Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

This was used in the film Meet Me In St. Louis. Judy Garland starred in the film and added some of the lyrics. At first, the words were very dark and she didn't feel comfortable singing them in the scene, so she helped change them to lighten the mood of the song. It was still a very melancholy song, and included the line, "Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow." In the 1950s Frank Sinatra wanted something more upbeat for his album A Jolly Christmas, so songwriter Hugh Martin changed that lyric to, "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough." This is the way it was usually sung from that point forward, making it a much more uplifting song.

The song was first published in 1943 with lyrics by Ralph Blane and music by Hugh Martin. The song brought comfort to many American soldiers who were fighting overseas during World War II.

One of the most popular versions of this song was recorded by the Carpenters and released in 1978 on their Christmas Portrait, the bittersweet lyrics falling right in Karen Carpenter's wheelhouse. The song was revived again in 1987 when The Pretenders contributed their version of the song to the 1987 charity album A Very Special Christmas, which featured many holiday classics recorded by some of the most popular artists of the time. These versions of the song by the Carpenters and The Pretenders are the ones that dominate airplay of the song, but other popular versions have been recorded by Michael Bublé, Luther Vandross, Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride, Little Big Town and Keyshia Cole. Michael Bublé's version entered the Hot 100 for the first time on the chart dated January 6, 2024 at #41.