Happy Birthday Dear Heartache

1984 single by Barbara Mandrell

"Happy Birthday Dear Heartache"

Single by Barbara Mandrell

from the album Clean Cut

B-side

"A Man's Not A Man ('Til He's Loved By A Woman)"

Released

January 1984

Genre

Country

Length

2:27

Label

MCA

Songwriter(s)

Archie Jordan, Mack David

Producer(s)

Tom Collins

Barbara Mandrell singles chronology

"One of a Kind Pair of Fools"
(1983)

"Happy Birthday Dear Heartache"
(1984)

"Only a Lonely Heart Knows"
(1984)

"Happy Birthday Dear Heartache" is a song written by Archie Jordan and Mack David, and recorded by American country music artist Barbara Mandrell. It was released in January 1984 as the first single from the album Clean Cut. The song reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.^[1]

Content

The song is a bitter observance of the one-year anniversary of a breakup, set in terms of a birthday celebration. Instead of being in a celebratory mood, however, the woman observes "how big you've (the heartbreak) has grown" and that the guests of honor are "the blues, the memories and the tears." The breakup is so bitter that she observes at the end, "Same time, same place next year."

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[2]	3
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1984)	Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[3]	48

References

^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 213.
^ "Barbara Mandrell Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1984". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2021.