Merry Little Christmas
Thursday, December 23, 2004 at 11:52AM 1 Comment "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was always one of my favorite Christmas songs. It was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the musical Meet Me In St. Louis (a film that also saw the release of the grating "The Trolley Song."). I especially like the contrast provided by a bassline that decends as the melody rises.
The original, melancholy lyrics also appeal to me:
I know that
In a year we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Until then, we'll just have to muddle through somehow
And have ourselves a merry little Christmas now.
The current lyrics put the positive spin on the present, but the other lyrics seem more hopeful. James Taylor used the original lyrics for his 2001 version.
So even though we hear this and every other Christmas song over and over, this one has never really gotten old to me.
My top five favorite Christmas songs:
5. "Jingle Bell Rock"
4. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)"
3. "Please Come Home for Christmas"
2. "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" (Celine Dion version excluded)
1. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Runners up are "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (it has that Vegas thing going on), "Christmas is a Time to Say I Love You" (it has that barroom thing going on), and "Christmas All Over Again" (it's got a bit of a creepy melody, plus Tom Petty wants a Rickenbacker).
Reader Comments (1)
i've always liked "rockin' around the christmas tree" more than "jingle bell rock", but that's because i have an enormous weakness for Peggy Lee. still, my favorite christmas song has got to be a tie between "Space Christmas" by Shonen Knife and "Santa's Beard" by TMBG. i know. i'm not a very traditional kinda gal.
merry christmas, chaalie! i leave you with a coveted holiday haiku:
candy canes i like
but a big slice of fruitcake
i don't like so much.