Everyone sings this traditional birthday song to Rory when her birthday cake is brought out. The song dates back to the 19th century, when Kentucky sisters Patty and Mildred Hall wrote a kindergarten song called Good Morning to All, publishing it in 1893. At some point (and by someone) the lyrics were changed to Happy Birthday to You, and early in the twentieth century the words and lyrics were published together.
Happy Birthday to You is said to be most recognisable song in the English language, and the highest-earning song in history, having made perhaps fifty million dollars. After a protracted legal battle, the song was declared to be in the public domain in the US in 2016, and copyright ended in Europe in 2017.
You can see in this scene that Rory’s cake has 16 candles – 8 on each side of the cake – confirming that this is her sixteenth birthday.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 
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