Happy Birthday, 'Happy Birthday to You!' 13 Odd Facts About the Birthday Song
On October 13th, the "Happy Birthday" song turns turns nineteen plus a hundred. Over the past two centuries the kindergarten class greeting song has morphed into an ode to presidential lust, a symbol of corporate greed, an excuse to celebrate cake, and a beloved holiday anthem for every day of the year. If you were born in 1893, you'd probably look a lot different now too.
FACT: One of "Birthday" song's recent co-purchasers was convicted of insider trading.
Time Warner bought the song in 1998, and it remained in their catalogue after a team of investors, including Edgar Bronfman Jr., purchased Warner Music Group in 2004. In 2011, Bronfman was convicted on insider trading charges relating to a former job and fined about $4.2 million. That's about two years's of birthday song royalties.
Photo by: Getty Images
FACT: One of "Birthday" song's recent co-purchasers was convicted of insider trading.
Time Warner bought the song in 1998, and it remained in their catalogue after a team of investors, including Edgar Bronfman Jr., purchased Warner Music Group in 2004. In 2011, Bronfman was convicted on insider trading charges relating to a former job and fined about $4.2 million. That's about two years's of birthday song royalties.