Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

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This article is about the song. For a television-series episode from see Merry Little Christmas

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane [during an interview with Hugh Martin on NPR on 12/21/06, he said Ralph Blane encouraged him to continue to write the song, but really did not have anything more to do with writing it] and made famous by Judy Garland in the 1944 film "Meet Me in St. Louis". The movie chronicles the change in seasons and times of St. Louis including the Christmas season. In the famous scene, Garland sings the tearful tune to child star Margaret O'Brien. The melancholy tune and lyrics were originally even more somber but were adapted by the song writers to the current version at Garland's request.

Contents 1 The first recorded version sung by Judy Garland in Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) 2 Alternate "brighter" version (Frank Sinatra version) 3 James Taylor version (2001) 4 Other artists who have performed/recorded "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" 5 An Early Draft 6 Have Yourself A Blessed Little Christmas (Religious version, Del Delker version) 7 Det är dags att tända alla ljusen

[edit] The first recorded version sung by Judy Garland in Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,

Let your heart be light

From now on,

Our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make your yuletide gay

From now on our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,

Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who were dear to us

Gather be near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together

If the fates allow.

Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

[edit] Alternate "brighter" version (Frank Sinatra version)

(Introduction)

Christmas future is far away

Christmas past is past

Christmas present is here today

Bringing joy that may last

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Let your heart be light

From now on,

our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay,

From now on,

our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,

Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who are near to us

Gather near to us once more.

Through the years

We all will be together,

If the Fates allow

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

[edit] James Taylor version (2001)

(Introduction)

Christmas future is far away

Christmas past is past

Christmas present is here today

Bringing joy that may last

(Refrain)

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

May your heart be light

In a year our troubles will be out of sight

From now on

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make the yuletide gay

In a year our troubles will be miles away

Here we are as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Precious friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more

I know that

In a year we all will be together

If the fates allow

Until then, we'll just have to muddle through somehow

And have ourselves a merry little Christmas now.

[edit] Other artists who have performed/recorded "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

Twisted Sister 3LW Carpenters Christina Aguilera Clay Aiken Tori Amos Babyface Bright Eyes Tony Bennett Michael Bolton Melanie C Diahann Carroll Chicago The Chipmunks Rosemary Clooney Coldplay Shawn Colvin Perry Como

Bing Crosby Doris Day Daphne Loves Derby Jimmy Dean John Denver & the Muppets Ego Likeness Gloria Estefan Percy Faith The Four Tops Connie Francis Russ Freeman Kenny G Crystal Gayle Amy Grant Lee Greenwood Vince Gill Gary Hoey Engelbert Humperdinck

The Jackson 5 Diana Krall Lorie Line Kenny Loggins The Manhattan Transfer Aimee Mann Mantovani Johnny Mathis Chris Martin Brian McKnight Sarah McLachlan Katie Melua Whitney Houston Glenn Miller Orchestra Jim Nabors The Nylons Dolly Parton The Partridge Family

The Pretenders Eddie Rabbitt Lou Rawls Kenny Rogers Tom Scott Vonda Shepard Jessica Simpson Liz Story Barbra Streisand Mel Torme Travis Tritt Carrie Underwood Luther Vandross Jaci Velasquez Scott Weiland Andy Williams Vanessa Williams Carnie & Wendy Wilson Trisha Yearwood Delta Goodrem

[edit] An Early Draft

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

It may be your last

Next year we may all be living in the past

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Pop that champagne cork

Next year we may all be living in New York.

No good times like the olden days,

Happy golden days of yore,

Faithful friends who were dear to us

Will be near to us no more.

But at least we all will be together

If the Lord allows.

From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Judy Garland felt some of the lyrics were too negative for a Christmas song and requested a rewrite but Hugh Martin initially refused and withdrew the song. Martin credits Meet Me in St. Louis actor Tom Drake for persuading him that Garland was right and it was a great song but needed another draft.

Later recorded versions combine lyrics from previous versions in accordance to the artist(s)' preference.

• A news release regarding NewSong's release of their 2001 Christmas album The Christmas Shoes noted a 1990 incident with youth pastor Michael O'Brien's visit to composer Hugh Martin. Martin admitted to O'Brien the original version had "Lord allows" instead of "fates allow", and the lyrics were changed to remove religious references. O'Brien, who later joined NewSong, had the group record the song with Martin's lyric.

• In the Audio commentary for the DVD, John Fricke recites the second stanza as:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make the yule tide gay

Next year, we may all be many miles away

Source: http://www.cbs.com/specials/christmas_shoes/band.shtml

[edit] Have Yourself A Blessed Little Christmas (Religious version, Del Delker version)

In 2001 the 86-year-old composer, occasionally active as a pianist with religious minstries since the 1980's, wrote an entirely new set of lyrics to the song with John Fricke, "Have Yourself a Blessed Little Christmas", a sacred version of the secular Christmas standard. The song was recorded by gospel female vocalist Del Delker with Martin accompanying her on piano.

Lyrics:

Christmas future is far away

Christmas past is past

Christmas present is here to stay

Bringing joy that will last

Have yourself a blessed little Christmas

Christ the King is born

Let your voices ring upon this happy morn'

Have yourself a blessed little Christmas

Serenade the earth

Tell the world we celebrate the Savior's birth

Let us gather to sing to Him

And to bring to Him our praise

Son of God

And a friend of all

To the end of all our days

Let us all proclaim the joyous tidings

Voices raised on high

Send the carols soaring up into the sky

This very merry blessed Christmas lullaby

Son of God

And a friend of all

To the end of all our days

Sing hosanna's hymns and hallelujahs

As to Him we bow

Make the music mighty as the heavens allow

And have yourself a blessed little Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Have yourself a blessed little Christmas night

Source: Hugh Martin Interview http://www.vop.com/previous_broadcasts/2000/december_2000/s0052.html

Addendum (April 21/December 23, 2006): Note: It seems that most of the chord progressions of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas are exactly the same as the chord progressions of a song written ten years earlier by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart titled "Blue Moon", other than additional chord progressions at the ending and in the bridge. This progression (C-Am-Dm-G) became a pop cliché in the 1940's and 50's: Blue Moon, Santa Catalina, Silhouettes and Sha-boom (to name just four) can all be sung as a simultaneous medley if the bridges are omitted. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" can be added to the mix with a very little bending.

[edit] Det är dags att tända alla ljusen

Monica Forsberg has written lyrics in Swedish, "Det är dags att tända alla ljusen" ("It is time to lit all the candles"), which has been recorded by Lasse Berghagen.