There's a New "Happy Birthday" Song on the Block and Social Media Declares It a Certified Bop
Published July 26 2023, 5:34 p.m. ET
As a proud member of the Black community, I do declare — I love us.
From linguistics to fashion, we have a way of putting our spin on anything and making it our own. This is even true for the birthday song, which has been reinvented quite a bit since its inception.
While you probably didn’t plan on getting a history of the beloved tune today, here we are.
The “Happy Birthday” song dates back to 1893, however, the version we sing today didn’t become a thing until the 1900s. Since then, the song has been remixed by a range of recording artists, including Uncle Luke, 2 Chainz, and Stevie Wonder.
But the latest birthday song to become a household staple was born on TikTok.
A new birthday song surfaced on social media and it’s an absolute bop.
@Quyanavoss663 posted what is arguably one of the most wholesome videos you’ll see all week. In it, a little girl excitedly dances to the new version of the “Happy Birthday” song for her 3rd birthday.
The song was originally introduced to the internet when a video was posted by Danyell Randall, whose friends showed up and showed out for her birthday.
The song starts off, “I wanna say Happy Birthday to you.”
“Now close your eyes and make a wish / Think about it, then blow out your candles,” it goes on.
Following the song’s viral success, the lead singer in the video dropped the full song on Spotify.
Since the video was posted, their “Birthday” song remix has been dubbed a certified bop by social media. On TikTok, a couple of other partygoers sang the new version of the birthday song at their own celebrations.
One user wrote on Twitter: “I henceforth declare this as the new Happy Birthday song. “I don't want to hear the old one ever again! Stevie Wonder’s version will still be accepted should the partygoers not have the vocal range for this version.”
“Ok but did y’all know a new black version of the birthday song came out? Everyone needs to learn their parts including the rap. Thanks in advance,” another fan of the remix tweeted.
I’m sure that Patty Hill and Jessica Hill, the originators of the birthday song, would be proud that their legacy still lives on!