Story Behind The Song

The song was written while Martin was vacationing in a house in the neighborhood of Southside in Birmingham, Alabama, that his father Hugh Martin designed for his mother as a honeymoon cottage. Located at 1919 South 15th Avenue, (just down the street from his birthplace at 1900 South 14th Avenue) the house became the home of Martin and his family in 1923.The song first appeared in a scene in Meet Me in St. Louis, in which a family is distraught by the father's plans to move to New York City for a job promotion, leaving behind their beloved home in St. Louis, Missouri, just before the long-anticipated 1904 World's Fair begins. In a scene set on Christmas Eve, Judy Garland's character, Esther, sings the song to cheer up her despondent five-year-old sister, Tootie, played by Margaret O'Brien.

Song Description

Some of the original lyrics that were penned by Martin were rejected before the show began. They were: 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. When presented with the original draft lyric, Garland, her co-star Tom Drake and director Vincente Minnelli criticized the song as depressing, and asked Martin to change the lyrics. Though he initially resisted, Martin made several changes to make the song more upbeat. For example, the lines It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past became Let your heart be light / Next year all our troubles will be out of sight. In 1957, Frank Sinatra asked Martin to revise the line Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow. He told Martin, The name of my album is A Jolly Christmas. Do you think you could jolly up that line for me? Martin's new line was Hang a shining star upon the highest bough. Martin made several other alterations, changing the song's focus to a celebration of present happiness, rather than anticipation of a better future. In 2002, NewSong lead singer Michael O'Brien noted the line through the years, we all will be together if the Lord allows, which was part of the original song, was purged and replaced with if the fates allow to remove religious reference when the song was released. He noted while a pastor in a California church in 1990, he had met Martin, who played piano at the church where O'Brien was serving for an evening, and the pastor was told, That's the original way I wrote it, so I want you to sing it this way. In addition to NewSong, Rachael Lampa, Twila Paris, Kathy Troccoli, Phil Wickham, BarlowGirl, Sidewalk Prophets, and Don Moen have recorded the song with the original lyrics.

Lyrics

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Music by Ralph Blane
Music by Hugh Martin
Lyrics by Ralph Blane

Performed by JoJo Worthington

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 upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

Playlist Creator	Playlist Name	Date Added
Ionut Mirel Udrea	Best Unique	4/15/2015