Certainly one of the most beautiful, and unique compositions of the traditional Christmas songbook is the lovely: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, penned by songwriting team Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine (though Blaine’s actual contributions to this particular song are in doubt).

The song was written for the MGM musical Meet me in St Louis which was an adaptation of a Broadway musical of the same name.

The interesting history of the song is worth reviewing. In the movie, the song is sung by older sister Esther (Judy Garland), to younger sister Tootie (Margaret O’Brien). It is offered in an effort to cheer the five-year-old, who is positively despondent at the prospects of moving from their home in St Louis, where they are extremely well established, to New York City.

The first version offered to movie’s producers was to say the least, rather dark:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last,
Next year we may all be living in the past
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, pop that champagne cork,
Next year we will all be living in New York.

No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore,
Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more.

But at least we all will be together, if the Lord allows,
From now on we’ll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.^[5]

As the tale is told, many of those involved with the movie including Ms. Garland herself balked at using these less-than-cheery lyrics. Reluctantly, Hugh Martin reworked the lyrics to the version Ms. Garland eventually sang in the 1944 release.

 Released as a single, the song understandably became a sentimental favorite among troops overseas. Still the song failed to achieve the success and notoriety of the movie’s big hit: The Trolley Song.

The song was not exactly forgotten afterwards but a glance at the list of those who recorded it shows that between 1944 and the early 1960’s there was a decided lack of interest among singers for Martin’s tune.

One person who was interested was Frank Sinatra. He first recorded the” Garland” lyric in 1947 on Columbia Records.

In 1957 contemplating song choices for his album, A Jolly Christmas, Frank, now with Capitol records, is said to have decided that the song was still too dark. He asked Hugh Martin, who must have been weary of this, to rewrite it again. The composer again complied, among other things, purging the song of the “muddle through”  line, substituting the  “Hang a shining star above the highest bow” lyric that most of us, I think, sing today.

A Jolly Christmas was rereleased in 1963 as The Sinatra Christmas Album, with the song intact. You’ve all heard it; it’s the one everyone plays. Personally, I don’t like this version nearly as much as the 1947 version, which is beautifully sung, much less syrupy, and most important,lacks the annoying background singers. You can find it here, but I’m not posting it.

Here’s the 1947 version:

Another glance at the recording history shows that, starting in the early sixties, singers interest in the song began to increase: on the strength of the latest”Sinatra” lyrics it became the Christmas standard it is today.

In article from the San Diego Union-Tribune dated 12/14/10, the 96-year-old writer has apparently gotten over whatever writer’s regret he felt about the multiple edits. He describes the success of the song as: “out of this world exciting.”

Now, here’s Judy Garland and little Margaret O’Brien. As a physician, I am concerned that little “Tootie”, is seriously depressed:

(It won’t embed, so click in the middle)

As if this weren’t enough, Martin, who worked later in life as an accompanist for Christian ministries, wrote an entirely new set of lyrics entitled: Have Yourself a Blessed little Christmas.

It is lovely song, but in the long run, among all the iterations, I prefer the “movie” version which has the right mix of pathos and hopefulness.

At any rate, gotta go, still gotta shop.

To all of my faithful readers… do what the song says, and have a happy New Year as well.

P.S. The printer’s still here, as yet unopened.

 

 

 

 

How little we know,

How much to discover

What chemical forces flow

From lover to lover…

Even in the Seventies, when my LP and eight-track tape collection included artists like Neil Young, Elton John, Billy Joel, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and the Doobie Brothers, I always had a soft spot for Frank Sinatra.

I’ve featured his music elsewhere on the site. And I suspect I’ll be featuring it in the future.

Most of my Sinatra recordings are on LP’s.  As a birthday present probably 25 years ago, my wife Cathy presented me with the complete collection of Frank’s Capital recordings, which span the years between 1954, and 1961. Compared to the Columbia label recordings (which I have on CDs) which preceded them, they represent a newly energized and confident Frank, fresh from his Oscar (and Golden Globe) winning performance in From Here to Eternity.

 I maintain among my audio gear, an excellent turntable, tonearm, and cartridge. Listening to these recordings through good electronics and speakers, the ease with which he sings, and the sheer presence of the recordings is absolutely riveting, superior in some ways to their CD versions (and certainly better than their MP3s). I don’t listen to them often, in part to preserve this rare vinyl, and in part because as it’s easier to slip in a CD or turn on my iPod. Because of this, some of the performances have slipped out of my consciousness.

I regret this.

 Among those recordings is this wonderful little composition that I recently re-encountered on You Tube in several different forms.

How Little We Know (How Much To Discover) is a relatively modest song. The lyrics in particular, impress, cleverly scribed by Carolyn Leigh, lyricist for classics such as Young at Heart, and Witchcraft.  The deftness of the writing approaches that of composers like Cole Porter or Lorenz Hart.

 The melody was composed by Phil Springer, author of hits such as the classic, Santa Baby, made famous by Eartha Kitt.

 I offer two versions. Both feature the classic chart as arranged by bandleader Nelson Riddle, one of Sinatra’s frequent collaborators. The first is the studio recording from Frank’s 1958 LP titled: This is Sinatra. The performance is classy, beautifully phrased, near perfectly sung. It’s the version I know best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yE2gXIosp4&feature=player_detailpage

The second performance is from a later TV special. I encountered this more recenntly.

 It’s likely from the sixties when traditional singers were struggling to remain relevant in the face of new performers such as the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and even contrived acts such as the Monkees. This probably explains the Nehru jacket and the beads, which look kind of sad on this iconic performer. Nonetheless, whether he realized it or not, at the time, in some ways he was at the peak of his vocal life, and his performance, though brief, demonstrates an utter mastery of the song.  To me is much more evocative than the earlier recording.

4/5/12  I apologize, this recording has been scoured from the internet.

If you can find it, it’s wonderful.

In this day and age, Frank’s legacy is carried on by such performers as Michael Buble and Michael Feinstein, both who have very polished voices, and are great entertainers. Neither for me conveys the sense of robust masculinity that Sinatra brought to his music. Harry Connick is a little closer, but not quite there yet.

In the meantime I have only to slip the record from the dust jacket, set it in the turntable and gently drop the needle into the lead in groove in the vinyl, and it is 1958 again.

As the music plays, I look across the room at my beautiful wife, who is busily putting the Thanksgiving decorations away.  At that moment I think how perfectly these lyrics convey the feelings of lovers around the world:

             As long as you kiss me, and the world around us shatters

                                                How little it matters

                                                 How little we know…