Mildred J. Hill (1859–1916) and Patty S. Hill (1868–1946) · C major · 3/4 · 100 BPM · 8 bars · Children’s songs
Happy Birthday to You sits in Children’s songs, written in C major. It uses 3 chords across 8 bars, at about 100 BPM.
CG7F
C
G7
F
| 1 | C | G7 | · | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | · | F | C / G7 | C |
Eight bars in three, starting on the pickup. G7 for two bars, C for two, then F for the name, and a quick C–G7 in the seventh bar before the last C. The whole room knows exactly where each chord falls.
| Keys | Chord chart |
|---|---|
| C major · Written in this key | C · G7 · C · F · C · G7 · C |
| Db major | Db · Ab7 · Db · Gb · Db · Ab7 · Db |
| D major | D · A7 · D · G · D · A7 · D |
| Eb major | Eb · Bb7 · Eb · Ab · Eb · Bb7 · Eb |
| E major | E · B7 · E · A · E · B7 · E |
| F major | F · C7 · F · Bb · F · C7 · F |
| F# major | F# · C#7 · F# · B · F# · C#7 · F# |
| G major | G · D7 · G · C · G · D7 · G |
| Ab major | Ab · Eb7 · Ab · Db · Ab · Eb7 · Ab |
| A major | A · E7 · A · D · A · E7 · A |
| Bb major | Bb · F7 · Bb · Eb · Bb · F7 · Bb |
| B major | B · F#7 · B · E · B · F#7 · B |
The melody is Good Morning to All, written by the Hill sisters in 1893. Patty Hill died in 1946, so on a life-plus-70 basis the term ended in 2016; in the US a 2016 court settlement confirmed the song is public domain. Free everywhere.