The original lyrics to ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ ...

 ... weren’t very merry at all

Judy Garland singing 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'. Picture: Loew's, Inc.

By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM London

Did you know ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ could have had very different words? A glimpse into the journey the famous Christmas song has been on…

‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ is the musical equivalent of a warm hug; a gently melancholic melody sings out a narrative of festive hope, telling of a nostalgia for past times – “happy golden days of yore” – but faith in the future – “From now on, our troubles will be out of sight”.

Judy Garland, the shining star of Hollywood’s Golden Era, sang it first for a scene in Meet Me in St Louis (1944) in which her character comforts her younger sister, Margaret.

The song “began with the melody,” says songwriter Hugh Martin. “I found a little madrigal-like tune that I liked but couldn’t make work, so I played with it for two or three days and then threw it in the wastebasket.”

But his collaborator, Ralph Blane, heard it and reckoned Martin was mad to throw it out. “We dug around the wastebasket and found it,” Blane recalled. “Thank the Lord we found it.”

But, the lyrics weren’t quite right.

Read more: What makes Christmas music so Christmassy? >

So, producers requested a rewrite.

The song’s original lyrics, as dreamed up by Martin and Blane, evoked a very different Christmas feeling: ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas // It may be your last // Next year we may all be living in the past.’

Garland objected to the lyrics, apparently, saying they were too depressing and if she were to sing them, “Margaret will cry, and they’ll think I’m a monster”.

Eager to please their leading lady, Hollywood executives requested a rewrite. “They said, ‘No, no – it’s a sad scene, but we want sort of an upbeat song, which will make it even sadder if she’s smiling through her tears,” Martin said.

But Martin, who has since claimed the whole soundtrack was his work alone with no contribution from Blane, wasn’t keen for a rewrite. He had to be firmly nudged by a friend, actor Tom Drake, to write a new verse.

And eventually, he did.

Read more: The story behind the most disturbing Christmas carol >

Judy Garland sings to younger sister character, Margaret O'Brien. Picture: Loew's, Inc.

Which version do we hear today?

Today, two versions are popularly sung. There’s the version Martin tweaked for Judy Garland – “Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow. Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” – which is a rather poignant listen this year, as many families around the world are physically apart.

There’s also a later version by Frank Sinatra, who asked Martin to sprinkle a little festive joy on that rather downbeat line for his Christmas album.

And that’s how ‘Hang a shining star upon the highest bough’ came to replace Garland’s melancholic lyric.

Now you know the story, here are the full original lyrics…

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 may 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.

And here are the ones we sing today.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on
Our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yule-tide gay
From now on
Our troubles will be miles away

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

Through the years
We all will be together
If the fates allow
So hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

(C) 2020 by ClassicFM London

John Williams’ ‘Schindler’s List’ voted No. 1

... in the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame

John Williams’ ‘Schindler’s List’ voted No. 1 in the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame. Picture: Getty

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As well as composing the nation’s very favourite film theme, the legendary movie composer was the most voted-for composer, and had the most pieces of music featured in the chart.

We have revealed the nation’s favourite film music in The Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame in partnership with Radio Times.

And John Williams’ music for Schindler’s List has been voted No. 1, after thousands of Classic FM listeners and RadioTimes readers cast their votes.

Schindler’s List hit the silver screen nearly 27 years ago, and this year it knocks Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings off the top spot in the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame.

John Williams told Classic FM, “I’d like to express my gratitude to the listeners of Classic FM for selecting my music from Schindler’s List for this high honour. It was a privilege to be involved in the making of this film, and it’s very gratifying to know that so many people around the world continue to embrace it after nearly 30 years.”

Click here to view Top 100 of The Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame 2020 >

John Williams’ ‘Schindler’s List’ voted No. 1 in the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame. Picture: Classic FM

As well as taking the No. 1 film score, John Williams has again been voted the nation’s favourite composer of film music, with five entries in the top twenty alone, including Schindler’s List, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.

John Williams told Classic FM, “I’d like to express my gratitude to the listeners of Classic FM for selecting my music from Schindler’s List for this high honour. It was a privilege to be involved in the making of this film, and it’s very gratifying to know that so many people around the world continue to embrace it after nearly 30 years.”

