“Happy Birthday to You” Was Originally “Good Morning to All”

“Happy Birthday to You” famously went through a huge copyright battle, despite being one of the best-known songs ever written in English. Sisters Patty and Mildred Hill initially published the song in 1893, and it remained under copyright, most recently to Warner Music Group, until a judge deemed the copyright invalid in 2015. But the original song written by the Hill sisters wasn’t “Happy Birthday to You” — the melody was for a greeting song called “Good Morning to All.”“Happy Birthday to You” was simply a variation that popped up in the early 20th century, although it eventually became the main lyric associated with the tune.