You miss the point. I am in no way attacking people who can’t sing it right, I’m accusing people of deliberately making an utter hash of it, for reasons I’m not clear about. To whatever extent people are genuinely unable to do any better, I harbor no contempt. I just flat-out don’t believe that that high a percent of the people I’ve heard “singing” happy birthday can possibly be that bad at it natively.
Regards back at ya,
AHunter3
The “bad cat” is way worse than I’ve ever heard anyone sing Happy Birthday, by an order of magnitude. The second cat is better than what I’d do.
Here’s my cat. I think that’s probably on the bad side as cats go, but within a standard deviation.
I completely disagree that people sing Happy Birthday worse than they do anything else they do maybe once a year.
This thread, to me, is like someone complaining that the average person can’t juggle.
Remember, though, that this was like my fourth take or so, I got to choose the key, and I am not distracted by other singers.
I just remembered, I have a recording with me from nine years ago (I’m recording on the camera, so my voice is the main one), singing it. I’m really not trying to purposely trash the song. And I’m pretty sure my mom isn’t trying to trash it, either. That’s what it sounds like when I sing spontaneously, and when I don’t have the luxury of singing by myself and four takes or more to get it right. I think we both can agree that that is absolutely horrendous.
OK, that’s legitimately awful 
Somehow, I didn’t think there would be any argument. 
But that’s what happens.
In my case at least, I really am that bad.
I am a lousy singer, because I have never spent the time or energy to get even mediocre. My “audience”, so to speak, is the people at church, where I sing the hymns, and occasions like birthday parties. Nobody cares that I am a lousy singer - I am not doing solos, and I am not doing it so people can admire my performance.
But I am not doing it badly on purpose, unless not caring is on purpose.
Regards,
Shodan
If we’re looking for reasons to explain why some people appear to be singing HB intentionally bad, I blame the late George Carlin. I believe it was he that observed there was always some idiot trying to make it a better song than it is by adding harmony at the end. (yeah, I used to be that idiot)
I am not a singer and couldn’t tell you what a pitch or key is or what it means. I even had compulsory music education through 8th grade. So I could try to sing but I would lack any ability to judge my own singing or how to properly adjust anything. I have social anxiety and don’t like the sound of my voice on recordings (though oddly enough I had high school teachers tell me I had an announcer’s voice). So I pretty much mouth or lip sync in situations like that.
I would also add that for some of the reasons stated above I do things intentionally badly (or at least not caring or trying not to care) as a coping mechanism for anxiety. So for example I might sing intentionally goofy or something to avoid being judged harshly for my best effort. Same thing with a lot of casual recreational activities where I have professed no expertise and don’t wish to be judged as being an expert on something trivial.
