Or perhaps being one of very few black people at the time in the Ladue school district in St. Perhaps at a young age I realized quickly that Jody and Karen had nothing to do with the assassination of MLK. Until recess when it was time to play with Jody and Karen. And the next day, I went to school filled with hate. It is probably one of the saddest moments in my life. My mom explained, “they killed him.” When I asked who “they” were, she told me, “White people killed him because they didn’t like what he was trying to do for black people and for the country.” I didn’t know what that meant, so I asked for more of an explanation. This particular year, as we were twirling around singing the song, I asked, “Where is Martin Luther King now, Mother?” My mom would pick me up and dance with me in her arms. But in the Smith household, there were always two constants on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday: no one went to school or work, and the record player had Stevie Wonder’s “Hotter Than July” album blaring, with me going over to replay “Happy Birthday” again and again. And by the time I was in first grade, I was used to a very meaningful tradition in my family.Īt this point in time, MLK Day was not yet recognized as a national holiday.
My brother and I knew about Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Louis Farrakhan, even. Generations just copying tradition without knowing the origin. It wasn’t until I asked a group of our student-athletes here at Cal (who were more “woke” than most) if they knew who the song was intended for, that I understood the disconnect. We’ll appease people and sing the traditional version all the way through, then immediately bust out in the more enthusiastic rendition Stevie released in 1980.įor a long time, I thought every black person knew the meaning behind the song. And just for your special day, here’s Christina Aguilera and Britney’s respective Happy Birthday singing skills cruelly pitted against one another.The Stevie Wonder version of “Happy Birthday” is very popular in the Black community. I think that’s him playing the drums in this rendition. Matt Healy sings Happy Birthday to The 1975’s drummer, George She’s not a regular mim, she’s a cool mimġ3.
Gwen Stefani sings Happy Birthday to her eight year old Doesn't get any cuter than this!! /q2SDegCDyX Dave Grohl sings Happy Birthday to the “best mom in the whole world”ġ2. Justin Bieber sings Happy Birthday for his mum presents her with cakeġ1. The most relatable thing about this video is Gaga’s confession that she feels guilty for not seeing her mum more but Cynthia should be happy because she sent flowers that morning.ġ0. Lady Gaga sings Happy Birthday to her mum, Cynthia Sergio Pizzorno sings Happy birthday to his wife, Amy (IN ITALIAN!!!)ĩ. Ed Sheeran sings Happy Birthday to ‘Vera’Įven his happy birthday singing is really pretty.Ĩ. Chris Martin sings Happy Birthday to bassist Guy Berrymanħ. R.E.M’s Michael Stripe sings Happy Birthday to Patti Smith for her 70th birthdayĦ. Glastonbury is the luckiest girl in the world.ĥ. Stevie Wonder and Michael Eavis sing Happy Birthday to Glastonbury
Today, on your birthday, you are Beyoncé.Ĥ. Adele sings Happy Birthday to super fan, Dawn Or maybe you don’t have any friends and you’re alone on your birthday and just want a feel a little love from Matt Healy. Never mind you spent little less than a minute doing the research thanks to this A+ list – your mate will really appreciate it. These videos of them singing happy birthday are just so damn caring. So you need something relatable, heartwarming, original. And besides you don’t want them getting vengeful because they likely have ammo. If you’re a different kind of person, you dredge through your darkest photo albums to find the messiest photo of your mate, because nothing says true affection like public humiliation. You make a panicked scroll through your Instagram to find pictures of the two of you, and realise to your dismay how few selfies you’ve ever taken together. It’s that time of the week again. Your dear friend’s birthday has rolled around and you need something great to post on their Facebook wall.