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45 single, Side A. Monument (45-897) (1965)
Image credit: plerner at 45cat.com
"Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" is a single by Dolly Parton. It was released on August 30, 1965, by Monument Records as Dolly's second single for the label. The A-side is a cover of the 1957 hit song by the Tune Weavers. It was written by Margo Sylvia and Gilbert Lopez, while the B-side was written by Dolly and her uncle Bill Owens. The single was produced by Ray Stevens. The single was Dolly's most successful up that point, peaking at number 108 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.

Track listing

Side A
  • Happy, Happy Birthday Baby (Margo Sylvia, Gilbert Lopez) 2:17
Side B
  • Old Enough to Know Better (Too Young to Resist) (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:04

Background

Prior to the release of this single in August 1965, Dolly had released four singles, none of which charted. Her first single for Monument, "What Do You Think About Lovin'", had  been released in November 1964 and had failed to chart or even be reviewed by any music publications. Fred Foster was still trying to market Dolly as a pop singer, so for this second single it was decided Dolly would cover the Tune Weavers 1965 hit "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby". Foster handed over the role of producer for this single to Ray Stevens, who had recently joined Monument Records as a producer. He had also played on Dolly's 1962 Mercury Records single, "It's Sure Gonna Hurt".
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Billboard advertisement, September 25, 1965.

Recording

Both sides of the single were recorded on June 24, 1965, at Fred Foster Sound Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dolly's vocal from this 1965 recording of "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" would be used to create a duet with Willie Nelson for the 1982 compilation album, The Winning Hand.

Critical reception

Billboard reviewed the single in their September 11, 1965 issue and predicted it would reach the top 60 of the Hot 100 chart. Taking note that the A-side is a cover of the Tune Weavers' 1957 number five Hot 100 hit, the review said that this "revival of the oldie should spiral up the chart." They described the track as having a "wailing vocal and slow beat backing" and felt that it has "the ingredients of a smash."
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Billboard review, September 11, 1965.
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Billboard advertisement, September 4, 1965.
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Billboard advertisement, October 9, 1965.

Commercial performance

The single peaked at number 108 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart dated October 16, 1965. It was Dolly's most successful single up to that point and her first to appear on a Billboard chart.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the single labels.
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • ​Ray Stevens – producer