The ‘Happy Birthday’ song, named the most well known song in the English language by the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, is perhaps also one of the most under-rated. The two American siblings behind such a hit were Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill. ‘Happy Birthday’ was actually derived from a song they wrote in 1893, entitled “Good Morning to All”. You can see the similarity below:
“Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
Good morning, dear children,
Good morning to all.”
Patty, the main songwriter listed, was in fact a kindergarten teacher, and created the song with such simple lyrics and melody solely for the children’s benefit. Many believe that similar songs released in the nineteenth century inspired her, including: “Happy Greetings to All” by Horace Walters, and “A Happy New Year to All” dating back to 1885. Never the less, her school children so enjoyed the song that they began singing it at birthday parties, just slightly changing the lyrics to the traditional version we now know. It wasn’t until half a century later, in 1935 that “Happy Birthday” was copyrighted, and these copyrights were then later sold to The Time-Warner Corporation in 1998. The company issued an order stating that anyone performing the song for profit must pay royalties, and thanks to the new implementation, they began making about $5000 a day from use in television, radio, film, etc. This is also the main reason that some restaurants will not perform the original version, but will in fact change it to become more unique. Many professionals have heavily researched the expiry date of the song, and some believe that it may actually already have expired. However, the company currently holding the rights states that they will not expire until 2016.
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The song itself is not as simple as you may think. The format ‘AABA’ made use of a call and response technique popular around that time. Many have argued that an ABA format is just as pleasing as an AABA, but AABA is certainly much more popular, at least in music. This ‘call and response’ chant is also advantageous for passing down the song orally. If the caller sings the first line, and the others repeat it, it is much easier to learn. If we look at blues and limericks, the AABA format is much more resonant with us than the ABA format. You can interpret Happy Birthdays format to be a tantalizing pattern that we as humans find enjoyable.
Celebrating birthdays did not become popular until the 12th century, and it was in Germany that the tradition of blowing out candles on a cake and making a wish first originated. Thanks to the ‘Happy Birthday’ song, we have a way to tie in our intrinsic connection to music at one of the most important days of a person’s life. Birthdays are the most celebrated anniversaries of all, so it would only make sense that the happy birthday song is the most sung song in western civilization. It is safe to say that this is the most influential song ever written, and it will continue to transcend into future history as an important part of an individuals life. As a listener you will be very happy, because it most likely means they are singing for you! As an industry professional . . . well, this is your chance to sit back and not take apart every note! Enjoy the moment, and I hope you have many more to come.
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