'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' CBS/Screenshot
"The following video can be used by anybody, as long as they were born on a day," said the host, celebrating the song's move into the public domain.
Wednesday’s episode of The Late Show was one worth celebrating.
Not only was it the birthday of bandleader Jon Batiste, but it was also an opportunity for Stephen Colbert to commemorate the ruling that moved "Happy Birthday To You" into the public domain.
"Meaning now, everyone and anyone can sing the actual 'Happy Birthday To You' for free," he explained, as the song is reputed to make $2 million a year in royalties for Warner/Chappell.
Therefore, the Late Show host recruited Darlene Love for more than 1,200 versions of the song, each dubbed with a common name to make the special day's greeting much more personalized.
"The following video can be used by anybody, as long as they were born on a day," said Colbert.
All the videos are uploaded at LateShowBirthday.com, with the first video dedicated to Batiste.
Watch the video below.
The Late Show
