This 1981 song by Scottish new wave band Altered Images plays when Rory is at Chilton, discovering that her grandmother has sent out invitations to all her classmates. It was released as a single from their album of the same name, and went to #2 in the UK.
Although it didn’t chart in the US, it would be familiar to many from being included on the soundtrack to the 1984 teen movie, Sixteen Candles. The movie about a girl’s 16th birthday seemingly gone wrong mirrors Rory’s feelings when she discovers that Emily has sent out the invitations without asking her. The difference is that in the film, everyone has forgotten the girl’s birthday, while in Rory’s case too many people have been reminded of her birthday.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 
2 thoughts on “Happy Birthday”