Christmas song #23:

Frank Sinatra--Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas



From here on out, it's more about the song rather than any particular version.

I'm not much for the old crooners like Sinatra or Martin or Crosby 11 months out of the year. But whenever December comes around, it seems like such a treat to hear them. It's pretty obvious why. You grow up hearing them all around you in film, on TV and on the radio, that they become incredibly familiar. And "familiar" is really the main thing I end up wanting in Christmas music.

This is one of the songs that I want to only hear coming from an old crooner's vocal chords.

I guess it pretty much boils down to the fact that the song projects a real sadness under the sheen of the lyrics, and I guess having someone with a calm and warm voice like Sinatra tell me things will be alright (despite knowing it may not be true) makes me more liable to believe it.

Sinatra actually has a couple different versions. The first few had him singing the original lyric of "until then we'll have to muddle through somehow." But then when he decided to record an album entitled "A Jolly Christmas", he asked Dean Martin to write something more upbeat than that line for his "jolly" album. Thus the more known "hang a shining star upon the highest bough" revised lyric. I probably prefer the original lyric, even if it makes the song more overtly dark.

In any case, I'm posting the version with the revised version because... well, I don't know.

BONUS SONG:



In memory of the snow that has fallen for the last time this year.