John Lennon once claimed that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” 

According to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, there’s one song that’s way more popular than anything The Beatles ever wrote—more widely performed, in fact, than the works of The Beatles, Beethoven, and Bach combined. 

It’s a song that even small children around the world know by heart, and the only song that’s ever been performed on Mars. 

 

 

That song is “Happy Birthday to You.”

“Happy Birthday” is the most-sung ditty in the English language, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. And while it may seem hard to imagine a world without the tune, it’s a relatively recent invention.

In 1889, Patty Hill, a Kentucky educator, and her sister Mildred, who would go on to become an ethnomusicologist, teamed up to write songs for children. “Happy Birthday,” their greatest hit, went on to become the standard song for celebrations across a wide variety of countries and cultures. 

These range from France, Spain, Germany and Italy to China, South Korea, South Africa, Malaysia, Lebanon, Egypt, and beyond.

 

 

21st May is President Charlotte’s birthday. Close your eyes and make a wish, Charlotte.

Happy Birthday!

We wish you everything that you would wish for yourself.