"Happy Holiday" (sometimes performed as "Happy Holidays") is a
popular song composed by
Irving Berlin in 1942 and published the following year.[1]
History
"Happy Holiday" was introduced by
Bing Crosby and
Marjorie Reynolds (dubbed by
Martha Mears) in the 1942 film Holiday Inn in a scene when the Inn opens for the first time. While it is commonly regarded as a
Christmas song, in the film it is performed on
New Year's Eve, and expresses a wish for the listener to enjoy "happy holidays" throughout the entire year. It contains certain melodic material first used in Berlin's earlier song "
Easter Parade".[citation needed]
The
Kay Thompson song "The Holiday Season" is sometimes paired with "Happy Holiday" as a
medley. This was first popularized by
Andy Williams (whom Thompson herself discovered and mentored). Other artists who have covered the "Happy Holiday"/"Holiday Season" medley include
The Manhattan Transfer,
She & Him, and
Michael W. Smith.
Bing Crosby recorded the song on June 1, 1942, for Decca Records with
John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra, plus The Music Maids and Hal.[3] Crosby also used the song as the introduction to his long-running A Christmas Sing with Bing radio shows.