Wagnabbit: Sing along: ‘We need a little Christmas now’

One of America’s most popular Christmas songs is a Broadway show tune that debuted in the musical “Mame” in 1966. It is “We Need a Little Christmas,” featuring the voice of the star of the show – Angela Lansbury.

Her stage performance drew critical acclaim and vaulted her into the spotlight as a premier multi-dimensional talent.

All songs in the musical were written by Jerry Herman of Jersey City, N.J., who was one of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time.

Herman was the composer and lyricist for a number of hit musicals, starting in the 1960s, that were characterized by an upbeat and optimistic outlook and what Herman called “the simple, hummable show tune.” (His memorable shows include “Hello, Dolly!” from 1964.)

“Mame” is set in New York City and spans the Great Depression and World War II. It focuses on eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis, whose “fabulous life with her wealthy friends is interrupted when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. They cope with the Depression in a series of adventures.”

“After the stock market crash of 1929, Mame tries to hurry up the Christmas preparations, even though it’s still November and the snow hasn’t yet started to fall, hoping it will help take her mind off her lost fortune.”

The lyrics are priceless and illustrate how the holiday adornments can boost one’s spirit and morale.

Haul out the holly

Put up the tree before my spirit falls again

Fill up the stockings

I may be rushing things but deck the halls again now

For we need a little Christmas right this very minute

Candles in the window

Carols at the spinet

Yes we need a little Christmas right this very minute

It hasn’t snowed a single flurry

But Santa dear we’re in a hurry

So climb down the chimney

Turn on the brightest string of lights I’ve ever seen

Slice up the fruitcake

It’s time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough

For I’ve grown a little leaner, grown a little colder

Grown a little sadder, grown a little older

And I need a little angel sitting on my shoulder

We need a little Christmas now

For we need a little music, need a little laughter

Need a little singing ringing through the rafter

And we need a little snappy happy ever after

We need a little Christmas now

Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury was born in London in 1925. To escape the German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom that began in 1940, Lansbury came to the United States to study acting in New York City. Proceeding to Hollywood in 1942, she began working her way up the ladder in the motion picture industry.

Lansbury was 41 years old when she landed her first starring role as the glamorous character Mame. The part required 10 song-and-dance routines and 20 costume changes.

Reviews of Lansbury’s performance were overwhelmingly positive. In The New York Times, Stanley Kauffmann wrote: “Miss Lansbury is a singing-dancing actress, not a singer or dancer who also acts. In this marathon role. she has wit, poise, warmth…and coolth.”

For her portrayal of Mame in 1966, Lansbury won the first of her six Tony Awards.

Lansbury’s career “matured” as she did. She made a name for herself in television, starring in the lead role of Jessica Fletcher in CBS’ “Murder, She Wrote,” which ran for 12 seasons from 1984-95. She was also executive producer of the series.

Additionally, Lansbury voiced roles in animated movies, such as “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) and “Anastasia” (1997).

In a 2022 magazine interview, Lansbury said she stayed active by cooking, reading and completing crossword puzzles. “I take a lot of vitamins and get enough sleep,” she said. “I believe age should not stop you from keeping on. Here I am, I still go on, you know, like the tides.”

She died of natural causes about three months after that interview, just shy of her 97th birthday, passing away peacefully in her sleep.

Other notable artists who have covered “We Need a Little Christmas” include Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, the Muppets, the “Glee” television show chorus, Kimberly Locke, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square with Kristin Chenoweth and Pentatonix.