Read more: John Williams says conducting the Vienna Philharmonic was “one of the greatest honours of my life” >

The Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame 2020 also revealed a surge in popularity for film music composed by Ennio Morricone, who died in June at the age of 91, with three entries in the top 20. Morricone’s five entries show the breadth of his work outside of the Westerns he is best known for, with The Mission, Cinema Paradiso and Once Upon A Time in America appearing alongside The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon A Time in the West.

Other popular film composers include John Barry and Hans Zimmer with eight entries each in the top 100. Barry wrote the scores for Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves, which reach numbers four and five in the chart respectively, his highest placing in the chart. Hans Zimmer took third position with the score for the legendary film Gladiator, which was released 20 years ago this year.

Oscar winning Hildur Guðnadóttir, who won an Academy Award for the best original score for Joker, becoming only the fourth woman to win in the category, reached number 79 in the chart, and Debbie Wiseman, Classic FM’s composer in residence placed at 65 with the biographical film Wilde.

Read more: ‘Joker’ composer Hildur Guðnadóttir is first woman to win ‘Best Score’ at Golden Globes >

Andrew Collins, presenter of Saturday Night at the Movies and Film Editor at Radio Times, said: “It's been a while since we polled the discerning listeners of Classic FM and readers of Radio Times about their favourite film themes and what we learn about their choices is that the greatest hits remain immovably and unimprovably great!

“Nobody would deny the near permanence of John Barry or the late Ennio Morricone or the trailblazing Vangelis in any Top 10. Lord of the Rings, a true masterwork of narrative scope and innate personality will always give the other fabulous scores something to aim for.”

Collins continued: “I am personally sad not to see my own choice Interstellar in the Top 10 but Hans Zimmer at No. 3 with Gladiator makes another mighty showing. Are we not entertained?

“As for John Williams... we have found your favourite film theme and it's as moving and mournful as any winner. Williams doubted he could pull it off. He was wrong. My advice, as ever, is to explore the lower scores. There’s a lot of invention and innovation down there. I’m humming ‘S.T.A.Y.’ from Interstellar just to reset the musical universe.”

Classic FM draws 196,000 new listeners ...

... who flock to classical music for reassurance and comfort

Classic FM offers uplifting music, presented by the likes of Charlotte Hawkins. Picture: Classic FM

New audience figures show that more and more people are turning to the World’s Greatest Music for comfort, relaxation and reassurance in uncertain times.

Classic FM has welcomed a huge 196,000 new listeners over the last year, according to new figures released by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research).

The survey, which covered the first three months of 2020, coincided with the first stages of lockdown and self-quarantining due to the coronavirus epidemic. The figures suggest that millions turned to classical music as a means of finding solace, reassurance and relaxation in a highly uncertain time.

The research also shows they spent more time with us than ever before – listening for a combined 2.6 million hours longer, as people turned to programmes of uplifting music presented by the likes of Bill Turnbull, John Suchet and Charlotte Hawkins.

The popularity has crossed the generations too. Classic FM has seen a surge in younger listeners, with Under 25s now numbering 497,000 – up 100,000 compared to the same time last year.

Bill Turnbull, who presents Saturday mornings, has the biggest single programme on Classic FM. Picture: Classic FM

The station’s impressive numbers are driven by growth across the schedule. On a Saturday morning, with a total reach of 1.2 million – up 126,000 listeners on the year – Bill Turnbull has the biggest single programme on Classic FM.

Classic FM’s More Music Breakfast, presented by Tim Lihoreau, is up by 90,000 listeners on the year, as Tim now wakes up 1.9 million people every week with fantastic music and friendly company.

Alexander Armstrong on a Sunday adds 100,000 listeners to his programme – now up to 687,000. Alan Titchmarsh reaches over a million listeners again, with further impressive increases for broadcasters Charlotte Hawkins and John Humphrys, whose Sunday afternoon programmes now reach 407,000 and 612,000 respectively.

On weekdays, both John Suchet and Anne-Marie Minhall have added listeners, with yearly increases of 98,000 and 128,000 respectively. Elsewhere on Saturdays, Moira Stuart’s Hall of Fame Concert, Beethoven: The Man Revealed presented by John Suchet, and Smooth Classics with Myleene Klass, have all seen brilliant yearly increases.