Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

By Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane
1944

One of the most popular and performed Christmas songs of all time, this beauty was written for Judy Garland to sing in the musical film Meet Me in St. Louis. The lyrics at the time were quite morose, but a 1957 version by Frank Sinatra modified the lyrics a bit, and these lyrics have been the more commonly heard ones to this day. A sad Christmas song, it was also composed during World War II, and so echoed the sentiments of many families who would be without certain members serving overseas during the holiday season. A touching, warm, and very real and human modern carol.

Lyrics:

(Original)

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light,
Next year all our troubles will be
out of sight,
So have yourself, a merry little Christmas time.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yule-tide gay
Next year all our troubles will be
miles away,
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Day.

Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were near to us
Will be dear to us once more
Someday soon, we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

(Modern)

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

[Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas lyrics on http://www.elyricsworld.com]

Here were 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.

Recorded By:

Jackie Gleason
Connie Francis
Ella Fitzgerald
The Carpenters
The Muppets

A very, very Merry Christmas from Standard of the Day...

The Boy Next Door

By Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane
1944

This charming tune was written for the one and only Judy Garland, who performed it stunningly in the 1944 classic Meet Me in St. Louis. It has since become a widely performed standard, commonly changed to "The Girl Next Door" when performed by male vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, who recorded it for his criminally underrated 1962 Reprise album All Alone.

Lyrics:

The moment I saw him smile,
I knew he was just my style.
My only regret is we've never met,
Though I dream of him all the while.

But he doesn't know I exist,
No matter how I may persist.
So it's clear to see there's no hope for me,
Though I live at 5135 Kensington Avenue
And he lives at 5133.

How can I ignore the boy next door?
I love him more than I can say.
Doesn't try to please me,
Doesn't even tease me,
And he never sees me glance his way.

And though I'm heart-sore, the boy next door
Affection for me won't display.
I just adore him,
So I can't ignore him,
The boy next door.

Recorded By:

Stacey Kent
Bill Evans
Blossom Dearie
Doris Day
Barbra Streisand