The Strange Story Behind the “Happy Birthday” Song

The song “Happy Birthday To You” is easily the most popular song in the world, but there is a strange and complicated history behind this song. You also might not have realized that until recently it was protected by copyright.

The song was written by Patty Smith Hill, a kindergarten teacher, and her sister, Mildred Jane Hill, who was a musician. They began writing songs for kids in 1889 and later published them in a collection in 1893 called Song Stories for Children. But the “Happy Birthday” song didn’t start with that title or the lyrics as we know them today. The tune was called “Good Morning to All” and was accompanied by the “Happy Birthday” music.

It’s not known when or who wrote the current lyrics to “Happy Birthday To You,” but by the 1930s, it was being widely used. From here, things get murky. The Clayton F. Summy Company filed for a copyright of several versions of the song in 1935 with the assistance of Jessica Hill, a sister of the two women who originally wrote the song. In 1944, the Hill Foundation, which had been created by Jessica and Patty Hill, sued Clayton F. Summy Company for not having the rights to the song. The Hill Foundation ended up keeping most of the rights while the Clayton F. Summy Company held the ownership of a small portion.