The melody of Happy Birthday to You began as Good Morning to All, a children's song written by kindergarten principal Patty Hill and her sister Mildred, a pianist and composer. The combined lyrics first appeared in print in 1912. A company registered a copyright in 1935, and Warner/Chappell bought that company in 1988, then claimed royalties for public performances. In 2015 a federal judge ruled that the registration covered only a specific piano arrangement, not the lyrics and melody. The court then declared the song to be in the public domain, and Warner/Chappell settled a related suit for $14 million in 2016.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.