Finally we can all sing the Happy Birthday to You song publicly for free!  The tune has been in the public domain for a long time but a copyright was claimed on the lyrics by the music publishing company, Warner/Chappell. On Tuesday, a Federal Judge ruled that the company does not have a valid copyright on the lyrics! Hallelujah!

The tune originally comes from the song "Good Morning to All" which was written by sisters Mildred Hill and Patty Hill and published in the book, "Song Stories for the Kindergarten" in 1893.

The lyrics to the original song are as follows:

Good Morning To All

Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
Good morning dear children,
Good morning to all!

Here’s the score….

The first reference to the Happy Birthday to You lyrics appeared in a 1901 article in the Inland Educator and Indiana School Journal.  The full lyrics are first found in print in 1912 in "The Beginners’ Book of Songs".

Here are the lyrics to the Happy Birthday to You song… (We print them loudly, we print them proudly!)

Happy Birthday to You

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear (insert name)!
Happy birthday to you!

Here’s the score for Happy Birthday to You…

Happy Birthday to You is the most recognized song in the English language, according to Guinness Book of World Records. It’s sung all over the world in many languages. 

We now have the freedom to sing it any time and any place we want!

Happy Birthday to us!

Mama Lisa