5 Happy Birthday Songs from the 1980s

Today is our birthday! On this day three years ago, we launched the80sand90s.com and our flagship podcast, The 80s and 90s Uncensored. Our mission was to entertain, inform, and build community. We’ve grown quite a bit since then and have become active, esteemed members of larger retro-nostalgia society. Its been a blast and we have no plans to slow down.

Check out Milo and I getting meta as we do a podcast retrospective about a retro podcast that retrospects. 😕

Anyhoo, what better way to celebrate our birthday than with five songs from the 1980s about birthdays? Have a listen, learn a thing or two about 1980s music history, and celebrate our “happy birthday” with us!

Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder (1980)

This might be the quintessential happy birthday song played on people’s special day throughout the world, but it was originally dedicated to one man: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The great Stevie Wonder was a major campaigner for the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day to commemorate the birthday of the renowned civil rights leader. Stevie wrote and produced this single to publicize the cause. The song was released on his “Hotter Than July” album in 1980.

Stevie Wonder would continue to rally for the holiday along with supporters. It worked! On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan made the holiday official. Now school children who learn about him in class love MLK even more because they get the third Monday of January off every year.

In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Stevie Wonder the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his contributions to music and his activism.

Happy Birthday - Altered Images (1981)

Who doesn’t like a warm bath and nice, nice nights on their birthday? I just want to know what was in the dark cupboard that gave Clare Grogan such a fright. Another 1980s staple for birthday parties around the world, “Happy Birthday” was released in 1981 by Scottish post-punk band Altered Images.

The single was released on the band’s debut album of the same name, produced by Martin Rushent. Martin was well known in 1981 music, having also produced for The Human League. He would be named Producer of the Year at the BPI Awards in 1981.

Clare Grogan was also busy that year with an acting career. She appeared in the critically acclaimed film "Gregory's Girl". She continued her acting after the band’s breakup in 1983 with roles in television shows like "Red Dwarf" and "EastEnders." Claire is also a prolific writer, contributing to a number of publications over the years. In 2008, she wrote a children’s novel called “Tallulah and the Teenstars”.

Happy Birthday - Weird Al Yankovic (1983)

If you want a morbidly comedic song to celebrate a birthday, Weird Al Yankovic has the perfect ditty for you. “Happy Birthday” was released on Weird Al’s debut album, simply titled “Weird Al” Yankovic. The song is upbeat in tone but grim in substance, outlining melancholy subjects such as abjection, nuclear war, and the earth eventually being swallowed by the sun. Unlike most of Yankovic’s music which parodies other works, he wrote this as a stand-alone song and described it as a "severely twisted version" of a birthday tune. He styled the song in the vain of a favorite musician, Tonio K.

Other parodies in the album are based on singles by The Knack, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, Toni Basil, and Queen. Yankovic's debut album was also the only one where the accordion was used on every song. To promote the album, Weird Al toured for three weeks with radio personality Dr. Demento.

Unhappy Birthday - The Smiths (1987)

If you know of someone having a birthday you hate, “Unhappy Birthday” by The Smiths is perfect to wish them unwell. The song revolves around themes of unrequited love and the pain of seeing someone you desire with someone else. In this spiteful yet catchy hymn, Morrissey wishes an unhappy birthday to the subject, “cause you're evil. And you lie. And you should die.”

Ouch.

This song was released on The Smiths’ album “Strangeways, Here We Come”, which was their last studio album before breaking up. The album made multiple charts and was critically acclaimed, ending The Smiths short career as a band with accolades. The dark tone of this birthday tune is in line with other tracks on the album including “Girlfriend in a Coma” and “Death of a Disco Dancer”.

Birthday - The Sugarcubes (1987)

Icelandic band The Sugarcubes released "Birthday" as a single in 1987, later including it in their debut album, “Life's Too Good” in 1988. The song was a runaway indie hit. Attaining worldwide recognition, The Sugarcubes performed the song on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Matthew Broderick, on October 15, 1988. You know you’ve done well if you are invited to SNL, especially for a foreign language act.

Before her successful solo career, The Sugarcubes were fronted by Björk. “Birthday” highlights her quirky, powerful vocals. The original version is performed entirely in Icelandic, which is part of its charm. But if you want a feel for what its about, the translation includes balloons, firecrackers, laughter, clowns, poets, and coffee. The lyrics are as upbeat and eccentric as the tempo, so fear not sending this tune to someone you like.

What do you think about these “happy birthday” songs from the 1980s? Are there any you would put on this list? If so, let me know in the comments below. With that, I leave you with this quote by the great Jerry Seinfeld:

“You know you’re getting old when you get that one candle on the cake. It’s like, ‘see if you can blow this out.’”

— Jerry Seinfeld