Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Barry Manilow Large Ensemble - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1534962

Key: C major.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"* was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and first performed by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical *Meet Me in St. Louis*. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with adjusted lyrics. In 2007, ASCAP ranked it as the third most performed Christmas song in the preceding five years among songs by its members. In 2004, the song was ranked No. 76 on AFI's list of the top 100 songs in North American cinema. ### Background in *Meet Me in St. Louis* The song was composed for *Meet Me in St. Louis*, with MGM hiring Martin and Blane to create several songs for the film. Martin, vacationing at his family’s cottage in Birmingham, Alabama, wrote the song while staying in a home designed by his father, just down the street from where Martin was born. The song appears in a pivotal Christmas Eve scene where Garland’s character, Esther, comforts her sad younger sister, Tootie, as the family prepares for a move from their cherished St. Louis home to New York City due to their father’s job promotion, right before the highly anticipated 1904 World’s Fair. ### Lyrics and Revisions The original lyrics by Martin were deemed too somber by Garland, her co-star Tom Drake, and director Vincente Minnelli, leading them to request changes. Initially reluctant, Martin ultimately revised lines like, “It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past,” to the more hopeful, “Let your heart be light / Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.” This revised version resonated deeply with American troops during WWII, and Garland’s rendition at the Hollywood Canteen moved many soldiers to tears. When Frank Sinatra decided to record the song in 1957, he asked Martin to make further changes to give it a cheerier tone, especially wanting the line “until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” altered for his album, *A Jolly Christmas*. Martin adapted the line to “hang a shining star upon the highest bough,” and adjusted the lyrics from future-oriented to present-focused, creating a more celebratory feel. Interestingly, Sinatra had previously recorded the original lyrics in 1948. Later, Garland sang Sinatra’s revised version on *The Judy Garland Show Christmas Special*, dedicating it to her children, Joey and Lorna Luft. ### Alternative Versions and Controversy In 2001, Martin, who had since been active in Christian ministry, collaborated with John Fricke to write new lyrics for a religious version of the song titled, *Have Yourself a Blessed Little Christmas*. This version was recorded by gospel singer Del Delker, accompanied by Martin on piano. In a 2002 interview, Michael O’Brien, lead singer of NewSong, revealed that Martin originally wrote, “through the years, we all will be together if the Lord allows.” This line, however, was later altered to “if the fates allow” to remove religious references. According to O’Brien, Martin had encouraged him to perform the original lyrics when they met at a church where Martin played piano in the 1990s. ### The Collaboration Dispute Although Ralph Blane is officially credited with writing the music for many of Martin’s songs, Martin later claimed in his autobiography that he wrote both the music and lyrics for *Meet Me in St. Louis* alone. Martin explained that he allowed Blane equal credit out of his own “naive and atrocious lack of business acumen,” accepting that Blane received equal recognition in screen credits, sheet music royalties, and ASCAP royalties for their collaborative works, except for *Best Foot Forward*. This arrangement is for flute Choir.