Is “Happy Birthday” by Carlos Agassi a Song?

The issue wherein “Happy Birthday by Carlos Agassi is a song” is similar to many issues
in the past that have been debated and discussed if a certain composition qualifies to be a song
within various musical circles. While the traditional "Happy Birthday" song is universally
recognized and celebrated, Carlos Agassi's rendition adds a unique flavor to this classic tune. In
this position paper, it is argued that "Happy Birthday" by Carlos Agassi is indeed a song, albeit a
creative and personalized adaptation.

It is important to come to an understanding of a definition of what a song is before the

analysis. A song is generally understood to be a piece of music with melody and lyrics. It is a
form of artistic expression that skillfully combines words and music to tell tales, convey
messages, or evoke feelings according to copyrightuser.org (n.d.). With this established, “Happy
Birthday” by Carlos Agassi, by definition, is a song because it contains both melody and lyrics.
Carlos Agassi's "Happy Birthday" complies with the basic requirements of song structure. while
artistic expression on the other hand can be interpreted in different ways telling us that there are
no set rules on whether a piece is up to the standard of what constitutes an artistic expression.

In connection to that, “Happy Birthday” by Carlos Agassi is under and protected by

copyright. According to the US Copyright Office (n.d.), the copyright is created as soon as “a
sound recording is fixed, meaning that the sounds must be captured in a medium from which
they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated”. This may be “in a digital track,
disk, tape, or other formats”. In this case, “Happy Birthday” by Carlos Agassi is published on
platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, etc.

“Happy Birthday” by Carlos Agassi is also performed by a singer— Carlos Agassi as

mentioned, A singer, according to Cambridge Dictionary (2023) is “a person who sings,
especially. someone whose job is singing.” Carlos Agassi has produced, sung songs, and
published them publicly, this has earned him money for he published this as licensed content
once it has been out on platforms. With this in mind, “Happy Birthday” is not any different than
his other published songs such as “Problema”, “Tabi”, etc.

In conclusion, Carlos Agassi's "Happy Birthday" satisfies the requirements to be

categorized as a song. It includes melody, lyrics, and creative interpretation—the fundamental
components of a musical composition. The piece is also under copyright law under the musical
composition that is published, and along with Carlos Agassi’s other songs, “Happy Birthday”
falls under this as a singer. Thus, it is hereby declared in this paper that Carlos Agassi's "Happy
Birthday" is, in fact, a song.

References

About Public Domain – Easy Song Help Center. (2023, January 6). Easy Song Help Center.

Retrieved December 7, 2023, from

https://support.easysong.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053279134-About-Public-Domain

Cambridge Dictionary. (2023, November 29). SINGER | definition in the Cambridge English

Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/singer

Carlos Agassi. (n.d.). Spotify. Retrieved December 7, 2023, from

https://open.spotify.com/artist/227OIt25gjpZqLOVawA63Q

1. What constitutes a song? - CopyrightUser. (n.d.). Copyright User. Retrieved December 7,

2023, from

https://www.copyrightuser.org/create/creative-process/going-for-a-song-track-1/

U.S. Copyright Office. (n.d.). Copyright in General (FAQ). U.S. Copyright Office. Retrieved

December 6, 2023, from https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html