We can sing “Happy Birthday to You” because we learned the melody and lyrics through repetition. Popular songs are written with this in mind. I wonder how many of these sheet music songs you sing automatically:
The Star-Spangled Banner (1814)
Silent Night (1818)
Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms (1823)
Home Sweet Home (1823)
Billy Boy (1824)
My Country Tis of Thee (1832)
Long Long Ago (1833)
Woodman Spare That Tree (1837)
Columbia, Gem of the Ocean (1843)
Old Dan Tucker (1843)
Buffalo Gals (1844)
Ben Bolt (1848)
Oh Susanna (1848)
Gwine To Run All Night (Camptown Races) 1850
The Old Folks At Home (Swanee River) 1851
My Old Kentucky Home (1853)
Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair (1854)
Listen to the Mockingbird (1855)
Darling Nelly Gray (1856)
The Yellow Rose of Texas (1858)
Jingle Bells (1859)
Pop Goes the Weazel (1859)
Dixie (1860)
Old Black Joe (1860)
Maryland My Maryland (1861)
The Battle Cry of Freedom (1862)
The Battle Hymn of the Republic (1862)
Swing Low Sweet Chariot (1862)
When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1863)
Beautiful Dreamer (1864)
Der Deitcher’s Dog (Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone) 1864
Tramp Tramp Tramp (1864)
Down By the Riverside (1865)
Marching Through Georgia (1865)
When You and I Were Young Maggie (1866)
Sweet By and By (1867)
The Flying Trapeze (1868)
Whispering Hope (1868)
The Little Brown Jug (1869)
Shew Fly Don’t Bother Me (1869)
Sweet Genevieve (1869)
The Old Oaken Bucket (1870)
The Little Old Cabin in the Lane (1871)
Reuben and Rachel (1871)
Home On the Range (1873)
Silver Threads Among the Gold (1873)
Grandfathers Clock (1876)
I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen (1876)
Carry Me Back To Old Virginny (1878)
Fountain in the Park (1884)
Love’s Old Sweet Song (1884)
Oh My Darling Clementine (1884)
Rock-a-bye Baby (1886)
Where Did You Get That Hat (1888)
Oh Promise Me (1890)
Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (1891)
Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay (1891)
There is a Tavern in the Town (1891)
After the Ball (1892)
Daisy Bell (1892)
Sweetest Story Ever Told (1892)
Cat Came Back (1893)
Say Au Revoir But Not Goodbye (1893)
When the Roll is Called Up Yonder (1893)
I Don’t Want To Play in Your Yard (1894)
I’ve Been Working on the Railroad (Folk)
The Sidewalks of New York (1894)
America the Beautiful (1895)
The Band Played On (1895)
A Hot Time In The Old Town (1896)
Red River Valley (1896)
Sweet Rosie O’Grady (1896)
When the Saints Go Marching In (1896)
All Through the Night (1897)
Beautiful Isle of Somewhere (1897)
On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away (1897)
When You Were Sweet Sixteen (1898)
Who Threw the Overalls In Mrs. Murphys’ Chowder (1898)
Hearts and Flowers (1899)
Hello Ma Baby (1899)
My Wild Irish Rose (1899)
You Tell Me Your Dream I’ll Tell You Mine (1899)
Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come (1902)
Glow Worm (1902)
In the Good Old Summer Time (1902)
Under the Bamboo Tree (1902)
Ida Sweet as Apple Cider (1903)
Sweet Adeline (1903)
Give My Regards to Broadway (1904)
Goodbye My Lady Love (1904)
Meet Me in St. Louis Louis (1904)
Yankee Doodle Boy (1904)
In My Merry Oldsmobile (1905)
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (1905)
My Gal Sal (1905)
Wait till the Sun Shines Nellie (1905)
Anchors Aweigh (1906)
You’re a Grand Old Flag (1906)
Harrigan (1907)
Red Wing (1907)
School Days (1907)
Cuddle Up a Little Closer (1908)
Shine On Harvest Moon (1908)
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1908)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1909)
Casey Jones (1909)
Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly (1909)
I’ve Got Rings on my Fingers (1909)
I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now (1909)
My Pony Boy (1909)
Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet (1909)
The Whiffenpoof Song (1909)
Come Josephine On My Flying Machine (1910)
Down By the Old Mill Stream (1910)
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1910)
Mother Machree (1910)
Put Your Arms Around Me (1910)
Some of these Days (1910)
Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1911)
I Want A Girl (1911)
Oh You Beautiful Doll (1911)
Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (1911)
Its a Long Long Way To Tipperary (1912)
My Melancholy Baby (1912)
Moonlight Bay (1912)
Peg O My Heart (1912)
Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1912)
Waiting for the Robert E Lee (1912)
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1912)
Ballin’ the Jack (1913)
Danny Boy (1913)
He’d Have To Get Out and Get Under (1913)
Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (1913)
Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1913)
You Made Me Love You (1913)
Aba Daba Honeymoon (1914)
By the Beautiful Sea (1914)
St. Louis Blues (1914)
When You Wore a Tulip (1914)
Alabama Jubilee (1915)
Memories (1915)
Pack Up Your Troubles (1915)
If You Were the Only Girl (1916)
Pretty Baby (1916)
There’s a Long Long Trail (1916)
The Bells of St. Mary’s (1917)
Darktown Strutter’s Ball (1917)
For Me and My Gal (1917)
Hail Hail the Gang’s All Here (1917)
