In 1961 the Neil Sedaka song, \u201cHappy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen\u201d was a Top 10 smash hit. The catchy melody was written by Sedaka, with lyrics by Howard Greenfield (who also wrote \u201cBreaking Up Is Hard To Do\u201d and \u201cLove Will Keep Us Together\u201d). It\u2019s a classic that reminds most people of a much simpler time.<\/p>\n
The story contained within the song is so innocent and certainly not like anything you\u2019d hear on the radio today. A young man has watched his friend grow up over the years and now that she\u2019s reached her sweet sixteen he asks her to be his girlfriend. That kind of hopefulness in pop music wasn\u2019t at all unusual for the era, but it\u2019s a rarity to hear today.<\/p>\n
It was a time before the most turbulent years of the \u201960s when the golden age of the teenager was still in full swing. Sedaka\u2019s other songs of the era also had this feeling to them, even when the topic was a little less wholesome, like his \u201cOh, Carol\u201d about a woman who mistreats him.<\/p>\n
You can hear \u201cHappy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen\u201d once again in the video below from American Bandstand in 1964. It\u2019s hard to believe this song came out nearly 60 years ago!
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