“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” had a pretty big year in 2016. Thanks to Josh Groban, this 72 year-old Hugh Martin / Ralph Blane tune reached No. 1 on Billboard’s adult contemporary charts.

Copyright Reprise / Warner Bros. All rights reserved

Mind you, this isn’t the only time in recent memory that this holiday song has charted. Back in 2014, Sam Smith’s cover of “Merry Little Christmas” made it into Billboard’s Hot 100. And Michael Bublé’s version did equally well back in 2011.

Which is pretty impressive. Especially when you take into consideration that – in spite of its rather ironic title — “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is actually one of the saddest holiday songs ever written.

Mind you, it used to be even sadder. When Martin & Blane originally wrote this tune for MGM’s 1944 musical, “Meet Me in St. Louis,” it was supposed to musically comment on that moment in this motion picture where the Smith family had just learned that – due to Father’s promotion – they’d now all have to move to New York and thus miss out on seeing the 1904 World’s Fair.

Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment. All rights reserved

So – as older sibling Esther (played by Judy Garland) attempted to console her heart-broken little sister Tootie (played by Margaret O’Brien) during a scene set on Christmas Eve, Ralph & Hugh had originally envisioned “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” getting underway by having Garland’s character sing:

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.

Judy balked at singing these lyrics as written, arguing that – if her character actually said something like that to her little sister – Esther would wind up traumatizing poor Tootie. Which would then make the audience hate her character. And when “Meet Me in St. Louis” director Vincente Minnelli (who would go on to marry Garland the following year) backed up his star, Martin & Blane were forced to soften this song’s opening stanza.

Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment. All rights reserved

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Let your heart be light

Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make the yuletide gay

Next year all our troubles will be miles away

When MGM released “Meet Me in St. Louis” to theaters in November of 1944, it was a smash hit for the studio. And Garland’s version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” proved to be so popular during the waning days of World War II that Decca actually released two different versions of this recording over a 6-month period. One paired this holiday tune with another Martin & Blane song from “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “The Boy Next Door.” This version was then followed up by a Decca recording that paired “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with Garland’s performance of “You’re Never Walk Alone.” This Rodgers & Hammerstein song had quickly become a favorite after it was introduced in “Carousel,” which opened on Broadway back on April 19, 1945.

Barring some relatively minor tweaks to the song’s lyrics (i.e., “From now on” replacing the phrase “Next year”), this was the version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” that was performed from 1944 – 1957.

Copyright Capitol Records, Inc. All rights reserved

“So what happened in 1957?,” you ask. Well, Old Blue Eyes went into the studio at Capital Records to record his very first full-length Christmas album, “A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra.” Frank labored from May 1^st through July 10, 1957 on this recording. Working in front of an orchestra conducted by Gordon Jenkins and backed up by the Ralph Brewster Singers, he put that distinctive Sinatra spin on such holiday favorites as “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” and “I’ll be Home for Christmas.”

But when it finally came time to record Frank’s version of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Christmas,” Old Blue Eyes balked. Largely because Sinatra felt that the closing stanza of this song (as it was originally written for “Meet Me in St. Louis”) …

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

Frank Sinatra recording at Capital Studios in Hollywood in the 1950s

… was far too bleak.

So Frank reached out to Hugh Martin and supposedly said that ” … I’m working on an album called ‘A Jolly Christmas.’ I’d really like to include ‘Merry Little Christmas’ on this recording, but that ‘ … muddle through’ line is a real downer. Do you think you could jolly up that line for me?”

And given that it was now the more hopeful 1950s … Well, Hugh agreed to tweak “Merry Little Christmas” ‘s lyrics for Frank. Swapping out ” … until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow” for ” … hang a shining star upon the highest bough.” Which then allowed this still-bittersweet holiday song to end on a more upbeat note.

