Birthday Tunes

Hurting your ears with birthday fervor.

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I recently mortified an undergraduate by having the entire class sing her “Happy Birthday.” The reward? They all could leave class early. I didn’t anticipate, however, how horrific we would all sound. The guy with the lowest voice starting us off didn’t help any. Really. It was awful.

It’s pretty hilarious how poor it can sound when a bunch of us try and sing Happy Birthday to one another. The more the merrier at the party, but don’t count on the serenade to sound so hot.

Have you seen, though, the American Cancer Society’s campaign built around the idea of giving people more birthdays? Their tagline right now is, “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays.” There are several videos available with famous folks singing the Happy Birthday song (ranging from Deborah Harry to Justin Bieber or Weezer to Incubus).

Here’s a particularly soulful version from Jennifer Hudson. Yeah, when I sing in someone’s voicemail, I sound just like this!

A Bolton Birthday for You.

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American Greetings has announced a new “chart-topping birthday experience” featuring Grammy Award winning crooner Michael Bolton. Yes, you can order a video ecard featuring the singer of such hits as “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?”

The greeting card company has created a customized birthday song where Bolton sings personalized lyrics drawing “over 1,000 pre-recorded names, including endearments and titles like ‘Honey’ and ‘Buddy,’” plus you select from one of 17 messages.

How are we supposed to live without Bolton making a birthday cake, singing with a helium voice and crooning to a cow and chicken. Bolton is clearly willing to be silly (for quite a pay check one can bet).

The company’s creative director is quoted in the release stating, “we thought ‘what could be bigger and more epic than Michael Bolton singing a song just for you?’”

Uhm, I can think of a few things. Bet you can too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoSolwPmACk&ytsession=IEBLMqg5XIqLGT-tANj2yZQdKShgTRji1Ol8I_tzJlkH-LfjPHMAbvS4ptEEE3z2nnv4lHkjEkPasDjW7akorqxDTnglwEWczVwklQKhGrtY2OZGOuqGZCPymd5tM9RWZ3RYSEOCwe-AT7-3BHgG5-I-v7OGaOdz7fC35qL-5FjFqbl6Rgv6Te9GBT3EL-ia5g4ICTwrmfFcIgjvthFmGXr8jf0t8S-jRuRpaABr52rz_yrVfZzh4L9vZ80M3uXLzfK139njPXYMQdYL_WY86Ma5c3ZoOA0cVyHwJocGYZboMZaY7xBZJYDLMtJu38sQmRxz3KdJIvQ

Sexing Up Birthdays

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I have nothing against Katy Perry. Really. Every time I hear her song “Firework” I have happy memories of roller skating with a dear near-niece and participating in a flash mob.

As a birthday enthusiast I was thrilled to hear a new birthday song on the radio. Making it like my birthday every day? Sign me up!

The lyrics video is clever, too.

 

There’s a nod in the song to the breathless Marilyn Monroe wishing a Happy Birthday to JFK.  That’s the kind of sensuality I can appreciate.  But, seeing how she incorporates the song into her live concerts just makes me feel like a prude.  There’s bumping and grinding around stripper pole-like birthday candles.  Plus, she strips down from a raincoat into a bedazzled bodysuit and invites an audience member onstage to cozy up to.  This takes girl jumping out of birthday cake to a whole new level.

I’d rather a rousing birthday song like this one from the Beatles that gets up every one up and happy (and I mean up & dancing, not the kind of “up” Perry’s going for in concert).

Bring on more of these!