Did you know that in 2016, “Happy Birthday” entered the public domain? Did you know that it was ever out of the public domain?
The now-ubiquitous ode to aging seems to have been written in 1893 by a schoolteacher, but about mornings, not birthdays. The birthday lyrics were added sometime later, the copyright was registered, and in 1988, Warner Brothers bought it for $25 million and started suing people for using it in commercial settings. They insisted in court that the copyright wouldn’t run out until 2030 but, in 2016, a federal judge ruled that it already had.
But the thing about “Happy Birthday” is that it’s… not exactly an epic birthday song, is it? It may have made sense to argue over the copyrights to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, but “Happy Birthday”? If it costs money to sing that song, let it go–no one wanted to hear it anyway.
A Quick Guide to Custom Happy Birthday Songs
Singing “Happy Birthday” to someone is like giving them a store-bought card and forgetting to sign it. “Here, here’s something that says birthday in it. Today’s yours, right? I’m bored.” There better be more coming, or the person turning older is about to feel as forsaken as that card, which they’re already upset that they won’t be able to recycle because of the glitter in the corner.
Instead, you could play them a custom happy birthday song that you have commissioned for their special day like a Renaissance king, and even helped write. They’ll know it’s about them because of the actual lyrics–not because their multisyllabic name was crammed in at the end.
How exciting for those of us who (think we) can’t write songs to be able to give such an unusual, special gift. You can present it as a CD–with optional liner notes like it’s your debut single–or, if you love the person enough, you can even bring Jim Asleson, the song’s composer, out to the party to sing it in person. Depending on what kind of party you have in mind, he can even MC the party and play a full set for entertainment.
The Power of a Custom Song
Think of the most powerful songs you know. “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. “Blowin’ in the Wind”. “Let it Be”. A well-written song’s power is in the writer’s ability to distill a world of feelings into maybe 100 words–and then to deliver those words in a way that enhances their power even further, just exactly the way Lesley Gore did not on her hit, “It’s My Party”.
But the power starts when you access those feelings, which can be hard enough on its own. If you don’t know intimately your way around an empty stanza, filling it with poetry about these feelings can seem like trying to fill a blackboard with Einsteinian symbols that you’ve only seen in cartoons.
Likewise, even for those of us who have a certain prowess with words often have trouble thinking deeply about just what our loved ones mean to us.
But, when an earnest friend comes together with a really good lyricist and composer, epic things can start to happen. And when that earnest friend wants to make someone having a birthday feel really special, nine times out of nine, those epic things are wildly epic happy birthday songs.
Think Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday”, which was his own custom birthday song for Martin Luther King. It can be a feel-good jam like that one, silly as a Barenaked Ladies song, or heartfelt and sincere like “Candle in the Wind”.
How to Create an Epic Birthday Song
Step One: Have a really special loved one who has birthdays.
Step Two: Head over to talltribute.com and click “Start Your Song”.
Step Three: Fill out the introduction form.
Step Four: Have a chat with Jim about the person having a birthday and why you want to give them such an epic happy birthday song.
Step Five: Receive a verse-and-chorus sample of what might be for $99. If you change your mind, you can give them the sample and say, “Look at the really special thing I was going to give you until I somehow found something even better.”
Step Six: Provide feedback and have another chat with Jim until you’re satisfied, and upgrade to a full-length song.
Step Seven: Receive your custom happy birthday song as an MP3 or on a CD, with or without a custom CD jacket and present it to your awesome loved one, who now will never forget this particular birthday.
Step Eight: Get a big hug from them in return and enjoy the party.
Custom Happy Birthday Songs from Tall Tribute
Good happy birthday songs are custom happy birthday songs. The traditional “Happy Birthday” song from 130 years ago is invariably the worst part of getting older besides the backaches. It’s a time of waiting to blow out the candle(s) on your cake like a child with a paper cone on their head. Don’t put your loved ones through that again.
Instead, dig down and think about what you really love about them and why they’re worth celebrating–you know, honestly. When you’ve done a little thinking, it’s easy to pour your results into an empathetic artist who does this for a living, shake them around, and see what beauty comes out.
Jim Asleson has written well over 100 custom songs to people all over the world for all sorts of occasions–memorials, anniversaries, achievements, and yes, especially birthdays. It’s his special passion, and he’s good at it. Come see what others have said about their own custom birthday gift songs and then reach out, if just to talk! He’s probably holding his guitar right now. If only he had something new to create with it….