Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Songs
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When is a cover not a cover?

For the past few years I have written an original Christmas song, usually something quite silly just for the amusement of my family. Last year I had the music but wasn’t finding any lyrics, then realised the words for Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas seemed to fit just right.

I love the original but here is a more contemporary version.

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you accomplished a major feat of reversal in transforming one of the saddest of all christmas songs into a joyous hymn of togetherness. the original has a small family muddling though the torture of trying to celebrate the holiday in the absence of family members off fighting and dying in world war two. this makes for a brilliant companion piece. it plays like a sequel to the original, with all the family nd friends back together again in peacetime, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4oP0DhTpyQ

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This has such an Anne Murray vibe to me. Nicely done!

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This is great work.

  • So, not sure if rhetorical " when not a “cover”"?

Generally speaking, imo, it’s not. One may always attribute as inspired by. However, how one’s country’s P, TM, CR office “hears” that makes wording - specific. I’m no “lawyer” but I’ve enjoyed a few “knife fights” with a few, lol!

Arguably, if deemed as seeking to take the value of that song in some way to somehow then unfairly enrich oneself might be an encapsulation. It’s not, some 'ole tales of “more than three notes”.

  • All of which I feel you likely know well yourself. I only comment it here for “me”, not you. And why?

Well, imo - if me, as I listened and read the CR lyrics and listened to the artist attribution (Sinatra) - your new melody is excellent and yet familiar enough that folks would likely want to start using it if you offered it up.

However, me - as one that has for years taken, even fully pub dom stuff and “re-written” it and then attribuited it anyway, or even as inspired by - where I could change rhyming words. As, e.g., in my thinking like - “Here we are, as in olden days; Happy golden days of yore”.

So, these authors used common knowledge, public, if not idiomatic of any period "phrases. They are not the first to say the above - but to their melody. Your melody is entirely your own, orchestration, performance, et alia. The most generic (as e.g. only) is (arguably) “golden days of yore”. Me, I’d consider consolidating that to (keeping it “updated and happy”) “golden days of more”. Again, not award winning writing, just an example.

  • I doubth this is a track that is screen scarped, audio captured and compared - yet, the less similar in any of the very specific phrases, yet used in this context the better - even, “happy days of more”. One can’t CR a language, or common phrases, but can if put to a melody make it theirs in that context - chech any pop song like TS whom uses street phrases as then, hooks. Anyone can Rap that. Like “Titles”, can’t CR a title.

Me, I’d make it as much, more “mine” with that performance in total and put it out there. But, that’s just me, inspired by your good work here. This is in no way anything more than - “I like your song” lol! (By now you may have observed, just how I am, if not OCD enthusiastic on occasion.)

  • The thing, if did do any of my nonsense above some folks may forget is - don’t give up you CR if even not Registered. (All that does is be a first protection - but a stop order can do the same - and all they got was that 1x thing - who cares? It’s major “Press”, which has value - so, + - + - , a wash.)

Anyone who use it for “real” would not just grab it - they’d make sure even you are the original author and etc. Then, would require a CR Reg. and etc. But, it could happen.

Me, as with any of my “stuff” - if a congregation thought enough of it to use it - eh, go ahead. Start to charge money and bring in “hill - song” amounts of for profit money - then, no : ) )

Anyway - all of that is all very personal, especially if of an emotional, spiritual, God connection thing. So, again - this is just me, very happy for you and shouldn’t I risk telling you. : ) (Maybe we all should risk “that” more.)

Anyway - great work and is when a cover is not a cover - imo.