“The lyrics and music to Tiptoe Through the Tulips will be free for anyone to copy, perform, record, adapt, or interpolate into their own song”: The classic songs that are entering the public domain in 2025

In 2025, a mountain of work dated to between 1924 to 1929 will enter the US public domain, including some well-known and beloved songs that are still regularly performed today. Thousands of compositions (that is, the music and lyrics) are now open for re-interpretation and incorporation into other artworks, while specific recordings made in 1924 have also expired their 100-year term.

While the number of works now entering the public domain is substantial, research published by the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, has honed in on some notable examples. In their lengthy article, the Center spotlights some key works across numerous categories.

We're interested in the music-side of things first and foremost, and as we move further and further into the future, some classic copyrights in both composition and sound recording are now starting to offer up some very well-known works for the plunder of those who want to take them and adapt them without fear.

Musical Compositions

There's some hugely important compositions that are becoming public domain in 2025. Listed below is just a small selection

- Singin' In The Rain (Lyrics: Arthur Freed/Music: Nacio Herb Brown)

- Ain't Misbehavin' (Lyrics: Andy Paul Razaf/Music: Fats Waller and Henry Brooks)

- Boléro (Lawrence Ravel)

- You Were Meant For Me (Lyrics: Arthur Freed/Music: Nacio Herb Brown

- Tiptoe Through The Tulips (Lyrics: Alfred Dublin/Music: Joseph Burke

The final entry there is a notable one - having become quite popular on TikTok in recent years as an accompaniment to short-form video content.

But to stress an important point, this popularised recording - performed in 1968 by Tiny Tim in a hugely unnerving falsetto - is still in copyright, but the song itself is open for all to use in whatever form they want. As the Center for the Study of the Public Domain specify: "Sound recording rights are more limited than composition rights - you can legally imitate a sound recording (should you be able to channel Tiny Tim’s signature falsetto) even if your imitation sounds exactly the same, you just cannot copy from the actual recording."

Tiny Tim - Tiptoe Thru' The Tulips With Me (1968) - YouTube

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Sound recordings

Thanks to the Music Modernization Act, recordings of songs that have exceeded a 100-year time-span now enter the public domain, and 1924 had some gramophone-shaking belters, here's a small selection:

- Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin)

- It Had To Be You (Isham Jones Orchestra & Marion Harris)

- California Here I Come (Al Jolson)

- Lazy (The Georgians)

- Shreveport Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton)

Beyond music, there's some surprising films, books, plays and characters that are entering the public domain, including several works that feature Mickey Mouse and Popeye.

As time marches on, we'll inevitably see even more beloved compositions, entertainment and art become available for all to enjoy without jumping through copyright hoops. It's an ideal that the Center is built around. Yet the freedom to re-imagine classic works of art and beloved IP can often misfire

"When works go into the public domain, they can legally be shared, without permission or fee. Community theaters can screen the films. Youth orchestras can perform the music publicly, without paying licensing fees," the group say.

"1929 was a long time ago and the vast majority of works from that year are not commercially available. You couldn’t buy them, or even find them, if you wanted. When they enter the public domain in 2025, anyone can rescue them from obscurity and make them available, where we can all discover, enjoy, and breathe new life into them. The public domain is also a wellspring for creativity."

Check out the Center's long read for more details and to discover more works that are now public domain