May not be copyright after all. (different version/source/opinion of the above link)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/business/media/an-old-songbook-could-put-happy-birthday-in-the-public-domain.html?_r=0

It's nothing but a bad parlor song.
Should be replaced by gaga or clarkson IMO.

"It's nothing but a bad parlor song."

I like bad parlor songs! ;)

Should be replaced by gaga. . .

Happy birth
Happy birth
Yah happy birthday yah birthday yah
(Happy birthday happy birthday)

Happy birth
Happy birth
Yah happy birthday yah birthday song

Ha- ha- ha- happy birth ha- ha- happy birth
Ha- ha- ha- happy birth ha- ha- happy birth

And so on.

Go to Acid Planet. Look up the artist "Ultimate Garage Band" and look for his song he wrote and recorded "It's your birthday". Message him and ask for Permission to use this song, downloadable. And tell him that LyricsGirl sent you.

I prefer his version and no royalty or copyright worries!

Angela

Breaking news.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-happy-birthday-song-lawsuit-decision-20150922-story.html

wwaag

So now I don't need to look over my shoulder at the next birthday party! Whew! (Wipes brow.)

"Happy Birthday" and the US National Anthem are two of the most unsingable songs ever contrived.

As a retired music director living with misophonia, I would take utter delight in throttling anyone who misses that dominant upper octave, the likes of which should rightfully remain in the domain of lyric opera, not kids and their grannies. Eeeichk!

My neighbor now thinks I have Tourette's because he heard me screaming obscenities at a car commercial that had a bad beat track..
;?)

Is it the top E-flat or the octave jump that is the problem? Or starting on the lowest note in the song? Amateur singers may not pitch the starting note low enough to allow for the jump later on.

I bet that most times the song is sung in some other key than A-flat, and perhaps finishing in a lower key than when it was started. (A-flat -> A-very-flat?)

We have a (penguin?) doll that "sings" jingle bells when nudged by our poodle, which must be tone deaf because it enjoys playing with it despite the poor singing.

PD! Hilarious! - Thanks, I needed those images.

G

PeterDuke,
Since singing "Happy Birthday" most often involves children, a savvy accompanist or songleader will most often choose the key of F for mixed-age groups, or the key of G for kids-only parties. That puts the range for treble voices at c4-c5 or d4-d5 respectively. (Those are both also easier to play than four flats.)

The octave jump is indeed a problem for most folks, and the musical theater auditions I have run for decades always ask for an a capella rendition of "Happy Birthday" or "Row Your Boat" to test pitch sense and confidence for chorus hopefuls.

The biggest physiological problem with navigating "Happy Birthday," however, lies not just in the octave jump, but in hitting pitch on the English syllable ... bür, which like its cousin, the Germanic ümlaut is a throat vowel, not a head vowel. Vowel propagation is everything in matching pitch, because it involves the critical third overtone.

At least with the US National Anthem, the ascension is stepwise, not the octave, and the target syllable is a bright, head-resonant "free...", which doesn't require all the vocal gymnastics, even though the high F is still not easy for most casual singers, who have never developed resonance above the passaggio.

I'm sure that's way too much analysis, but it's what I (used to) do.

Interesting. You may have some problem with the ir of birthday that I don't.

Americans and other rhotic English speakers typically use here what phoneticists call an R-coloured "er" sound, in which the vowel and the consonant are sounded together. I don't pronounce the R and therefore have a more open vowel sound as a result.

Of course, that reflects traditional Western vocal training, as well.
But not closing in on a full rrr only solves half the problem. Tongue and glottal position are less confining, but the vowel propagation, thus overtone resonance still does not occur in the large head cavity to any great extent. This requires more gut pressure and finer control to get the same dynamics and tuning to the audience. Trained Western lyricists are generally conscious of the weaknesses of covered vowels above the natural passaggio, and adjust the lyrics or melody accordingly. It's just easier acoustically. Medieval chant is the exact opposite, of course, where uncovered treble vowels would probably have been considered heresy.

Still recommended and entertaining reading after sixty years is the Singer's Manual of English Diction:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Singers-Manual-English-Diction/dp/0028711009

Interesting discussion, Peter; apologies up front for having derailed the real topic.

You know of course that when I say phoneticists, I mean phoneticians. It is getting late (early?) here.

Over and out.

I think they performed a phoneticism on me at birth.

You're still spelling it wrong. It's "Phoenicians." They are what's left of a race of people who sailed the Mediterranean in the 6th century B.C. Bible talks about them.

6th century BC? How come "By the time I get to Phonetics" is still in copyright then?

Change a word or two here and there and reapply for copyright.