Today (June 20), Brian Wilson, the co-founder of the Beach Boys and one of the most respected songwriters and musicians of his time, turns 80 years old. To mark the occasion, Wilson shared a birthday tribute video, featuring clips of multiple musicians paying homage to his new octogenarian status.
A number of folks feature in the clip, including Questlove, Fleet Foxes, Elton John, She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), Chuck D, John Cusack, David Crosby, Jeff Bridges, and Al Jardine. The video ends with Bob Dylan performing a simple voice-and-acoustic-guitar rendition of one of the most timeless songs in music history: “Happy Birthday To You.”
Per Setlist.fm, Dylan has actually performed “Happy Birthday” in a live setting a handful of times (eight, to be precise) over the years, first in 1981 and most recently (save for this new video) in 2010.
The song’s origins are in 1893, with sisters Mildred (a pianist and composer) and Patty Hill (a teacher) publishing a song called “Good Morning To All,” which had the familiar “Happy Birthday” melody (although the claim that the sisters composed the tune has been disputed). The melody was first recorded with the “Happy Birthday” lyrics in 1912.
Check out the Wilson tribute video above.
