It is a bit of a misnomer to call this part one on account of having had a song ruin my day many times before, but today is the first day I have ever made myself stop and write about the experience.

I am listening right now to Sarah McLachlan's rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." I have been listening to this song repeatedly for well over an hour. This song may well have ruined my life. It has, at the very least, ruined my day. A full recovery is not expected.

The song is on her newly-released Christmas album, Wintersong. I looked forward to Wintersong because Sarah Mc has an angel's voice. Who would not want to listen to Christmas songs sung by an angel? Even if the Christmas spirit does not touch you, the traditional Christmas songs have some of the most beautiful melodies ever. Matching her voice and those songs seemed an absolute winner to me. What could go wrong?

There is nothing wrong with Wintersong. The idea of a Sarah McLachlan Christmas album is still a little better than the execution of it on Wintersong, but "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" more than validates it. It really is that good. Just as I will never want nor need to hear anyone other than Nat King Cole sing "The Christmas Song," I never need to hear another version of this song either.

That really is one of the great challenges of recording Christmas albums these days. For so many of the classic songs, classic performances have already been recorded. Just as an example, Sarah McLachlan takes a stab at John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)."  We can debate whether or not that is a Christmas classic, but we should all be thankful for a version without Yoko Ono's atonal warble. Still, the definitive version of that song exists. Lennon got it right the first time. 

All Music Guide reveals 1,085 recordings of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." There may be more. There may be less. I am prepared, without having heard all of them, to declare the Wintersong version the definitive version. Let there not be a 1,086th.

What makes her version of this song so special? For starters, the low-key nature of the vocals. Many a golden-voiced diva has attempted these secular and sacred songs and oversung them in the most overwrought, overblown fashion. The lack of nuance in those performances assaults the song (and the listener) rather than interpreting it. On this song, and throughout the album, McLachlan resists the temptation to overdo it. 

What makes this version of the song so wonderful is the way she phrases it and the slight hint of melancholy in her voice. It might seem odd to praise a little melancholy in such a happy song but it adds a hint of yearning and warmth to it. The wonderful phrasing is evident within its first 30 seconds. Any deviation from a melody so ingrained in our collective consciousness is going to cause you to take note, but this not just any deviation.