Song · Live covers
Happy Birthday to You
A tune written for a Louisville kindergarten, sung by Radiohead in Auckland for Jonny Greenwood.
1893–1935
good morning to all
The tune comes from “Good Morning to All”, usually credited to the Kentucky sisters Patty and Mildred Hill in 1893, though the attribution is disputed. Patty ran a kindergarten in Louisville and wanted something small children could sing; Mildred was a pianist and composer. The birthday words first appear in print with the melody in 1912, with nobody's name attached and no copyright notice. The Summy Company registered a copyright in 1935 and credited two other people entirely.
1988–2016
the copyright
Warner/Chappell bought the company holding the copyright in 1988 and spent decades collecting licensing fees on the song, which is why films and restaurants avoided it for years. In 2015 a court declared the claim invalid, and in 2016 Warner/Chappell agreed to return $14 million in fees. The song is now in the public domain in the United States and the European Union.
6 nov 2012
auckland
Radiohead sang it at Vector Arena in Auckland on 6 November 2012, the first night of a run through New Zealand and Australia on the King of Limbs tour. It came in the main set between “Reckoner” and “Pyramid Song”, and the setlist marks it as being for Jonny Greenwood, who had turned 41 the day before. “Myxomatosis”, later the same night, was dedicated to Mitt Romney, on the day America voted in its presidential election.
Live history
| Times played | 1 show |
|---|---|
| Live debut | Tuesday 6 November 2012 · Auckland |
Nights played include broadcasts; opened and closed count gigs only. A cancelled night has no setlist. All setlist stats →
sources4
- Robert Brauneis, “Copyright and the World's Most Popular Song”, and Wikipedia's summary of it.
- Benjamin Weiser, “Birthday Song's Copyright Leads to a Lawsuit for the Ages”, The New York Times, 13 June 2013.
- Wikipedia, “Jonny Greenwood” and “2012 United States presidential election”, for his birthday (5 November 1971) and the election day.
- Performance date, place in the set and dedications from this site's own setlist archive, via setlist.fm.