“Happy Birthday” is a 1981 single by Scottish New Wave band, Altered Images. It is the title track from the band’s debut album. The song peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart. It is my favorite “birthday” song.

“Happy Birthday” by Altered Images
from the album, Happy Birthday (1981)
Song of the Day

“Happy Birthday.
Happy Birthday.”

The track was produced by Martin Rushent, who also produced The Human League the same year, and went on to produce the band’s second album, Pinky Blue. “Happy Birthday” was the only song on their debut album that Rushent produced. (from Wikipedia)

My first initial music-memory this song elicits is the John Hughes’ film, Sixteen Candles, a movie I would first see while on vacation with my Grandmother on Catalina Island.

Those opening notes of “Happy Birthday” always remind me of the movie and my lifetime love of Molly Ringwald.

So, today is my birthday. My 50th. A big year, no doubt. As a present to myself, I’ve decided to relaunch Lyriquediscorde. I really did think it was over, but my obsessions with music and movies and books and TV, and writing about them – well that’s just never going to be over.

There will be some changes. It will no longer be music-focused, though music will always play a big part. There will be more personal posts, more memoir-type essays, as well as posts that focus on bigger themes. That said, I will still be sharing my songs of the day, as well as my Top 5 music obsessions of the day, along with movies of the day, Top 5 weekly lists, playlists, and some of the other special features that have been here since I started this space a little over eight years ago. I hope you stick around for the changes and participate by sharing your thoughts and reactions in the comments.

Altered Images were an early 80’s Scottish New Wave/Post-Punk band fronted by Clare Grogan. The band had six UK Top 40 hits during their career, between the years of 1981-1983. (from Wikipedia)

Altered Images

Their big hits included today’s Song of the Day – “Happy Birthday“, “I Could Be Happy” (my all-time favorite track of theirs), “See Those Eyes”, and “Don’t Talk To Me About Love”.

“Happy Birthday” (live, 1981) by Altered Images

If you like what you hear with “Happy Birthday“, and if this is your first Altered Images song, check-out the entire album Happy Birthday. Some of my favorite tracks (besides this one) are “A Days Wait”, “Faithless”, and “Midnight”.

Happy Birthday was Altered Images debut album. Released in 1981, it featured today’s Song of the Day – “Happy Birthday” – the band’s biggest ever hit. The album reached #26 in the UK Album Charts and was certified Silver by the BPI for sales in excess of 60,000 copies. (from Wikipedia)

I used to have the album on vinyl. I remember finding it in a bin at Music Market, one of my favorite record stores in the ’80s. They had an amazing “Import” section full of so much New Wave and Post-Punk music (my go-to/favorite music genre in my teen years). It was a few years after its release, in 1985, I believe, when I first found the album and made it my own.

The album was re-issued on 180-gram black vinyl LP with a bonus 7″ on red vinyl, in 2016, and then again in 2017, for Record Store Day, this time on 180-gram black vinyl with additional tracks. I’d love to get my hands on either of these re-releases or at least a copy of the original release that I once had.

I love how the album starts and ends with pieces of the song “Happy Birthday” (“Intro: Happy Birthday” and “Outro: Happy Birthday”). This makes Altered Images Happy Birthday one of the best choices of albums to listen to on my birthday today – thank you for that, Altered Images.

I wrote about today’s Song of the Day – “Happy Birthday” back in 2014, as well. You can go back in time and check it out here.

What is your favorite birthday song?