Happy Birthday music box
There is no more recognisable celebration song. A drawer that plays Happy Birthday makes every day feel a little bit like a party.
- Tune
- Happy Birthday to You
- Composer
- Mildred J. Hill and Patty Smith Hill
- Origin
- Melody published 1893
The story behind the tune
The melody began life as “Good Morning to All”, a greeting song written by two sisters, Mildred and Patty Hill, who were kindergarten teachers in Kentucky. It was published in 1893 in Song Stories for the Kindergarten.
The birthday words followed in the early 1900s and spread worldwide. For much of the 20th century the song was treated as copyrighted, but that claim was overturned in a United States court in 2015, and today the song is in the public domain.
How it sounds on a music box
It is short, singable and immediately familiar, so it lands with a smile from the first two notes. Final arrangements for the Musical Drawer are still being developed.
Lovely for
- Birthday gifts
- A playroom or toy drawer
- Anyone who loves a bit of fun