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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

December 23, 2019 By Suzanne 1 Comment

Song of the Day: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The song of the day for Tuesday, December 24, 2019, 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. Hugh Martin, like your author, is from Birmingham, Alabama and, also like your author, attended Birmingham-Southern College.

It was introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 movie Meet Me In St. Louis. In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song.

It’s my favorite Christmas song too.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 2004 for the album A Swingin’ Christmas, which was released in 2008, The album featured The Count Basie Orchestra.

As a Judy Garland fan, I have to offer her original recording from Meet Me In St.Louis:

About Today

Boy, am I glad to be back! I wound up in the hospital once again with pneumonia. I’m over the pneumonia, but I am still recovering physically from the ordeal. I’m told this to be expected, so I’m trying to be patient. Meanwhile, I’m hobbling around on a walker, which I need right now but can’t wait to put that thing in the closet.

In order to put in new carpet and flooring in my apartment, they had to pack up all of my stuff and move it out. Except for the kitchen not being affected as it’s all off the floor, it’s like moving in all over again. I’m going to take advantage of the situation to do a little Marie Kondo. But unlike Marie, all books and music bring joy!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: A Swingin' Christmas, Hugh Martin, Judy Garland, Meet Me In St. Louis, Ralph Blane, The Count Basie Orchestra

December 21, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

On the eighth day of the Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, Monday, December 21, 2015, the song of the day is “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

About This Song

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the 1944 movie 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. I’d have to say it’s mine as well.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” for his 2008 album A Swingin’ Christmas.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas, is available from iTunes.

Here’s Judy Garland singing this lovely song, from Meet Me In St. Louis

Filed Under: Song of the Day, The 12 Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas Tagged With: A Swingin' Christmas, Hugh Martin, Judy Garland, Meet Me In St. Louis, Ralph Blane

September 29, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 29, 2015 is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin (music) and Ralph Blane (lyrics). It was introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 movie Meet Me In St. Louis. 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

You’re correct: this is September, not December. It is not yet time for the Annual Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas celebration. Though I suspect it might be here sooner than many of us would care to think. I mean, we’re still have 80 degree days here in Portland.

A few weeks back, I thought it might be fun to start presenting songs in Tony’s career, starting in 1946 with “St. James Infirmary,” to pick one song from each year, up to today. I’ve been doing this five days a week, Monday through Friday. Saturdays and Sundays have their own themes as well: Saturday I present a song and a video and on Sundays I pick a song that Mr. Bennett has recorded more than once and present them together.

Today is 1968 and there is no album more important in Bennett’s career for that year than Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album. Critics have noted that Snowfall is not only an excellent Christmas album, but an excellent and outstanding album in its own right. It marked the first of Tony Bennett’s collaborations with the noted composer, conductor and orchestrator Robert Farnon.

And from that album is my favorite Christmas song of all time: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Like the composer, Hugh Martin, I too am from Birmingham, Alabama and, also like the composer, I studied at Birmingham-Southern College. By the time I started college in 1968, Hugh Martin was a legend at my college. When he was visiting Birmingham, he would visit the campus. I met him several times at the music department and would sometimes see him visiting other professors. (I will put a plug in for the Alabama Tony Bennett connection here: arranger Marion Evans, whose work as an arranger I feature often, is also from Alabama and also attended Birmingham-Southern. What can I say–they had and still have a fantastic music department.)

Tony Bennett recorded “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” on October 1, 1968 in New York at the CBS 30th Street Studio. The album Snowfall was released soon afterwards. The album featured many of the same musicians that were used for his album of the previous year, Tony Makes It Happen!, including Milt Hinton, John Bunch and Joe Soldo.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is an outstanding song. In the same way that “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” transcends that city and speaks to everyone all over the world, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is as much or more about home and family as it is the holiday. Whether it’s Tony Bennett singing it or Judy Garland, you won’t find a better song or a better performance anywhere.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album, is available from iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: 1968, Birmingham-Southern College, Hugh Martin, Judy Garland, Marion Evans, Meet Me In St. Louis, Ralph Blane, Robert Farnon, Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album

December 21, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

On The Eighth Day of a Tony Bennett Christmas

On the eighth day of a Tony Bennett Christmas, he sings for us “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin, with lyrics by Ralph Blane.It was introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 movie Meet Me In St. Louis. In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song. It is also a favorite of your author, who shares both a home town (Birmingham, Alabama) and an alma mater (Birmingham-Southern College) with Hugh Martin. He was a frequent visitor to both the theater and music departments when he visited home and was always very supportive of our work. Merry Christmas, Mr. Martin.

Tony Bennett first recorded “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 1968 for Snowfall. Today’s version is from A Swingin’ Christmas, released in 2008.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas, is available from iTunes.

And who can forget the luminous Judy Garland, singing this song to a young Margaret O’Brien in Meet Me In St. Louis.

Filed Under: The 12 Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas Tagged With: A Swingin' Christmas, Hugh Martin, Judy Garland, Ralph Blane

December 22, 2013 By Suzanne 3 Comments

Song of the Day: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

On the ninth day of a Tony Bennett Christmas, Sunday, December 22, 2013, the song of the day is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

About This Song

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the 1944 movie Meet Me In St. Louis, where it was introduced by Judy Garland. Hugh Martin is a favorite composer of your opinionated author. Not only is she and Mr. Martin from the same city of Birmingham, Alabama, we also attended the same small liberal arts school of Birmingham-Southern College. When I attended BSC in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mr. Martin often visited the Music Department and worked with student singers and composers.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Bennett’s 2008 album A Swingin’ Christmas. In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song to sing. I find this version quite touching and heartfelt. Here, Bennett is accompanied by his quartet of Monty Alexander on piano, Gray Sargent on guitar, Paul Langosch on bass and Harold Jones on drums. Gray does, as usual, some very fine guitar work in this arrangement.


“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as the entire A Swingin’ Christmas album, is available from iTunes.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Hugh Martin, Meet Me In St. Louis, Ralph Blane

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