A Couple of Things – The Tune You Can’t Escape, and the Dish You Can’t Misplace
From the copyright battles of 'Happy Birthday' to the comforting duality of Dhansak, a reflection on how traditions and tastes carry more than what meets the ear or palate.
‘A Couple Of Things’ is a short write-up of literally a couple of things that catch my attention and get me into a reflective mode. It could be a well-written essay, a deep research into something outside the routine, a music discovery, a podcast find, a page-turner, or for that matter any evolving thought formats that show up on my digital scroll.
For this piece, I dive into copyrighting one of the most common tunes, and the duality of mourning and celebration through food. Read on!
“Happy Birthday to You”
During a conversation with a friend, I learnt of the ways young teens prefer to celebrate their birthdays today—or rather make their own plate from a legacy buffet. Some don’t want to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ as a group task. Some prefer to party hard with a large gathering of friends but cut the birthday cake in private with their families. The other viewpoint is around singing ‘Happy Birthday To You’ in a group. Some like to clap, some clap out of beat. Some jell with the group, some drift away solo without their realization. Someone I know once remarked, “Isn’t it the most annoying song ever? Everyone is out of tune.” It’s one of those songs that you can’t have someone not sing, nor can you take offence when someone sings out of tune. It’s just a clash of emotions, washing momentary disappointments in a bucket of happiness. One can’t help staying away from the melody and lyrics given it’s the most recognizable song in the English language according to Guinness World Records.
Reflecting on the melody and lyrics, ‘Happy Birthday’ was originally ‘Good Morning to All’, written by sisters, Mildred and Patty Hill in the year 1893 for a classroom recital. Improvisation took its course, and the birthday lyrics found its way into the Hills’ melody over the following decades. The lyrics, melody and title went through a range of copyright filings and acquisitions, which led to licensing fees being charged for every public performance of ‘Happy Birthday’ till as recent as a decade ago. A class action lawsuit was filed in 2013 against the then owner of the copyright—Warner/Chappell Music, and was ruled upon in 2016 by a U.S. Federal judge. The claims to the copyright couldn’t be established through the document trail and a time-travel of over 100 years, which made ‘Happy Birthday’ free for all. As a fan of music and birthday celebrations, you can sing ‘Happy Birthday’ for free, but if you ever decide to touch Stevie Wonder’s 1981 classic, your cheer comes with a royalty payout.
The Diversity of Duality
‘Duality’ has its place in the pages of literature, science, philosophy, theology etc., and is represented in diverse artistic styles and expressions. Back in April 2025, I was watching Pope Francis’ funeral on a Saturday afternoon, and later that evening, visited the 25th Ordination Anniversary of a priest who is a family friend. As part of the homily the priest friend addressed the obvious thought that would have crossed many minds—the dichotomy of celebration and mourning. He spoke of ‘gratitude’ as the bridge to harmonize the duality. Celebrating the anniversary on Pope’s funeral day was an opportunity to express gratitude for the Pope’s service, teachings and learnings; and on the other hand, it was an opportunity for the jubilarians to express gratitude to their ministries, and their loved ones for all the goodness and learnings they’ve experienced in the past 25 years, and a call for support as they march on.
Shifting screens, I chanced upon a social media post on the famous Parsi delicacy, Dhansak, which led me to this fine piece by Niloufer Mavalvala. It got me reflecting on the duality of food that can serve different roles at different times. Post the death of a loved one, the mourning period is observed by abstaining from meat for three days, and on the fourth day, Dhansak is served to break bread. Dhansak is never served at weddings but is a hearty Sunday indulgence with a chilled beer for company. It’s also a widely relished item in Parsi cafes across the world.
There are many variables of duality in food—good or bad food being the most basic one. The time between production and consumption of food is often layered with scientific justification to back the respective sides. Add to it, the flavour of subjectivity, and we have an icing that’s one with the cake. In such times, as the world continues to conspire, I’ll take the flavourful Dhansak for a hearty meal and slip into a sinful siesta.
Does ‘Happy Birthday’ have a tryst with duality? Ask Trevor Noah. Now, there’s one of a different kind—one that humours different scales.
Listen In
It’s a delightful harmony in celebration, produced by Julien Neel. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this track on Spotify to add to my playlist, but I’m going to get Julien into my Trove Of Tunes section very soon—maybe closer to Christmas. Till then, enjoy this, and share this as your birthday wish for your friends and loved ones. They wouldn’t see this coming, but you’ll be sure of a smile on their faces when they get this.
I’m forever on the lookout for tunes old and new,. You can check out my expanding Trove Of Tunes that I’m curating in a Spotify playlist.
Cheers,
Shri