
Moreover, music also helps ease one’s mind.
It helps the mind release serotonin, a brain chemical that induces happiness.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG STEVIE WONDER DRIVER. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG STEVIE WONDER HOW TO. TV networks, NFL’s hypocrisy damaging to racial equalityĭemocrats vow to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with policy pushĭr. Reinventing the “Happy Birthday” song is kind of like reinventing the “ABC’s.”īut that’s exactly what the genius of Stevie Wonder accomplished with his “Happy Birthday” classic that became the anthem of the movement to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday. The song - with its jubilant “Happy birthday to ya!” chorus - has been sung at countless birthday celebrations in the 40 years since it was released as a single in 1981 after first appearing on Wonder’s 1980 album “Hotter Than July.”īut the R&B legend gave perhaps the most important performance of the tribute tune at a Washington, DC rally he spearheaded, which was held on King’s birthday, Jan. More than 25,000 people descended upon the National Mall, marching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument in the quest for MLK Day. In his speech delivered that day, Wonder said, “We ought to have a way to honor this human being and reaffirm the ideals he lived and died for. Jesse Jackson and Martin Luther King III - Wonder made his biggest statement when he sang “Happy Birthday.” King was a champion for justice and liberty.”īut for many in attendance - including African-American stars such as Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and Gil Scott-Heron, as well as civil rights activists such as the Rev.ĭesignating his birthday a national holiday would create an event for all Americans, for Dr. If you listen closer beyond that rousing chorus, it’s clear that the lyrics were written with Martin Luther King Jr. in mind: “You know it doesn’t make much sense/ There ought to be a law against/ Anyone who takes offense/ At a day in your celebration.”Īnd at that rally in 1981, the celebration was on. “It was the first time I’d heard the song actually,” said Athelia Knight, 70, who covered the rally for the Washington Post. I guess people who had heard it before knew the words already. Singing “Happy Birthday,” Wonder united the predominantly black crowd in song - and in the mission.