Copyright Reprise / Warner Bros. All rights reserved

And since the Sinatra version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” became a smash hit … For nearly 50 years now, singers have had to make a hard choice whenever they decide to perform this holiday standard. Do they do as Judy did back in “Meet Me in St. Louis” and opt to ” … muddle through” what can often be a very emotional time of year? Or do they follow Frank’s example and offer a more hopeful view of the season? Literally reaching for the stars by hanging one ” … upon the highest bough” ?

Me? I have to admit that I’m one of those guys who embraces what Walt Disney once supposedly said (i.e.,”For every laugh, there should be a tear”). So I honestly don’t mind a little melancholy mixed in with my Merry Christmas. Which is why it kind of does my heart good to hear versions of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” like the one James Taylor performs. Where the original bittersweet message of this Martin & Blane song is basically left intact.

But how about you folks? When you’re having “A Merry Little Christmas,” which version of this holiday classic do you prefer? Are you a muddler like myself? Or do you prefer to hang a shiny star? 

This article was originally published by the Huffington Post on Saturday, December 24, 2016

So how much time does it take to craft a brand-new holiday
album that has a timeless sound?

To hear Joel McNeely (i.e., the Emmy Award-winning arranger
/ producer behind Seth MacFarlane's "Holiday for
Swing!") talk, it took a full year to lay down all 13 tracks for this
top-selling recording. Which honors the rich sound / orchestral jazz tradition of
those classic Christmas albums that Bing Crosby, Perry Como and Rosemary
Clooney performed on back in the 1940s & 1950s.

Copyright 2011 Universal Republic. All rights reserved

"What with his film work and all the TV series he rides herd on, Seth's schedule is just crazy these days. But he and I had such a good time working together on 'Music is Better than Words' that Seth were determined to carve out time necessary to record a second album," Joel explained during a recent phone interview. "Ironically it wasn't until 2012 when the two of us were over in England doing promo for that first album when the two of us realized that we both had the exact same weekend free. And since I already had six arrangements done for the holiday album that we had been talking about doing, Seth and I decided to get started recording. Which is when I made a quick call to Abbey Road."

Thankfully because of all the film work that he'd previously done at Abbey Road Studios, McNeely was able to pull in a few favors and book some time in Studio Two. And once he'd secured use of what many people consider the most famous recording studio in the world ("This is where the Beatles recorded," Joel enthused. "Which is why — if you're someone who works in the music field — you almost feel like you have to genuflect when you enter this space. I mean, the tinny piano that they used is still sitting there in the corner. You can walk right up and play it!"), he then reached out to some of London's best musicians.

"We even brought over Peter Erskine, the great jazz
drummer. Mind you, Studio Two is not a huge room. But we eventually wedged 54
players in there. But not a one of those musicians was off in an iso booth.
Everybody was in the same space. We had Peter and his drums right in the center
of the orchestra amongst all the strings and the woodwinds. So his sound was
leaking into all the other mics. And everybody else's sound was leaking into
everybody else's mics," McNeely said.

Seth MacFarlane and Joel McNeely

"And why was that important?," you ask. Because Seth and Joel were out to replicate a  very particular sound from that era of recording. You see, when everyone's in the exact same space at the exact same time working on a track for an album, you get less of a pristine sound. And as a direct result, whatever you're recording then sounds more like a live performance.

"And given that all those classic holiday albums that
Ray Conniff and Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra did back in the day all have that
same sort of sound and feel … Well, Seth and I wanted this record to sound
like it had been part of that era as well. That 'Holiday
for Swing!' come across as this honest, completely sincere and authentic celebration
of all those great orchestral Christmas songs that were produced back in the
1940s and 1950s," McNeely stated.

So how did Seth & Joel go about choosing the holiday
songs that would be featured on this recording? Given that MacFarlane has an
almost encyclopedic knowledge of the great American songbook, McNeely opted to
let Seth choose the line-up for "Holiday for
Swing!"

