Happy Birthday

"Go shawty, it's your birthday!" And with those words of wisdom from 50 Cent's hip-hop holla-out "In da Club," we bring you Happy Birthday Basics, a sonic celebration of the gift of yourself to the world. It's a momentous occasion, indeed, and everyone wants in on the action, from rowdy country girl Gretchen Wilson, who's "Here for the Party," to super-funky B-bash crew Average White Band, who just want you to "Cut the Cake" already. So blow out the candles while the MGM Studio Chorus serenades you (and someone named Ginger) with an extended version of "Happy Birthday," then fire up the P!nk and "Get the Party Started."

Keep the party going in Next Steps.

In terms of sheer birthday-songs fun factor, you can't beat the all-out enthusiasm of "The Birthday Party," from hip-hop godfathers Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & The Furious Five. But if you're feeling a touch more philosophical about the passing of another year, you might want to tune in to "Two Halves" from alt-rock heroes My Morning Jacket, or the bright-future resolutions of Tim McGraw's "My Next Thirty Years." Then again, if you just want something groovy to play while you're popping the champagne, jazz things up with Jaco Pastorius and a freeform take on the classic "Happy Birthday."

Unwrap more happenin' birthday songs in Deep Cuts.

If Deep Cuts is any proof, there are many, many ways to say something as simple as "Happy Birthday." An aptly named the Birthday Party goes with dark and jittery Aussie punk, but Fat Fanny prefers a gentler folk-rock approach. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis seizes an opportunity to celebrate by blowing on the tenor sax like it was some crazy birthday candle, while Orquesta Tabaco y Ron stirs up a fresh and spicy salsa treat. And Concrete Blonde takes some time off from a hectic day-to-day for some "Happy Birthday" alt-pop release.

Every person on the planet has one — every day, everywhere in the world, it's somebody's birthday. If that's not a good enough reason for a playlist packed with party-tune birthday songs, we don't know what is, and so we bring you our special set of sonic celebration, from Marilyn Monroe's breathy ooze of an ode to the Commander in Chief "Happy Birthday Mr. President," to the Specials' ska-tastic party in a song "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)." Whether you're simply searching for a tune to back to your little one's cake-candle blowout, or you're on the lookout for the one-stop soundtrack to — ahem — your sixth-annual 30th-birthday wing ding, we've got you covered with the bright-eyed new wave of "Happy Birthday" from Altered Images, and the eternal youth of Frank Sinatra and "Young at Heart." And, hey, many happy returns.