Singing “Happy Birthday,” Wonder united the predominantly black crowd in song - and in the mission. I guess people who had heard it before knew the words already. “It was the first time I’d heard the song actually,” said Athelia Knight, 70, who covered the rally for the Washington Post. 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. If you listen closer beyond that rousing chorus, it’s clear that the lyrics were written with Martin Luther King Jr. 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.
Designating his birthday a national holiday would create an event for all Americans, for Dr. 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. More than 25,000 people descended upon the National Mall, marching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument in the quest for MLK Day. 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. 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.
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