The term “happy trails” may evoke images of a cheery cartoon with singing woodland creatures and rivers made of chocolate. But the phrase is more commonly used to wish someone well upon their departure, much like “have a safe journey” or “all the best.” It was coined in a 1950s song, but it became popular in the wonderful world of television, and the phrase is used in many other contexts today.
The term “happy trails” originated in a 1951 song called “Happy Trails in Sunshine Valley,” written by Foy Willing of Riders of the Purple Sage, a band that often backed Roy Rogers in his Western movies and that audiences knew from his 1940s radio program. Rogers and his wife Dale Evans took that as inspiration and wrote a shorter tune, “Happy Trails,” as the closing theme for their new TV show, The Roy Rogers Show, buthere was reportedly some bad blood between the two parties about Rogers borrowing the phrasing, and they said “happy trails” to each other.
The image of a cowboy and his wife waving to the audience while singing, “Happy trails to you, until we meet again,” was a shot of optimism that made The Roy Rogers Show and the song “Happy Trails” a cultural phenomenon. Country superstar Randy Travis later recorded the song as a duet with Rogers on an album in the 1990s, and Janis Joplin notoriously recorded the song as a birthday gift for her friend John Lennon in 1970 in her last recording session.
The wistful sentimentality of the lyrics has inspired usage of “happy trails” in other contexts. Theatrical actors use the song and the phrase to say goodbye to other performers at the end of a run or when someone is moving on to another production. And just as “bon voyage” is used to say “goodbye” outside of sending someone off on a seafaring journey, “happy trails” has made the leap from the song into common usage. Even if you aren’t a singing cowboy or theatrical actor, you can use it as a way to wish someone well upon their departure, especially if you want to convey some fond emotion about the history of your relationship.
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