Songfacts®:

• This was the Peanut Butter Conspiracy's biggest hit. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, where the Conspiracy was based.
  
  Like many songs from the '60s psychedelic scene, "It's a Happening Thing" strongly reflects the idiosyncrasies of its era. The opening line, "Love is the grooviest thing up 'til now in the world," sounds almost satirical to modern ears. In 1967, however, it was simply reflecting the age's lingo.
• In his interview with Songfacts, Peanut Butter Conspiracy leader Alan Lee Brackett, who wrote the song, explained that it was inspired by the legendary music personality Rodney Bingenheimer. "He was a DJ," Brackett said, "this little guy that always had a couple girls on every arm. He was always at every possible venue, he'd pop in for a while. Instead of 'hi,' he'd say 'what's happening?' So, I immediately wrote 'It's a Happening Thing,' because I'd go to him and say, 'Well, I'm happening, and you're happening.'"