Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas...

[shadowkat]

Watch on YouTube

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 dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together
If the Fates allow,
Hang a shining star
On the highest bough,
And have yourself
A merry little Christmas now.


Original Version
Songwriters: MARTIN, HUGH / BLANE, RALPH

Have yourself a merry little christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles will be
Out of sight
Have yourself a merry little christmas
Make the yule-tide gay
Next year all our troubles will be
Miles away
Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Will be near to us once more
Someday soon, we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, well have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little christmas now.

Comments

[bitcheesquared.livejournal.com]

Loved the flashback... Felt like I was 8 years old watching the xmas movie with my mum.
Thanks, this year my xamas spirit has been sadly lacking... that may have just helped me find some.
Cheers and Merry Xmas.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thank you and merry Christmas to you as well!

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I remember watching this as a kid on tv (and then more recently on Netflix), and the thing that stuck out for me on rewatch was how melancholy the song is - not at all like the cheerier radio version I was familiar with - not just because of Garland's performance and the context within the story, but that one changed line rang out like a shock to my system "Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow" instead of "Hang a shining star upon the highest bow". Sure the changed version is more radio and sales friendly but so much is lost.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

From what I've read on wiki, it was even darker originally- but Garland argued that it needed to be lightened up.

Go here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_Yourself_a_Merry_Little_Christmas

Original was "have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last".
But garland,Tom drake and the director Vincent Minnelli all argued it was too depressing and must be changed. Good thing too, the second version was a little less movie specific.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Wow, that WAS a lot darker! And Garland was smart to ask him to make it less specific to the context of the film, given that so often back then films musical numbers were also radio hits. (In a lot of early musicals, for film and stage, plays were written to fit the songs and not the other way around. I think Oscars and Hammerstein changed that - the songs could be popular hits but the storyline and characterization became more important, and the songs served the story.)

I had no idea that Frank Sinatra was the one who requested the change "Hang a shining star upon the highest bow" In fact I'm not sure I've ever heard his version.