"Happy Birthday to You" is, by some measures, the most recognized song in the English language — and also one with a surprisingly tangled legal history. Here's where it actually came from, what happened to its copyright, how to play it yourself, and why Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday" is a completely different song people often mix it up with.
Where the Song Came From
In 1893, sisters Patty Hill (a kindergarten teacher) and Mildred Hill (a pianist and composer) published a simple children's song called "Good Morning to All," meant to be sung as a classroom greeting. The melody — the exact tune everyone now sings at birthdays — is the one from that song.
The specific "Happy birthday to you" lyrics that replaced the original "Good morning to you" words appeared later, and their exact authorship has never been fully settled — they seem to have evolved informally among teachers and students before being written down and published under the "Happy Birthday" title in the early 1900s.
Full Lyrics
The original, most widely sung version has just four lines — the same four-line pattern is simply repeated with the birthday person's name inserted:
English Lyrics
Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you Happy birthday dear [name] Happy birthday to you
Some singers add an extra unofficial line at the end for emphasis — "and many more" — which isn't part of the original 1893/1900s lyrics but has become a common addition in casual, informal singing.
Looking for it in another language? See our happy birthday in Spanish guide for the "Feliz Cumpleaños" version and how it's typically sung, or browse our full language guides for French, German, and more.
Is It Still Copyrighted?
No. After the 2015–2016 litigation, Warner Chappell agreed to stop enforcing its copyright claim and refunded licensing fees to parties who had paid for use of the song. The court's findings suggested the original copyright registration only ever covered a specific piano arrangement — not the melody or lyrics themselves, which had effectively already fallen into public use.
In practice, that means "Happy Birthday to You" can be sung, recorded, performed publicly, or used in a film or video today without paying a licensing fee — which is part of why you'll now hear the real song (rather than a generic stand-in tune) in TV shows and movies that once avoided it.
How to Play It
The melody is simple enough that it's often one of the first songs people learn on piano or guitar. Exact arrangements vary, but here's a common, beginner-friendly version in the key of C.
Guitar Chords (Key of C)
C G7 C Happy birthday to you C G7 C Happy birthday to you C F C G7 Happy birthday dear [name] C F C G7 C Happy birthday to you
Piano — Simple Note Pattern (Key of C, letter notes)
Hap-py birth-day to you C C D C F E Hap-py birth-day to you C C D C G F Hap-py birth-day dear [name] C C C₈ A F E D Hap-py birth-day to you Bb Bb A F G F
These are simplified, beginner-friendly patterns — exact fingering and timing are easiest to pick up by pairing this with a short video tutorial in your instrument of choice.
Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday" Is a Different Song
If you've searched for "Stevie Wonder Happy Birthday," it's worth knowing this is a completely separate, original song — not a cover or version of "Happy Birthday to You." Stevie Wonder wrote and released "Happy Birthday" in 1980, on his album Hotter Than July.
The song wasn't written for personal birthdays at all — it was a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and part of Stevie Wonder's public campaign to have MLK's birthday recognized as a US federal holiday, which succeeded in 1983. The song's chorus references celebrating "a day that would be much more than any other," referring to that campaign.
The two songs share a title and a celebratory subject but are musically and lyrically unrelated — one is a public-domain folk melody from 1893, the other a copyrighted 1980 soul song with a specific civil rights history behind it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote the Happy Birthday song?
The melody was written by sisters Patty and Mildred Hill in 1893 as a children's song called "Good Morning to All." The now-famous birthday lyrics were adapted later and published under the Happy Birthday title in the early 20th century.
Is the Happy Birthday song still copyrighted?
No. After a 2015–2016 lawsuit found that Warner Chappell's copyright claim was invalid, a settlement confirmed the song is in the public domain, meaning it can be performed, recorded, and used freely without paying licensing fees.
Is Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday" the same song?
No — it's a completely different, original song Stevie Wonder wrote and released in 1980, written specifically to campaign for Martin Luther King Jr. Day to become a US federal holiday.