Happy Birthday
Level III
According to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, "Happy Birthday to You" is the most well recognized song in the English language, followed by "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and "Auld Lang Syne". The song's base lyrics have been translated into at least 18 languages.
In 1935 the song was copyrighted. The company that now owns the copyrights continues to insist that one cannot sing the "Happy Birthday to You" lyrics for profit without paying extremely high royalties. This includes use in film, television, radio, anywhere open to the public, or even among a group where a substantial number of those in attendance are not family or friend to whoever is performing the song. [That is why we rarely hear restaurant wait staff sing this traditional birthday song.]
Wikipedia
