The song of the day for December 23, 2024, the tenth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
About This Song
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis, where it was introduced by Judy Garland. In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song.
About This Version
Tony Bennett, with The Count Basie Big Band, recorded “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 2004 for A Swingin’ Christmas, released in 2008. The very fine guitar portion of the recording is by Gray Sargent, who played in Bennett’s quartet from 1997 until his final performance with Lady Gaga in 2021.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.
Here’s the scene from Meet Me In St. Louis where Judy Garland sings today’s song to Margaret O”Brien. who played her youngest sister in the film.