Copyright 2014 Universal Republic. All rights reserved

"Seth knows more obscure songs than anyone I've ever
worked with. On 'Music is Better than Words,' he just pulled all of these great
songs that I'd never heard of right out of his hat. Seth genuinely delights in
unearthing musical numbers that very few people have ever heard of before,"
Joel stated. "So that was what he wanted to do with this holiday  album. Split 'Holiday
for Swing!' between those classic Christmas numbers that everyone knows and
those holiday songs that maybe you haven't heard before like 'Christmas
Dreaming' and 'Little Jack Frost Get Lost."

And what was Joel's job on this project? To come up with
orchestrations that he hoped would then make Seth laugh.

"Look, when you're working with a comedy professional,
you generally keep your jokes to yourself. 
Because there's just no way that you can ever come with a gag that this
guy hasn't heard before or doesn't already know," McNeely explained.
"But what I can do — by making the orchestrations for these holiday songs
as fun as possible — is make Seth laugh with music. Try and tell a story with
each arrangement. Take — for example — 'Mele Kalikimaka.' The way that I orchestrated
this song for 'Holiday for Swing!,' it supposed to sound
like something straight out of a Bob Hope / Bing
Crosby Road picture.  A moment from one of those movies where they enter
a jungle clearing and find this crazy witch doctor getting ready for Christmas.
That's just the sort of arrangement that I knew would make Seth laugh. And it
did." 

Copyright Classic Media, LLC. All rights reserved

Mind you, not every witty reinvention of a holiday classic that
Joel dreamed up for "Holiday for Swing!" made
the final cut. Take — for example — Joel's bluesy take on "Frosty the
Snowman."

"When everyone else does 'Frosty,' they treat it as
this upbeat, bouncy tune. But if you actually listen to the lyrics, you then
realize that 'Frosty' is this really sad holiday song. I mean, he dies, the snowman
melts at the end of this song. So I thought that it might be fun to embrace the
sad story that those lyrics are actually trying to tell people. Turn 'Frosty
the Snowman' into this really dark, kind of bluesy dirge. But every which way I
went with that arrangement, it just felt false. I still believe in this
concept. I think that there's a genuinely funny take on this holiday classic in
there somewhere. But in the end, what Seth and I were looking to do with 'Holiday
for Swing!' was create a sincere, authentic Christmas album. Make something
that celebrated these songs, not do something that was mean-spirited or riffed
on these holiday classics. Which is why 'Frosty' never made it past the this-sounds-like-a-funny-idea
stage," McNeely said.

And once those first six holiday songs were laid down, what
with working on "Ted," "Family Guy," "American
Dad," "A Million Ways to Die in the West" and
"Cosmos," it would be another full year before Seth & Joel could
get then together again and record the last seven tracks for "Holiday for
Swing!"

Arranger / composer Joel McNeely

"And 'The Christmas Song' at the very end of this
album, that was just a Hail Mary. We were done recording and there was this
beautiful grand piano there in the recording studio. And I said 'Hey, you wanna
do this?' So we quickly up a mic and then did 'A Christmas Song' two times
straight through. And the second take is what you can now hear in its entirety
on the album. It was recorded live just with that piano. A simple and sincere
version of that song," McNeely recalled. "Which — to be honest — was
kind of the effect that I was going for. That — after all of the wackiness and
merriment that had preceded 'The Christmas Song' on 'Holiday
for Swing!' — I thought that it might be smart to put something quiet and
reflective at the end at this recording."

Well, clearly Christmas shoppers have approved of what Seth
& Joel put together. Given that — for a time — "Holiday
for Swing!" was the No. 1 recording for 2014. Just last week, this Universal
Republic recording occupied the
Number 8 position on Billboard's Holiday Album chart.

