There are many Christmas songs for those who see this is as a happy time of year. But what about those of us for whom this can be a challenging time? What about years like this, when it’s challenging for everyone? Fortunately, there are are Christmas songs for those too. And one has been around for over 75 years.
“Meet Me in St. Louis” is a 1944 MGM musical starring Judy Garland. Judy didn’t initially want to make the film, but would eventually claim it as one of her favorite roles. Her relationship and eventual marriage to director Vincente Minelli started with this film, which means that without “Meet Me in St. Louis” there would have been no Liza. The second highest grossing film of the year, it was also a critical success. The movie is rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The story shows one year in the life of a family, and contains several songs by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine that became standards, the most famous of which is “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
Martin wrote the melody, but couldn’t make it work and threw it in a wastebasket. Fortunately, Blaine had heard the tune and fished it out, insisting that it was too beautiful to waste. The original lyrics were much darker (for example, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas / It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past" ). While the song takes place during a point in the film when the characters are depressed, the director and stars urged Blaine to change some of the lines, and it became instead a song of hope, acknowledging that the present was sad but showing vision for the future. The song resonated with Americans, coming as it did during World War 2 when the future was uncertain. It was particularly popular among servicemen serving overseas.
Frank Sinatra wished to include the song in his 1957 album, “A Jolly Christmas,” but wanted happier lyrics. At his request, Martin changed the line “Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” to “Hang a shining star upon the highest bow,” and altered some lyrics from the future to the present tense. The result was the version most people are familiar with today.
The song has been recorded more than 500 times, usually with the revised lyrics, but even before hearing the original version, I had always felt there was an inherent sadness to it. At its heart, the song is meant to be sung with hope, through tears. My favorite covers with the newer lyrics are by artists who seemed to understand the emotional depth of the the song, particularly the Pretenders and Aimee Mann.
In 2001, James Taylor stepped into a studio to record a song, which took less time than expected. On a whim, he used the extra studio time to record “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with the original lyrics, which he had always preferred. When 9/11 happened, the decision was made to release it as a single, and it got considerable airplay, given the mood in America at the time. It remains one of my favorite versions.
Chris Isaak found yet another way to sing the song. Since that section of the song is usually sung twice, why not do both versions?
The song’s greatest legacy will be that it is a Christmas song for sad times without being hopeless. The song reminds me that this isn’t always a happy time for everyone, but gives me encouragement to find happiness, if only for the sake of others. It’s a good message this year, I think.
What do you think? What’s your favorite version?
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