2003 DECEMBER 31 #365
Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians- Fo Fum Fi Fee and New Happy Birthday Song/Happy Birthday Song
Not satisfied with being known as "The Man Who Taught America to Sing" or for having improved and marketed the first consumer mixer, the Waring Blendor, bandleader and choralist Fred Waring decided that the world needed a New Birthday Song. Luckily the fine folks at Minnesota Valley Canning Company ( Green Giant to you and me) gave ol' Fred the opportunity with this 1949 ruby-red promotional 6 1/2 inch 78.
From soon after Mr. Waring's introduction of the Big Green Guy on side one to the end of side two this give-away attempts to replace the traditional "Happy Birthday To You" with Fred's own choral-friendly composition. Simultaneously published as sheet music, F.W. really had high hopes for the success of this ditty (or maybe just the song writing royalties) extolling the virtues of this tune for use not only as a birthday sing-a-long for little Jimmy, but as an anniversary song as well. (Could Bar Mitzvahs, graduations and funerals be far behind? " Happy, Happy Burial Day!!"). Unfortunately as we all know this stroke of marketing genius failed to gel with the public at large and to this day we're stuck with the familiar birthday dirge.
Years later Fred tried once again to teach America to sing his new song, this time for the holiday crowd, by incorporating the Happy Birthday Song into his version of "Ring Those Christmas Bells". Merry, Merry Christmas....Happy, Happy New Year!
- Glen Mullaly
TT-3:30 / 3.2MB / 128kbps 44.1khz
Audio Transfer by Uncle Bri
(Images courtesy of Glen Mullaly and Uncle Bri)