27th March: Happy Birthday to You!

Today is the birthday of Patty Smith Hill, Kindergarten teacher and composer, born in 1868.You may not have heard of her, but you will certainly have heard, and sung, a song she composed with her sister, Mildred: Happy Birthday To You.

Here are 10 things you may not know about the song.

1. It is the most frequently sung and most recognised song in the English language. For He's a Jolly Good Fellow comes second.
2. The song was originally written as "Good Morning to All", a song which would be easy for small children to sing at the start of each day at kindergarten. The lyrics were: Good morning to you; Good morning to you; Good morning, dear children; Good morning to all.
3. The tune was published in the sisters' book, Stories for the Kindergarten in 1893.
4. Some historians believe the tune and the concept of the lyrics was copied from other popular songs of the day.
5. The first written record of the birthday lyrics being attached to the tune didn't appear until 1912.
6. The song is copyrighted and therefore cannot be used in public performances, film and television without the producers being stung for huge royalties from Warner/Chappell Music who currently own the copyright. In fact, if you're making a film and want to use it, the company would charge $10,000 for its use! Hence you will rarely hear the song in a movie. In filmland, For He's a Jolly Good Fellow, which is in the public domain, is usually sung instead. This will be the case until copyright finally expires in 2030. Copyright doesn't apply to private family parties, though, you'll be pleased to hear. You can use the $10,000 to buy a nicer birthday present!
7. Translating the song into another language, even a made up one, doesn't get you out of paying the fee. The producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation had to cut a Klingon version of the song for copyright reasons and substitute a Klingon version of For He's a Jolly Good Fellow.
8. There have been several attempts by film makers to get around this. In Futurama, they completely change the lyrics: "What day is today? / It's (birthday person)'s birthday / What a day for a birthday / Let's all have some cake." In The Colbert Report, they sing the lyrics to a different tune (the US National Anthem). Other producers have poked fun at the copyright by having characters start to sing it, but being stopped by others "because of the cost" or by starting the party scene at the very end of the song, so all the audience here is the last two words.
9. The copyright status of the song has been disputed in court. Professor Robert Brauneis has claimed that the copyright is probably invalid, and a documentary maker called Jennifer Nelson filed a suit in 2013, based on his research, in an attempt to get back her own royalties and for all other film makers who've used the song since 2009 to get theirs back too.
10. Happy Birthday has been performed on Mars. August 15 last year was the first anniversary of the Curiosity Rover landing on Mars. Geeks at the Goddard Space Flight Center programmed the sample analysis instruments to play "Happy Birthday".