Happy Birthday

This past weekend, I was at a birthday party. I love birthdays. I love getting together with friends, acting crazy, playing random games, having an excuse to eat recklessly, and relishing in the excitement of surprise presents. But there's one thing that I LOVE about birthdays, and one thing that I HATE.

I love love love cake. I've mentioned this before: I am the fat kid who loves cake.

I hate hate hate the 2 minutes prior to cutting the cake: singing the birthday song.

I swear to freaking God, I don't remember the last time I was at a birthday party and people actually sang the Happy Birthday song decently. IS IT THAT HARD? I know that a lot of people claim they are tone deaf and can't sing, but I feel like they're just making excuses. It's as if they think they can't sing therefore don't even bother trying to keep a tune. Every time I have to sing the Happy Birthday song, aside from whenever we sang it choir, it somehow feels wrong to sing it in tune because everyone else is so off tune it makes my ears want to fall off and rot away. I always end up mumbling the song in tune.

Has it always been this way? 50 years ago, did people stand around lighted candles and sing very very off tune? When did people [not you necessarily, the individual, but people as a collective whole] become incapable of holding a simple tune? Most people can sing Mary Had a Little Lamb, right? Is the Birthday Song harder to sing?

I understand most people don't sing much because they don't think they can , but just try it. Try to sing Happy Birthday in tune. Please? I promise it's not that hard. If you find it hard, let me know. I would love to help.