Happy Birthday to You - Wikipedia 6/26/18, 12(24 PM

Happy Birthday to You

"Happy Birthday to You", also known as "Happy Birthday", is a song
"Happy Birthday to You"
traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth. According to
the 1998 Guinness World Records, it is the most recognized song in the English
language, followed by "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". The song's base lyrics
have been translated into at least 18 languages.[1] The melody of "Happy
Birthday to You" comes from the song "Good Morning to All",[2] which has
traditionally been attributed to American sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill in
Candles spelling "Happy Birthday", one of
1893,[3][4] although the claim that the sisters composed the tune is disputed.[5]
many types of birthday cake decorations
that accompany this song
Song
Contents Published 1893
History Songwriter(s) Patty Hill, Mildred J. Hill
Lyrics
"Happy birthday to you"
Lyrics with melody
Traditional variations
Copyright status
2013 lawsuit
Public performances
See also
References
Footnotes
Works cited
External links

History
Patty Hill was a kindergarten principal in Louisville, Kentucky, developing various teaching methods at what is now the Little
Loomhouse;[6] her sister Mildred was a pianist and composer.[7] The sisters used "Good Morning to All" as a song that young
children would find easy to sing.[8] The combination of melody and lyrics in "Happy Birthday to You" first appeared in print in
1912, and probably existed even earlier.[9]

None of the early appearances of the "Happy Birthday to You" lyrics included credits or copyright notices. The Summy Company
registered a copyright in 1935, crediting authors Preston Ware Orem and Mrs. R. R. Forman. In 1988, Warner/Chappell Music
purchased the company owning the copyright for US$25 million, with the value of "Happy Birthday" estimated at
US$5 million.[10][11] Based on the 1935 copyright registration, Warner claimed that the United States copyright will not expire until
2030, and that unauthorized public performances of the song are illegal unless royalties are paid to Warner. In one specific
instance in February 2010, the royalty for a single use was said to be US$700.[12] By one estimate, the song is the highest-earning
single song in history, with estimated earnings since its creation of US$50 million.[13][14] In the European Union, the copyright for
the song expired on January 1, 2017.[15]

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The American copyright status of "Happy Birthday to You" began to draw more attention with the passage of the Sonny Bono
Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998. When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Act in Eldred v. Ashcroft in 2003, Associate
Justice Stephen Breyer specifically mentioned "Happy Birthday to You" in his dissenting opinion.[16] American law professor
Robert Brauneis, who extensively researched the song, concluded in 2010 that "It is almost certainly no longer under copyright."[17]
In 2013, based in large part on Brauneis's research, Good Morning to You Productions, a company producing a documentary about
"Good Morning to All", sued Warner/Chappell for falsely claiming copyright to the song.[5][10] In September 2015, a federal judge
declared that the Warner/Chappell copyright claim was invalid, ruling that the copyright registration applied only to a specific
piano arrangement of the song, and not to its lyrics and melody. In 2016, Warner/Chappell settled for US $14 million, and the
court declared that "Happy Birthday to You" was in the public domain.[18][19]

Lyrics

"Happy birthday to you"

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear [NAME]
Happy birthday to you.[20]

The person whose birthday is being celebrated is filled in for "[NAME]". The earliest known publication used "John" as the
example.

Lyrics with melody

Traditional variations
It is traditional, among English-speakers, that at a birthday party, the song "Happy Birthday to You" be sung to the birthday person
by the other guests celebrating the birthday. More specifically, the birthday person is traditionally presented with a birthday cake
with lit candles, with the number of candles sometimes corresponding to the age of the person. After the song is sung (usually just
once), party guests sometimes add wishes like "and many more!" expressing the hope that the birthday person will enjoy a long life.
The birthday person may be asked to make a wish ("Make a wish!")—which he or she does silently—and then is supposed to blow
out the candles. Traditionally, blowing out the candles is believed (or is considered a lighthearted superstition) to ensure that the
wish will come true.[21] Once the candles have been blown out, people may applaud, after which the cake may be served, often with
the first piece being served to the person whose birthday it is.

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, immediately after "Happy Birthday" has been sung, it is traditional for
one of the guests to enthusiastically lead with "Hip hip..." and then for all of the other guests to join in and say "... hooray!" This is
normally repeated three times. In Canada, especially at young children's birthdays, immediately after "Happy Birthday" has been

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