“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is one of the most famous classic Christmas carols, which has been covered by many artists and played countless times on radio stations around the world.

The song was originally heard in the 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis, by Judy Garland.

Composers of the pieces of the musical were Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. When they presented the song to Garland she asked him to change some lyrics that were bitter and depressing.

Although initially resistant, Martin made several changes to make the song more upbeat. For example, the lines “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas/ It may be your last / Next year we may be living all in the past” became “Let your heart be light / Next year all our troubles will be out of sight”.

In 1957, when Frank Sinatra approached Martin to record the song, he also asked Martin to change other lyrics to make them more upbeat.

Sinatra specifically pointed out the line “until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” telling Martin: “the name of my album is A Jolly Christmas ). Do you think you could make this verse happier for me?

Someday soon we will all be together,
If the fates allow.
Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Martin’s revised verse was “hang a shining star upon the highest bough”.