The Happy Birthday Song Trivia
One of the first tunes that comes to mind when hear ‘birthday’ is the very popular “happy birthday to you”. For most of us, this is nothing more than an ordinary song we sing over a cake.
The song is almost never accompanied by an instrument or background music. Kids & adults merely shout out the four lines as they wait to devour the birthday cake. We sing the happy birthday song very spontaneously without paying heed to its meaning or origin.
However, not many of us know about the origin of the Happy Birthday song. There is a wealth of interesting facts that would never make you look at it in the same way again. Don’t miss this chance to know a little more about the most familiar Happy Birthday song.
Happy Birthday Song Origin
On 31st of August 2015 a certain librarian picked up a songbook donated more than five decades back.
The name of the book was “Song Stories For the Kindergarten”. It contained an old manuscript of a song called “Good Morning To You”, a nursery rhyme composed by a teacher for her students.
In 1893, two American sisters Mildred and Patty Hill changed the words to compose what is now the “happy birthday song”.
This was the beginning of the Happy Birthday song.
The Most Expensive Song
Years passed, and the “happy birthday song” began to appear in several Broadway musicals till Patty Hill won the copyrights to the song in 1930. Anyone wanting to use the song from then had to pay thousands of dollars to its composers.
This didn’t stop people from using it. The owners (Hill sisters) made about $2 million a year from people who were willing to pay.
There were others who couldn’t afford this, and hence came up with other creative versions that were similar to it.
Hard to imagine something like this, isn’t it? And yet, this is something that went on for many years.
Yes, the “happy birthday song” was one of the most expensive songs that had a copyright for years.
The turning point arrived in 2016 when the media and movie industry could use the song without a fee. So, if you ever come across this song in a movie, know that a huge sum of fee was paid for it.
You can start a conversation at the next birthday party with this bit of trivia!
Singing the Song Makes the Cake Taste Better
Celebrating a birthday without singing the Happy Birthday song while cutting the cake never feels complete. In fact, research reveals that there is something about hearing a group of people sing this song in unison that heightens one’s enjoyment while relishing the birthday cake.
It’s the Simplest Song To Sing
Think about it! Can you recall a song so simple that you don’t even have to teach a child to sing it? Sing it at a couple of birthday parties and they will get the hang of it. The fact that the song has just one line makes it all the more easier to learn the lyrics. Over the years, this song has been translated into 18 different languages.
Adding Some Cheer!
There are different ways one can add fun to the Happy Birthday Song. Some end the song with three cheers “hip hip hooray” to honour the birthday person. This only adds to the thrill of the celebration and is a wonderful way to end the song. While others end the song with people guessing the age of the birthday person. There’s a final shout of cheer when they arrive at the right age.
Try it the next time and make the birthday party fun!
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