Photo from FilmReference.com
Today, The Other Half had Meet Me in St. Louis on in the other room. It's the Judy Garland movie that made Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas famous. And it sparked a memory of a fascinating article I read about the song in "Entertainment Weekly" last year.
The song has a rather intriguing history. Originally, the lyrics were very dark. They were brightened up for the movie, and further lightened for Frank Sinatra. It's the less-than-sad version that most of us think of today. So, for some very enlightening reading, and a bit of trivial knowledge, read on!
[Excerpt]
There's Something About Merry
''I often wondered what would it have been like if those lyrics had been sung in the movie,'' laughs O'Brien, now 69. ''But about a week before we were to shoot the scene where Judy sings it to me, she looked at the lyrics and said, 'Don't you think these are awfully dark? I'm going to go to Hugh Martin and see if he can lighten it up a little.'''
As Martin tells it, he initially balked at changing the words. ''They said, 'It's so dreadfully sad.' I said, 'I thought the girls were supposed to be sad in that scene. . .'
As Martin tells it, he initially balked at changing the words. ''They said, 'It's so dreadfully sad.' I said, 'I thought the girls were supposed to be sad in that scene. . .'
Read more at: Entertainment Weekly
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