her signature warmth, humor, and vocal power to celebrate a creative partnership that helped shape her early success on Broadway.
For a sense of the song’s timeless, joyful vibe (as interpreted by Midler in her studio recording), imagine her rich, emotive delivery turning the standard into a loving homage. It’s a beautiful reminder of how music can honor those we’ve lost.
