Quiz: Name the Iconic Christmas Song With Just One Lyric

Now that Halloween has passed, it appears the Christmas season is truly upon us. Green and red are everywhere in stores, and the sales that were once reserved for the end of November are already starting. Whether you like the extension of the holiday season or wish it would wait for December, you’d be hard-pressed to avoid all of the signs that Christmas is on its way.

How well do you know your Christmas music? It’s easy enough to sing along with these iconic numbers on the radio, but can you identify them with only one line? Find out just how well you know the top holiday music hits by answering this 15-question quiz.

How’d you do? Some of these questions were harder than others, so don’t beat yourself up if you missed a few.

Usually, the best harbinger of the holly jolly season is the music being played on the radio and over store intercoms. Mariah Carey and Wham! serenade us with their famously catchy tunes, and pop stars are perfecting their covers of holiday classics. From the more traditional Advent hymns to the goofy theme songs of cartoon Christmas characters, there are more Christmas songs than we know what to do with.

Perhaps the hardest question in this quiz is about a line from “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” that you might not be familiar with. That’s because the lyric is rarely used when it is performed these days. It comes from the original recording of the song in the musical Meet Me in St. Louis, where Judy Garland sings it to her character’s younger sister.

The Many Lyric Changes of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

Meet Me in St. Louis follows the Smith family, who are on the verge of a major upheaval when their patriarch decides to move them to New York. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is sung when his daughter Esther, played by Garland, attempts to comfort her sister about the changes. They will all be leaving a lot behind, including a potential future for Esther with her fiancé, contributing to a generally negative attitude despite the holiday aesthetics.

But the full story of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is a little more complicated than that. The original lyrics included the phrase: “Have yourself a merry little Christmas. It may be your last. Next year we may all be living in the past.” However, Garland refused to sing this version, as she found it far too depressing, despite the film’s production taking place during World War II.

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The version that ended up in the film cut out the references to death but maintained a somber tone with the idea that, until happy times returned, they would all “have to muddle through somehow.” However, Frank Sinatra believed this version was also too negative, asking writer Hugh Martin to revise it before he would cover it on his 1957 album, A Jolly Christmas. The new version replaced the disheartening line with the command to “hang a shining star upon the highest bough.”

The new version is the one that most of us are familiar with today, but there’s something more honest about Garland’s version that appeals to many listeners. While Christmas is considered to be an upbeat holiday, many people can’t relate to the endless lyrics about peace and joy. For those who are struggling with grief, poverty, illness, or any other anxiety, it can be more comforting to hear a song that reflects their reality.

So this Christmas, whether you’re feeling like it’s the most wonderful time of the year or are just trying to muddle through, there are likely a few songs that will resonate with exactly how you’re feeling.

Keep up with Mental Floss’s quiz section for more trivia.