Happy Birthday (Concrete Blonde song)

"Happy Birthday" is a song from American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde, which was released in 1989 as the second single from their second studio album Free. The song was written and produced by the band.

"Happy Birthday"
Single by Concrete Blonde
from the album Free
Released	1989
Length	2:18
Label	I.R.S.
Songwriter(s)	Concrete Blonde
Producer(s)	Concrete Blonde
Concrete Blonde singles chronology
"God Is a Bullet" (1989) "Happy Birthday" (1989) "Scene of a Perfect Crime" (1989)

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Jane Simpson. It was shot in an apartment in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The footage is interspersed with animated drawings.^[1]

Critical reception

On its release in the UK, Robert Sloman of the Staines & Ashford News described "Happy Birthday" as "original and hummable" and praised Concrete Blonde as "one of Los Angeles' finest rock bands".^[2] Chris Willman of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "This cheerful-sounding song, one of the year's catchiest, is really about an unhappy birthday, but Napolitano – writing about spending the night of her own 30th at home alone – is following in the great rock 'n' roll tradition of making feeling bad sound good. It's the best pop birthday song since the Beatles took a crack at it, and a little more substantive, too."^[1]

In a review of Free, Steve Hochman of the Los Angeles Times described the song as "guilelessly Beatlesque" and a song about "remembering and/or looking forward to better times".^[3] David Okamoto of the St. Petersburg Times commented, "Napolitano shows a playful sense of irony on 'Happy Birthday,' a deceivingly tuneful ditty about a poor woman who celebrates her birthday in a tenement apartment by listening to the radio and the cats in the alley."^[4] Mark Lepage of The Montreal Gazette wrote, "The music [on Free] has a particularly L.A. feel, half beauty and half grit that sticks to you in the heat, typified by 'Happy Birthday,' one of those perfect marriages of melody and rock 'n' roll consummated in just over two minutes."^[5]

Formats

7-inch single (UK, Europe, Canada and Australia)^[6][7][8][9]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Happy Birthday"	2:18
2.	"Run, Run, Run"	3:59

7-inch single (Canada promo)^[10]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Happy Birthday"	2:18
2.	"Happy Birthday"	2:18

Cassette single (Australia)^[11]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Happy Birthday"	2:18
2.	"Run, Run, Run"	3:59

12-inch single (UK and Europe) and CD single (UK and Germany)^{[12][13][14][15]}

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Happy Birthday"	2:18
2.	"Run, Run, Run"	3:59
3.	"Free"	3:11

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK CD single liner notes and the Free CD album booklet.^[14][16]

"Happy Birthday"

• Johnette Napolitano – vocals
• Jim Mankey – guitars
• Allan Bloch – bass
• Harry Rushakoff – drums

Production

• Concrete Blonde – producers (all tracks)
• Earle Mankey – recording (all tracks), producer ("Free")
• Chris Tsangarides – mixing (all tracks)

Other

• Anne Sperling – photography
• Johnette Napolitano – sleeve design

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA Charts)^[17]	81
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[18]	82

References

1. Willman, Chris (November 19, 1989). "Neneh Cherry's 'Manchild' tops among music videos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
2. Sloman, Robert (April 27, 1989). "This is a group to see". Staines & Ashford News. p. 29.
3. Hochman, Steve (April 16, 1989). "'Free' lacks explosive firepower, heart". Los Angeles Times. p. 66.
4. Okamoto, David (May 14, 1989). "Recordings: Concrete Blonde takes flight in 'Free'". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2F.
5. Lepage, Mark (August 10, 1989). "Record Roundup: Heir apparent Ziggy a step closer to reggae throne". The Gazette. p. B-5.
6. Happy Birthday (UK 7-inch single sleeve notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. EIRS 105.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. Happy Birthday (European 7-inch single sleeve notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. 006 24 1004 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. Happy Birthday (Canadian 7-inch single sleeve notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. 73001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. Happy Birthday (Australian 7-inch single sleeve notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. 102096 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. Happy Birthday (Canadian 7-inch promotional single sleeve notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. 73001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. Happy Birthday (Australian cassette single liner notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. 102096 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. Happy Birthday (UK 12-inch single sleeve notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. EIRST 105.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
13. Happy Birthday (European 12-inch single sleeve notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. 060 24 1004 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
14. Happy Birthday (UK CD single liner notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. EIRSCD105, CDP 241004 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. Happy Birthday (German CD single liner notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. 560-24 1004 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
16. Free (US CD album liner notes). Concrete Blonde. I.R.S. Records. 1989. IRSD-82001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
17. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
18. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6425." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 7, 2022.