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I have a very personal connection to one particular song of the holiday season. 25 years ago, I directed a stage production of Meet Me in St. Louis, a classic film about a family in Missouri at the turn of the 20^th century. It was a huge undertaking, spanning several months of planning and rehearsal, but only three performances. I had never worked on anything as elaborate and expensive before, and it was a pretty intense experience. And I learned one very important lesson: If you are going to spend months working on a musical, you had better love the music, because you are going to hear it a lot!

Fortunately, I loved the music and songs in Meet Me in St. Louis. Several standards of the Great American Songbook appear for the first time in the musical’s score, including the title song, Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, and The Trolley Song. However, one song in particular always stood out, with an emotional depth that always made me tear up when it was sung late in the show. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is one of the greatest songs of the holidays, and also, perhaps, the saddest and sweetest.

Meet Me in St. Louis

The original movie was directed by Vincente Minnelli and starred Judy Garland as Esther, the family’s second-oldest daughter. It was based on a popular series of semi-autobiographical short stories by Sally Benson, covering the year from summer 1903 to summer 1904, and the opening of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. That fair is said to have ushered in the modern age, with the introduction to most of us of electric lights, automobiles, and even the invention of the ice cream cone! The Smith family also experiences growing pains throughout this year. As the seasons change, they must deal with romances, heartbreaks, and profoundly problematic decisions for the future.

It’s easy to dismiss Meet Me in St. Louis as light and sentimental entertainment, especially by today’s standards. But, in 1944, when the film was made, the world was weary of a horrible war which brought about just as many stunning transformations as the Smith family faced 40 years earlier. Audiences could relate to this story of a simple family overwhelmed by life-altering developments beyond their control, and a longing for less complicated times.

When Mr. Smith, the father and sole supporter of the family, announces that he has accepted a job offer which will force them to move from Missouri to New York, the family realizes that everything that they have known and hoped for will change forever. Youngest daughter Tootie, memorably played by young Margret O’ Brien, is particularly traumatized as she realizes that Christmas will never be the same. She worries about Santa Clause. “How will he know how to find us next year?” Tootie wonders. “He’s so used to coming here.”  Esther tries to soothe her with a song which assures Tootie that, at the very least, the family will always be together “…If the fates allow.” Not the most comforting thought.

The Song, the Composers, and the Singer

The song is credited to the songwriting team of Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, although many years later Martin claimed that he composed the song entirely by himself. Nevertheless, they collaborated together for decades on film and Broadway productions, with Martin the composer, and Blane the lyricist. Martin wrote the song’s melody first, a kind of madrigal-like tune which Blane insisted was too good not to use. For the film, Minnelli wanted a song that sounded like Garland was singing through her tears, and Martin resurrected the tune. The lyrics were initially too sad, and Garland demanded a rewrite.

Martin had a long, and often difficult, professional friendship with Judy Garland, serving as her arranger and accompanist for concerts and recordings. Their respect for each other’s talents didn’t always translate into a smooth working relationship.

Judy Garland should be regarded as perhaps the most tragically exploited, yet also enormously gifted movie star of the 20^th century. She had a rich contralto singing voice, combined with a deeply expressive gift for acting and performing. Her 40-year career in films, television, and on the concert stage has too many iconic moments to list here. I won’t linger on the heartbreaking way she was exploited or the many pitfalls of her remarkable career. You can read about those elsewhere. But, her struggles made her a powerfully touching interpreter of songs, and you can certainly see that on display in her version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

The song has been a part of the season since the film’s release in 1944. There have been heavy metal renditions, and famous interpretations by Tony Bennett, Sam Smith, and Frank Sinatra, who felt that the song was still too sad, so songwriter Mel Torme was granted permission to write an extra, more upbeat verse. That would not be Torme’s last holiday contribution to the great American songbook.

But, for now, please enjoy the great Sam Smith. And grab a tissue.

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
So hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

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
So hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

Writer/s: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind