Alison Russell has released a new holiday single with two versions of Hugh Martin and Ralph Plane’s classic line-up “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. He performs the song in English and French translations.
The song was written for a new album called Meet Me in St. Louis, originally sung by Judy Garland, along with George Stole and her band. It was closed hundreds and hundreds of times, initially in 1948 Frank Sinatra And then by every great artist imaginable All Fitzgerald To do Glenn Campbell And from Tony Bennett to Michael Bubble. Read the amazing story behind the song here.
Russell says, “I consider myself a hopeful agnostic, but Christmas has always been a big part of my world. As a child of a misguided, dysfunctional and deeply impoverished family, the holidays were always painful and busy. Christmas in particular makes fun of all the skeletons in our family’s closet.
“The bright light of my difficult childhood was my maternal grandmother, Isobel Roger Robertson. Every year we watched the Meet Me show in St. Louis together and we could not go on without singing” Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas “via Judy Garland.
“I have always felt that this song echoes on a deeper level and speaks to the feelings of grief, loss, depression, separation and loneliness that many of us experience during the holidays,” he continues. “But it also speaks to hope … Early Alzheimer’s disease took over my grandmother’s isobel very quickly, but I carry on many of its traditions.
“‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ is now my daughter’s favorite. In the days of controlling the epidemic, I started teaching my daughter in French.
“It’s a timeless melody and I hope it does justice to the poem,” he concludes. “I wish you and your love, health, peace and happiness in difficult times and good times.”
Russell Outdoor child Named Best American Album by Nashville Scene, he was also nominated for this year’s Emerging Artist at the 2021 Americana Honors & Awards. He is currently on a tour of Lake Street Dive and has his own title dates in Nashville this month and next. Chicago, Grand Rapids.
Buy or stream Alison Russell Outdoor child.
“Beeraholic. Friend of animals everywhere. Evil web scholar. Zombie maven.”
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