Role Model gives another preview of 'Chuck Timely & The Hourglass' with 'Joy'•
Erin LeCount is hosting a free songwriting and production masterclass at Abbey Road•
Nia Archives has recruited Jorja Smith for her new single 'Get Me Down'•
The Linda Lindas' next album is called 'GOTTA GET OUT', and Hayley Williams is on the new single
•
Nell Mescal has released new single 'Settles' ahead of an intimate London pop-up show•
Jacob Alon has announced 'Live From The Roundhouse' and shared a cover of Nirvana's 'All Apologies'•
Frost Children have released their new EP 'Tweaker Poem' and shared a video for 'Creep'•
The Last Dinner Party have shared 'Knocking At The Sky' and its Hollywood-inspired video•
Lucy Dacus celebrates Richmond in her self-directed ‘Planting Tomatoes’ video•
Alessi Rose has shared vulnerable new single 'Dependent' ahead of her summer festival run•
KATSEYE are bringing new film 'WILD HEARTS' to cinemas worldwide•
Little Grandad have shared new 1940s-inspired single ‘Babe, We’ve Run Out Of Time’ and announced their biggest London headline show yet•
Gilla Band have announced their new album ‘Pugnello’ and two intimate UK shows•
Violet Grohl has upgraded her Manchester show and added a new Brighton date•
Beyoncé is celebrating 'B'Day' with her first new song in two years, ‘Morning Dew (Donk)’•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Role Model gives another preview of 'Chuck Timely & The Hourglass' with 'Joy'•
Erin LeCount is hosting a free songwriting and production masterclass at Abbey Road•
Nia Archives has recruited Jorja Smith for her new single 'Get Me Down'•
The Linda Lindas' next album is called 'GOTTA GET OUT', and Hayley Williams is on the new single•
Nell Mescal has released new single 'Settles' ahead of an intimate London pop-up show•
Jacob Alon has announced 'Live From The Roundhouse' and shared a cover of Nirvana's 'All Apologies'•
Frost Children have released their new EP 'Tweaker Poem' and shared a video for 'Creep'•
The Last Dinner Party have shared 'Knocking At The Sky' and its Hollywood-inspired video•
Lucy Dacus celebrates Richmond in her self-directed ‘Planting Tomatoes’ video•
Alessi Rose has shared vulnerable new single 'Dependent' ahead of her summer festival run•
KATSEYE are bringing new film 'WILD HEARTS' to cinemas worldwide•
Little Grandad have shared new 1940s-inspired single ‘Babe, We’ve Run Out Of Time’ and announced their biggest London headline show yet•
Gilla Band have announced their new album ‘Pugnello’ and two intimate UK shows•
Violet Grohl has upgraded her Manchester show and added a new Brighton date•
Beyoncé is celebrating 'B'Day' with her first new song in two years, ‘Morning Dew (Donk)’•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Dork
News
Features
Reviews
Magazine
Shop
Listings
Directory
Festivals
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Festival Guides-YOUR ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL COMPANION
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Mixtape-DORK'S BEST NEW TRACKS
Play-DORK'S NEW MUSIC FRIDAY EDIT
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Playlist Covers
Playlist Directory
Recommender
Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS
Music Video Directory
Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST
Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED
Dork Live
Dork Radio
Live
Live 24/7
Dork Radio
Dork
Down With Boring

Join thousands of music lovers getting the best new tracks, exclusive interviews, and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

In print now

August 2026

Latest issue variants

View archive
Dork, August 2026 (Fat Dog cover)

Fat Dog

Dork, August 2026 (Ravyn Lenae cover)

Ravyn Lenae

Dork, August 2026 (Yard Act cover)

Yard Act

Advertise
|
Support|
About Dork|
Privacy Policy|
Genres|
Years|
Sitemap|
RSS|
Cookie settings
© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Powered by PlaywireAdvertise on this site.
  1. Tracks
  2. Paramore
  3. After Laughter
  4. Fake Happy
Fake Happy by Paramore