"Look, the fact  that this album has been selling well is great
news. But from Seth's point of view, what really matters most is that the stuff
he loves — orchestral jazz — is getting out there again and being heard and
that people seem to be enjoying it," Joel stated. "I mean, you have
to understand that Seth doesn't take vacations. The way that he blows off steam
is by doing something he really loves. Which is singing. So when we were doing
promo for 'Holiday for Swing!' earlier this month and — in the span of one day
— Seth had to sing live on 'Good Morning America,' 'Live with Kelli and
Michael,' 'The View' and then finish that trip to NYC by performing on NBC's 'Lighting-of-the-Rockefeller-Center-Christmas-Tree'
TV program … I've honestly never seen the guy happier. These music projects
are just like candy to him."

Sara Bareilles and Seth MacFarlane perform "Baby, It's Cold Outside" at
the 82nd Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.
Copyright National Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved

Which perhaps explains why MacFarlane is already texting McNeely with ideas
and concepts for yet another album. One that Joel is really not free to talk
about at this point, but — should it ever actually come to pass (which, given
Seth's extremely packed schedule, is a very legitimate concern) — it could
possibly top the fun of "Music is Better than Words" and "Holiday
for Swing!"

FYI: If you'd like to see MacFarlane perform live, he'll be
singing on New Year's Eve with the San Francisco Symphony. Where — I'll bet
you — Seth will be performing Joel's arrangement of that Frank Loesser holiday
favorite, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on December 24, 2014

Every family has Christmas Eve traditions. For the Hills … Well, first we eat itty-bitty pizzas. Then the family gathers in the living room, where – going from oldest to youngest – we each hang up our stocking before taking a single candy cane off of the Christmas tree.

Whereas for the Gattelli family, the holidays just weren’t complete until someone threw “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” into the VCR. Whereupon everyone had a good cry while watching this 1977 HBO special.

Copyright 2006 The Jim Henson Company

“This really was a holiday tradition at my house,” insisted Christopher Gattelli, the Tony Award-nominated director / choreographer (Who’s probably best known to theater fans for his acclaimed work on the recent Broadway revivals of “South Pacific” and “Sunday in the Park with George”) . “I just remember bawling to ‘Emmet Otter.’ It was such a beautifully –told tale with great songs and strong character. I remember thinking as a kid that I’d love to do a holiday show like this someday.”

Now jump ahead three decades or so. And after Christopher has staged a show from the 2005 Fringe Festival that garnered a lot of attention (i.e. “Silence! The Musical.” Which was the unauthorized parody of the Academy Award-winning film, “The Silence of the Lambs
”), Timothy A. McDonald – the CEO of iTheatrics – asked for a meeting. And over lunch, McDonald asked Gattelli if there was some dream project that he really wanted to do.

(L to R) Timothy A. McDonald, Paul Williams and Christopher Gattelli at an early rehearsal for the stage version of Jim Henson’s “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas– A New Musical.” Photo by Diane Sobolewski. Copyright 2009 Goodspeed Musicals. All Rights Reserved

“And I said ‘There’s this Jim Henson special from the 1970s,’ “ Christopher remembered. “ ‘You
probably haven’t heard of it. It’s a musical retelling of O. Henry’s ‘Gift of the Magi.’ Only set in a swamp with puppets.”

As it turns out, McDonald had heard of “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.” Timothy had recently been working with Paul Williams, who had written the score for this HBO special back in 1977. And Williams had actually been hectoring McDonald, insisting that iTheatrics take a close look at “Emmet Otter.” Because (the way Paul saw it) this Jim Henson production had the
makings of a great stage musical.

“So with Paul pushing from one side and me pushing from the other, Tim decided to reach out to The Jim Henson Company and see if they’d be interested in selling iTheatrics the theatrical rights to ‘Emmet Otter,’ “ Christopher continued. “But Henson wasn’t interested in selling the rights. They wanted to be full-on collaborators with this new stage project.”

Mind you, it took a few years to work out all the kinks (i.e. have Williams write enough new songs so that this holiday special could then become a full-blown stage musical. Not to mention Gattelli & McDonald’s effort to turn Jerry Juhl’s teleplay into a suitable libretto). Then there was the issue of where exactly to stage the world premiere of the musical version of “Emmet
Otter.”

