In 1943, MGM hired Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane to write several songs for the movie musical, Meet Me in St. Louis. One of the songs they came up with was “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Let’s look back at how this holiday classic came to be with another Throwback Threesome.
Meet Me in St. Louis opened in theaters in 1944. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was first heard during a scene in which the Smith family is distraught by the father’s plans to move to New York City for a job promotion. This meant that they would leaving their beloved home in St. Louis, Missouri, just before the 1904 World’s Fair opened. 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.
According to Songfacts, Judy Garland added some lyrics of her own to lighten the mood of the song. She felt the original words were too dark and didn’t feel comfortable singing them in the movie. In 1957, Frank Sinatra wanted to change the melancholy lyrics again to something more upbeat for his album, A Jolly Christmas. Songwriter Hugh Martin changed the line, “Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” to, “Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.” This is the way we usually hear the song now.
Given the timing of the song’s debut, Judy Garland’s original version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” brought comfort to many American soldiers who were fighting overseas during World War II. Since then, the song has been covered by many other artists, including Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, The Carpenters, The Pretenders, Luther Vandross, James Taylor, Michael Bublé, Kelly Clarkson, Josh Groban, Sam Smith, Lauren Daigle, John Legend, and Carrie Underwood.
Throwback Threesome: “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