SINGLE

Paramore

Fake Happy

Release date: 11th May 2017

From After Laughter
Track 5
3:56
AlternativeMusicRock
Spotify Apple Music More on Paramore

About This Track

Released on 29th August 2017 through Fueled by Ramen as the third single from 'After Laughter', 'Fake Happy' finds Paramore confronting the performance of wellness head-on. Hayley Williams adopts the voice of someone maintaining a facade, the title self-explanatory in its directness. The track sits at the heart of an album comfortable with not being comfortable, where tropical brightness in the music masks lyrics trapped under the weight of the real world. Williams draws the lipstick wider than her mouth, mascara tears visible if the lights come up. The chorus hinges on a bitter wager: 'I bet everybody here is fake happy too'. A Dork five-star record, 'After Laughter' finds power in vulnerable honesty rather than brave faces, the song's confession universal in its reach. The production keeps things bright whilst the sentiment crawls back underneath. There's no closure offered, just the immediate truth of still standing when the world expects you to have it figured out by now.

"Fake Happy" is a single by Paramore, from the album After Laughter, released 11th May 2017. The track is 3:56 long. It's filed under Alternative. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 20 articles about Paramore.

About the Artist

Paramore

Paramore

Lyrics

Fake Happy

I love making you believe
What you get is what you see
But I'm so fake happy
I feel so fake happy
And I bet everybody here
Is just as insincere
We're all so fake happy
And I know fake happy

So I been doin' a good job
Of makin' 'em think
I'm quite alright
Better hope I don't blink
You see, it's easy when I'm stompin' on a beat
But no one sees me when I crawl back underneath

Hey, if I smile with my teeth
Bet you believe me
If I smile with my teeth
I think I believe me

Oh, please, don't ask me how I've been
Don't make me play pretend
Oh, no, oh, what's the use?
Oh, please, I bet everybody here is fake happy too

And if I go out tonight
And dress up my fears
You think I look alright with these mascara tears?
See, I'm gonna draw up my lipstick wider than my mouth
And if the lights are low, they'll never see me frown

Hey, if I smile with my teeth
Bet you believe me
If I smile with my teeth
I think I believe me

Oh, please, don't ask me how I've been
Don't make me play pretend
Oh, no, oh, oh, what's the use?
Oh, please, I bet everybody here is fake happy too

I know I said that I was doing good, and that I'm happy now
Ooh-ooh
I shoulda known when things were going good
That's when I'd get knocked down

Oh, please, just don't ask me how I've been
Don't make me play pretend
Oh, no (oh, no)
Oh, what's the use?
Oh, please, I bet everybody here is fake happy too

Oh, please
Oh, please

Oh, please, I bet everybody here is fake happy too

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From After Laughter

3:562017Single
Listen
Album
After Laughter
After Laughter
Paramore
12th May 2017
Track number
5
Release year
2017
  1. 1Hard Times
    3:03
  2. 2Rose-Colored Boy
    3:33
  3. 3Told You So
    3:09
  4. 4Forgiveness
    3:40

More from Paramore

Albums & EPs

Re: This Is Why
Re: This Is Why
2023
This Is Why
This Is Why
2023
Paramore (Deluxe Edition)
Paramore (Deluxe Edition)
2013
Paramore
Paramore
2013
Brand New Eyes (Deluxe)
Brand New Eyes (Deluxe)
2009
Brand New Eyes
Brand New Eyes
2009

Explore

More tracks by Paramore

  1. 26After Laughter
    3:42
  2. 7 Years In The Making
  3. Barely Legal
  4. Big Man, Little DignityThis Is Why
    4:20
  5. Big Man, Little Dignity (Re: DOMi & JD BECK)Re: This Is Why
    3:00
  6. Burning Down the House
    3:38
  7. C'est Comme ÇaThis Is Why
  8. C’est Comme ÇaThis Is Why
    2:29
  9. C'est Comme Ça (Re: Wet Leg)Re: This Is Why
  10. C’est Comme Ça (Re: Wet Leg)Re: This Is Why
    2:25

