Happy Birthday To You

According to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, "Happy Birthday to You" is the most well-known song in the English language. The melody comes from "Good Morning to All," written by sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill in 1893 for use in kindergarten classrooms.

How did the birthday lyrics come about?

The Hill sisters wrote "Good Morning to All" as a simple greeting song for young children. At some point in the early 1900s, people began singing different words to the same tune, replacing "Good morning to you" with "Happy birthday to you." Nobody knows exactly who first made the change. The birthday lyrics spread through oral tradition, sung at parties and family gatherings across America, until they became far more famous than the original words.

The first known publication of the birthday lyrics appeared in 1912, but the song had clearly been in wide circulation before that date. By the 1930s, "Happy Birthday to You" was common at birthday celebrations throughout the English-speaking world.

Why was there a copyright dispute?

For decades, the song was claimed as copyrighted material. The Summy Company registered a copyright in 1935, and Warner/Chappell Music later acquired the rights, collecting an estimated two million dollars per year in licensing fees. Filmmakers, television producers, and restaurants all had to pay to use the song publicly, which is why many chain restaurants developed their own alternative birthday songs.

In 2013, filmmaker Jennifer Nelson, who was making a documentary about the song, filed a lawsuit challenging Warner/Chappell's copyright claim. In 2015, a federal judge ruled that the company had never validly acquired the copyright to the lyrics. The song was declared part of the public domain, ending decades of royalty payments.

How is the song used around the world?

"Happy Birthday to You" has been translated into dozens of languages and is sung in countries across every continent. In many cultures, local birthday songs exist alongside it, but the English version is recognised almost everywhere. Its simple melody and repetitive structure make it easy for anyone to sing, regardless of musical ability, which is much of the reason it has travelled so well for over a century.