Copyright 2009 Goodspeed Musicals. All Rights Reserved

“But once the Goodspeed Opera House expressed interest in the show … Well, you couldn’t ask for a better place to stage ‘Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas,’ “ Christopher explained. “The theater itself backs up against a marsh. And – as you walk up to the Opera House itself – you have to pass over this footbridge past all of these real animals off in the brush. So
it’s like you’re actually entering the world of Frogtown Hollow before ‘Emmet Otter’ even begins.”

Now for its first year in production at the Goodspeed, Jim Henson’s “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas – A  New Musical” was admittedly a little rushed. Since the show itself didn’t get greenlit ‘til July of 2008 … More importantly, because performances were supposed to begin at the Opera House on December 7^th of that same year … Well, the latter half of 2008 was something of a blur for Gattelli.

Puppets and human performers blend seamlessly in Goodspeed Musicals production of Jim Henson’s “Emmet Otter” at the Goodspeed Opera House. Photo by Diane Sobolewski. Copyright 2008 Goodspeed Musicals. All Rights Reserved

“We still had lots of support from The Jim Henson Company,” Christopher said. “They put a whole lot of trust in the ‘Emmet Otter’ creative team. They even let us use some of the puppets from the original 1977 HBO special as part of this stage show.“

The end result … Well, it must have been a success. Given that there was such a strong demand for “Emmet Otter” tickets that the Goodspeed Opera House had to tack two additional performances onto last year’s run.

Meg Guzulescu of West Hartford, CT learns about trust from her squirrel friends in Goodspeed Musicals production of Jim Henson’s “Emmet Otter” at the Goodspeed Opera House. Photo by Diane Sobolewski. Copyright 2009 Goodspeed Musicals. All Rights Reserved

“One of the more gratifying things about last year’s production of ‘Emmet Otter’ was that Goodspeed had this guestbook in the lobby,” Gattelli went on. “Which is how we discovered that people had come from as far away as St. Louis and Ohio just to see this show. We really must have struck a chord with fans of the original HBO special.”

Emmet Otter (Justin Bohan) and his Ma (Kathy Fitzgerald) learn that family and friends are what make holidays & everyday special in Goodspeed Musicals production of Jim Henson’s “Emmet Otter” at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT through January 4, 2010. Photo by Diane Sobolewski. Copyright 2009 Goodspeed
Musicals. All Rights Reserved

So if you – like Christopher – have extremely fond memories of HBO’s “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas,” you should be aware that the stage version of “Emmet Otter” has just begun a second run at the Goodspeed. Performances just got underway this past Monday and will continue
through January 4^th.

“We’ve made some minor tweaks to the book, “ Galletti admitted. “But overall, this is the same musical that delighted Henson fans last year. A show that – we’re hoping – will eventually become a holiday perennial.”

Copyright 2009 Goodspeed Musicals. All Rights Reserved

If you’d like to start a new tradition for your family by spending some of your Christmas in Connecticut
and seeing a great new holiday musical at the Goodspeed Opera House … You can do so by clicking on this link and seeing what performances are available for Jim Henson’s “Emmet Otter’s Jud-Band
Christmas.”

Just so you know, though: If last year is any indication, tickets are sure to go fast. So if you’d like to spend some of the Christmas season in Frogtown Hollow, you’d best hop to it.

Photo by Diane Sobolewski. Copyright 2008 Goodspeed Musicals. All Rights Reserved

Your thoughts?

And speaking of the holidays … If you’re planning on doing any Christmas shopping on Amazon.com this year, could you please do JHM a favor and – before you begin your online bargain hunting – click on the banner above?

If you do that … Well, Jim Hill Media then gets a teeny tiny chunk of whatever you spend. Which would be a very nice way to show your appreciation for all of the great stories that you’ve read on this website over the past year.

Happy Holidays!