Showing 10 of 50

If you like Paramore

Hayley Williams

Hayley Williams

Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy

My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance

Panic! at the Disco

Panic! at the Disco

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive

  • 5Fake Happy
    3:56
  • 626
    3:42
  • 7Pool
    3:53
  • 8Grudges
    3:07
  • 9Caught In the Middle
    3:34
  • 10Idle Worship
    3:18
  • 11No Friend
    3:24
  • 12Tell Me How
    4:20
  • —Idle Worship
    3:18
  • —Grudges
    3:07
  • —No Friend
    3:24
  • —Rose-Colored Boy
    3:33
  • —Hard Times
    3:03
  • —Fake Happy
    3:56
  • —Pool
    3:53
  • —Told You So
    3:09
  • —Tell Me How
    4:20
  • —26
    3:42
  • —Caught in the Middle
    3:34
  • —Forgiveness
    3:40

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Hayley Williams, Taylor York
    Producer
    Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Taylor York
    Engineer
    Carlos de la Garza, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Mike Schuppan, Taylor York
    Drums
    Zac Farro
    Guitar
    Taylor York
    Keyboards
    Hayley Williams, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Taylor York, Zac Farro
    Vocals
    Hayley Williams
    Additional Mixing
    Mike Schuppan, Taylor York
    Assistant Engineer
    Kevin Boettger
    Background Vocals
    Hayley Williams, Taylor York, Zac Farro
    Bass Guitar
    Justin Meldal-Johnsen
    Mastering Engineer
    Dave Cooley
    Mixing Engineer
    Carlos de la Garza
    Percussion
    Hayley Williams, Taylor York, Zac Farro
    Programmer
    Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Taylor York
    READ MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMORE
    READ MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMOREREAD MORE ABOUT PARAMORE
    Zac Farro is taking 'Operator' back into the studio with a new live album
    News

    Zac Farro is taking 'Operator' back into the studio with a new live album

    The Paramore drummer revisits his solo debut through in-studio performance films.

    30 Jun 2026 • 2:32 pm
    The Eras tour feels like the start of something new for Paramore
    Live

    The Eras tour feels like the start of something new for Paramore

    "Who ever thought that we'd be playing shows with our friend Taylor Swift," grins Hayley Williams onstage at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. Paramore on the biggest pop tour in the world? It's a perfect fit. As she tells the massive crowd, Paramore came up at…

    20 Jun 2024 • 1:32 pm
    Paramore bring catharsis, collective mourning and giddy joy to London's O2
    Live

    Paramore bring catharsis, collective mourning and giddy joy to London's O2

    “This is the year of reclaiming shit that should be yours,” declares Hayley Williams onstage at London’s O2 Arena.

    21 Apr 2023 • 2:34 pm
    Paramore - This Is Why
    Reviews

    Paramore - This Is Why

    Both an evolution and a revolution true to who they are, that constant motion never fails to hit the spot.

    10 Feb 2023 • 8:44 pm
    Paramore unite the O2 with raw emotion and excitement on Tour Three
    Live

    Paramore unite the O2 with raw emotion and excitement on Tour Three

    Tour One was a hard reset for Paramore. Carried with a sense of learning to walk again and asking questions about where, and if, they still fit into peoples lives against a backdrop of venues normally off-limits to rock bands, it took the discovery and doubt…

    17 Jan 2018 • 10:21 am
    Paramore belong at a technicolour Royal Albert Hall
    Live

    Paramore belong at a technicolour Royal Albert Hall

    The last time Paramore were in the UK, they were headlining Reading & Leeds Festival. At Reading, the power went out halfway through their set. For most bands it would have killed the atmosphere stone dead. For Paramore, they simply sat down together at the…

    20 Jun 2017 • 2:33 pm