Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is a song that was written in 1943 by the American musical composer and copywriters Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the musical film Meet Me in St. Louis. The first interpretation of the play was performed in the film by Judy Garland, numerous other recordings followed. The song is now one of the most popular Christmas songs in the United States. There are three different versions of the lyrics.
History
Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane were instructed to work together to write some songs for the movie musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Although Martin and Blane share the legal authorship for text and melody in Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, it was by Martin, as he writes in his 2010 autobiography, written alone and texted. The first line of text in which he recorded the melancholy mood of the scene, was originally
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas It 'may be your last. Next Year we will all be living in the past.
Do a nice nice Christmas, It could be your last. Next year we may all be past.
As Judy Garland heard the song for the first time, they rejected the text that was too sad. Although she liked the tune, but she feared against the background of the currently held World War II that the audience would not accept this kind of sadness. Then Martin and Blane changed the text to:
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Let your heart be light. Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.
Do a nice nice Christmas, Let your heart be light. Next year all our troubles are forgotten.
In this version, it sang a Garland for the film. In the musical Meet Me in St. Louis the song takes place in a Christmas scene using. The father of the family had just opened that has him offset his law firm in New York City and that they will move to the end of the Christmas holidays. All are shocked, but no one is more unhappy than the youngest daughter Tootie (played by Margaret O'Brien ). Her older sister Esther (played by Judy Garland), she tries to placate with the song, but brings with it only their own sadness expressed. In this context, held in major acts ballad " very sad ".
Subsequent use
Many artists recorded their version of the song in the past decades. Among the best known Frank Sinatra, the first version recorded in 1947. The second version he took in 1957 for his album A Jolly Christmas on. He wanted a sweeping fuller arrangement and asked Martin, the last line of the text Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow ( corresponding translation: Until then we have to see how we get along anyway) to change. Martin replaced the line to Hang a shining star upon the highest bough (German: Hang a shining star on the highest branch). In Sinatra's version and the amended text, the song was recorded in the years to more than a thousand times again and became a classic of the Christmas season. But even with the original text, the song has been interpreted by numerous artists.
Today, the song is one of the most popular Christmas songs in the United States and gives the rights holder EMI Publishing annual revenue between one and two million USD. This is due to the fact that the song is during the Christmas season in the different versions performed every year on the radio and on television, on the other hand it is taken and published every year by various artists as a Christmas song. Also in Christmas movies is the song frequently use, solely to pay production companies $ 25,000 or more, are added bonuses for selling soundtrack albums.
Text
There are three different versions of the text. The original version of which dates from 1943, the second is the version that was in the film Meet Me in St. Louis was used in 1944.
The third and most famous version is the modified at the request of Frank Sinatra version from 1957:
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 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 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
Often an intro is previously sung in addition:
Christmas future is far away Christmas past is past Christmas present is here today Bringing joy thatwill load.