Indiana (1917)
Oh Johnny Oh Johnny Oh (1917)
Over There (1917)
Smiles (1917)
Hinky Dinky Parley Vous (1918)
I’m Always Chasing Rainbows (1918)
Ja Da (1918)
K-K-K-Katie (1918)
Somebody Stole My Gal (1918)
Till We Meet Again (1918)
A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody (1919)
I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles (1919)
Let the Rest of the World Go By (1919)
Marine’s Hymn (1919)
Swanee (1919)
I’ll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time (1920)
Look For the Silver Lining (1920)
Margie (1920)
When My Baby Smiles At Me (1920)
Ain’t We Got Fun (1921)
April Showers (1921)
Caissons Go Rolling Along (1921)
I’m Just Wild About Harry (1921)
Ma He’s Making Eyes At Me (1921)
Peggy O’Neil (1921)
The Sheik of Araby (1921)
There’ll Be Some Changes Made (1921)
Carolina in the Morning (1922)
Dreamy Melody (1922)
I’ll Build a Stairway To Paradise (1922)
Toot Toot Tootsie (1922)
Trees (1922)
Last Night on the Back Porch (1923)
That Old Gang of Mine (1923)
Who’s Sorry Now (1923)
Yes We Have No Bananas (1923)
California, Here I Come (1924)
Doodle Doo Doo (1924)
Ill See You in My Dreams (1924)
It Had to be You (1924)
Nobody’s Sweetheart Now (1924)
Tea For Two (1924)
Always (1925)
Angry (1925)
Cecelia (1925)
Dinah (1925)
Five Foot Two (1925)
If You Knew Suzie (1925)
I Love My Baby My Baby Loves Me (1925)
Manhattan (1925)
Moonlight and Roses (1925)
Sleepy time Gal (1925)
Sweet Georgia Brown (1925)
Yes Sir That’s My Baby (1925)
Baby Face (1926)
Bye Bye Blackbird (1926)
Gimme a Little Kiss (1926)
Heart of My Heart (1926)
Mary Lou (1926)
When the Red Red Robin (1926)
Ain’t She Sweet (1927)
Blue Skies (1927)
Girl of My Dreams (1927)
I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover (1927)
Me and My Shadow (1927)
My Blue Heaven (1927)
Ol’ Man River (1927)
Side By Side (1927)
Button Up Your Overcoat (1928)
Carolina Moon (1928)
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (1928)
I’ll Get By (1928)
I Wanna Be Loved By You (1928)
Ramona (1928)
Sweet Lorraine (1928)
Sweet Sue (1928)
When You’re Smiling (1928)
Am I Blue (1929)
Happy Days Are Here Again (1929)
Louise (1929)
Puttin’ On the Ritz (1929)
Singing in the Rain (1929)
Tiptoe Through the Tulips (1929)
Wedding Bells (1929)
You Were Meant For Me (1929)
Embraceable You (1930)
Lazy River (1930)
Sunny Side of the Street (1930)
Walking My Baby Back Home (1930)
All of Me (1931)
As Time Goes By (1931)
Dancing in the Dark (1931)
Good Night Sweetheart (1931)
Heartaches (1931)
A Shanty in Old Shanty Town (1932)
Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? (1933)
Easter Parade (1933)
It’s Only a Paper Moon (1933)
It’s the Talk of the Town (1933)
All I Do Is Dream of You (1934)
Anything Goes (1934)
Beer Barrel Polka (1934)
Blue Moon (1934)
When I Grow Too Old To Dream (1934)
Winter Wonderland (1934)
It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie (1935)
Red Sails in the Sunset (1935)
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (1935)
Goodnight Irene (1936)
The Glory of Love (1936)
Pennies From Heaven (1936)
Smile (1954)
Back in the Saddle Again (1940)
Blueberry Hill (1940)
You Are My Sunshine (1940)
Chattanooga Choo Choo (1941)
Deep in the Heart of Texas (1941)
Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (1942)
That Old Black Magic (1942)
Bell Bottom Trousers (1943)
Oh What a Beautiful Morning (1943)
Oklahoma (1943)
People Will Say We’re In Love (1943)
Surrey with the Fringe on Top (1943)
You’ll Never Know (1943)
Accentuate the Positive (1944)
Don’t Fence Me In (1944)
Dream (1944)
Sentimental Journey (1944)
Cruising Down the River (1945)
Gypsy (1945)
If I Loved You (1945)
It Might as Well Be Spring (1945)
It’s Been a Long Long Time (1945)
It’s a Grand Night For Singing (1945)
Sioux City Sue (1945)
Till the End of Time (1945)
The Old Lamplighter (1946)
To Each His Own (1946)
You Call Everybody Darling (1946)
Autumn Leaves (1947)
Buttons and Bows (1947)
Galway Bay (1947)
Red Roses for a Blue Lady (1948)
The Tennessee Waltz (1948)
Frosty the Snowman (1950)
Music Music Music (1950) Put Another Nickel In
Getting To Know You (1951)
I Whistle a Happy Tune (1951)
Fly Me To the Moon (1954)
Happy Wanderer (1954)
I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1954)
I Could Have Danced All Night (1956)
Love Me Tender (1956)
Seventy Six Trombones (1957)
Till There Was You (1957)
Climb Every Mountain (1959)
Do Re Mi (1959)
The Sound of Music (1959)
Moon River (1961)
Hello Dolly (1963)
King of the Road (1964)
Yesterday (1965)
Cabaret (1966)
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (1969)
Sing, Sing a Song (1971)
This Land Is Your Land
Summertime
It Ain’t Necessarily So
The Battle of New Orleans
The Teddy Bears’ Picnic
In the Gloaming
Many of these were taken from a sing-along booklet published by Midwest Music Publishers. It is quite enjoyable to find YouTube videos of entertainers singing in the retirement homes, for Alzheimer’s patients, at senior citizens birthday parties, etc. They sing popular songs like these and folksongs that most people used to know. Often, they accompany themselves on piano, guitar or use a karaoke setup. Our song pages with MIDIs are a good reference for these performers.
