This Christmas, Let’s Muddle Through
By Dan Brown Much of Christmas pop culture is shabby, cheap and weird. And most Christmas songs are syrupy-sweet – when I hear them, my teeth ache. But there’s one exception. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas has been around for decades. It was originally written for the 1944 musical motion picture Meet Me in St. Louis and was sung by Judy Garland, who readers my age know as the mother of Liza Minnelli. It may be the only Christmas song whose dominant vibe is a melancholy one. It is certainly the only Yule tune I’ve heard in my 57 years that has the word “muddle” in it: Someday soon, we all will be togetherIf the Fates allowUntil then, we'll have to muddle through somehowSo have yourself a merry little Christmas now That closing verse captures the bittersweet mood of the song. The lyrics offer no certainties. They suggest we don’t control our own lives, and that we should enjoy this Christmas because nothing in life is guaranteed. I first heard it when I was a kid in the 1970s. That word “muddle” jumped out at me. We – my family, other families, the world – were doing a lot of muddling through situations in the 1970s, so it seemed appropriate. According to Wikipedia, the moody number was written in 1943 with Hugh Martin credited as composer, Ralph Blane as lyricist. I’m guessing it being written in the thick of the Second World War has a lot to do with that flavour of uncertainty. It was one of those moments in history when Western civilization, our shared way of life, was in jeopardy. People were worried that the fascist authoritarians would prevail. Many artists went on to record cover versions, and you may be thinking: “Wait a minute, I hear that tune every year at this time and I don’t remember any lyrics about muddling through.” Your ears are not playing tricks on you. There are indeed recordings in which that verse has been replaced: Through the years we all will be togetherIf the Fates allowHang a shining star upon the highest boughAnd have yourself a merry little Christmas now Apparently the lyrics were revised in 1957 at the request of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra, who wanted his own version to be more jolly. Since then, you can hear both versions done by many different vocalists. To my young ears, this was a different type of Christmas music. It wasn’t childish like other songs or carols. It wasn’t Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Winter Wonderland or Jingle Bells or The Little Drummer Boy. It spoke to me of a different Christmas experience. And no wonder. Heck, it was written only a few years following the end of the Great Depression, so they weren’t all happy days back then. And now, as an adult, I realize that muddling through life is sometimes the best you can do in this crazy thing called life.. Let me know in the comments about the festive songs you love hearing at Christmas! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
