“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is a holiday classic thanks to Judy Garland, who made it sound less melancholic in Meet Me in St. Louis. She played Esther Smith in the ‘40s film, where she sings “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” to her little sister Tootie.
The original “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, whose lyrics Judy thought were unfit for a little girl to hear. Even Frank Sinatra had Martin change the lyrics years later to something more jolly.
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The Smith family was moving from St. Louis to New York City, and after Esther’s father made the announcement, she tried comforting her sister by singing “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Judy Garland was taken aback by the lyrics at first, and immediately refused to take it up.
Judy’s protest led to a change in the lyrics of the song from “Have yourself a merry little Christmas; it may be your last. Next year, we may all be living in the past,” to “Have yourself a merry little Christmas; let your heart be light. Next year, all our troubles will be out of sight.”
More changes to ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’
Judy was not the only one who thought the lyrics of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” needed some changes. Sinatra had Martin rewrite some lines to reflect the future instead of the past and about hope instead of concession.
Sinatra’s cover of the holiday classic surpassed Judy’s in popularity and has been re-recorded by many artists. Some people like James Taylor have revealed their preference for the original, even though the songwriter himself favors subsequent remakes like Judy’s, Sinatra’s, and Mel Torme’s over his own. New age singers like Billie Eilish, Jennifer Hudson, and Jason Kelce have also recreated the Christmas tune.