White Christmas (song)



"White Christmas" is a 1942 Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 100 million copies worldwide. Other versions of the song, along with Crosby's, have sold over 150 million copies.

Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it in 1940, in warm La Quinta, California, while staying at the La Quinta Hotel, a frequent Hollywood retreat also favored by writer-director-producer Frank Capra, although the Arizona Biltmore also claims the song was written there. He often stayed up all night writing — he told his secretary, "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"

Bing Crosby version
The first public performance of the song was by Bing Crosby, on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall on Christmas Day, 1941; a copy of the recording from the radio program is owned by Crosby's estate and was loaned to CBS News Sunday Morning for their December 25, 2011, program. He subsequently recorded the song with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers and Chorus for Decca Records in just 18 minutes on May 29, 1942, and it was released on July 30 as part of an album of six 78-rpm discs from the musical film Holiday Inn. At first, Crosby did not see anything special about the song. He just said "I don't think we have any problems with that one, Irving." The song established and solidified the fact that there could be commercially successful secular Christmas songs — in this case, written by a Jewish-American songwriter, who also wrote "God Bless America."

The song initially performed poorly and was overshadowed by Holiday Inn&apos;s first hit song: "Be Careful, It's My Heart". By the end of October 1942, "White Christmas" topped the Your Hit Parade chart. It remained in that position until well into the new year. It has often been noted that the mix of melancholy — "just like the ones I used to know" — with comforting images of home — "where the treetops glisten" — resonated especially strongly with listeners during World War II. A few weeks after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Crosby introduced “White Christmas” on a Christmas Day broadcast. The Armed Forces Network was flooded with requests for the song. The recording is noted for Crosby's whistling during the second chorus.

In 1942 alone, Crosby's recording spent eleven weeks on top of the Billboard charts. The original version also hit number one on the Harlem Hit Parade for three weeks, Crosby's first-ever appearance on the black-oriented chart. Re-released by Decca, the single returned to the #1 spot during the holiday seasons of 1945 and 1946 (on the chart dated January 4, 1947), thus becoming the only single with three separate runs at the top of the U.S. charts. The recording became a chart perennial, reappearing annually on the pop chart twenty separate times before Billboard magazine created a distinct Christmas chart for seasonal releases.

In Holiday Inn, the composition won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1942. In the film, Crosby sings "White Christmas" as a duet with actress Marjorie Reynolds, though her voice was dubbed by Martha Mears. This now-familiar scene was not the moviemakers' initial plan. In the script as originally conceived, Reynolds, not Crosby, would sing the song. The song would feature in another Crosby film, the 1954 musical White Christmas. White Christmas became the highest-grossing film of 1954.

The version most often heard today on radio during the Christmas season is the 1947 re-recording. The 1942 master was damaged due to frequent use. Crosby re-recorded the track on March 19, 1947, accompanied again by the Trotter Orchestra and the Darby Singers, with every effort made to reproduce the original recording session. The re-recording is recognizable by the addition of flutes and celesta in the beginning.

Although Crosby dismissed his role in the song's success, saying later that "a jackdaw with a cleft palate could have sung it successfully," he was associated with it for the rest of his career.

The 1947 version is heard in the 2004 movie The Polar Express.

Sales figures
Crosby's "White Christmas" single has been credited with selling 50 million copies, the most by any release and therefore it is the biggest-selling single worldwide of all time. The Guinness Book of World Records 2009 Edition lists the song as a 100-million seller, encompassing all versions of the song, including albums. Crosby's holiday collection Merry Christmas was first released as an LP in 1949, and has never been out of print since.

There has been confusion and debate on whether Crosby's record is or is not the best-selling single, due to a lack of information on sales of "White Christmas," because Crosby's recording was released before the advent of the modern-day US and UK singles charts. However, after careful research, Guinness World Records in 2007 concluded that, worldwide, Crosby's recording of "White Christmas" has, in their estimation, sold at least 50 million copies, and that Elton John's recording of "Candle in the Wind 1997" has sold 33 million, making Crosby's recording the best-selling single of all time. However, an update in the 2009 edition of the book decided to further help settle the controversy amicably by naming both John's and Crosby's songs to be "winners" by stating that John's recording is the "best-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s," while maintaining that "the best-selling single of all time was released before the first pop charts," and that this distinction belongs to "White Christmas," which it says "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and—remarkably—still retains the title more than 50 years later."

Historic influence
In 1999, National Public Radio included it in the "NPR 100", which sought to compile the one hundred most important American musical works of the 20th century. Crosby's version of the song also holds the distinction of being ranked #2 on the "Songs of the Century" list, behind only Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow," as voted by members of the RIAA. In 2002, the original 1942 version was one of 50 historically significant recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. In 2004, it finished at #5 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

The recording was broadcast on Armed Forces Radio on April 30, 1975, as a secret, pre-arranged signal precipitating the U.S. evacuation from Saigon.

Original verse
Irving Berlin's opening verse is often dropped in recordings, but is included on A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records, sung by Darlene Love, on Barbra Streisand's A Christmas Album, on the Carpenters' Christmas Portrait sung by Karen Carpenter, on Bette Midler's Cool Yule, on Libera's Christmas Album and on Crash Test Dummies' Jingle All the Way.

Other versions
"White Christmas" is the most-recorded Christmas song; there have been more than 500 recorded versions of the song, in several different languages. The following is an incomplete list of some notable renditions.

In the years 1940-1942

 * 1942:
 * Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra (with Bob Carroll on lead vocal) released a version of the song (Capitol F-124) that reached number 16 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart.
 * Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra (with Garry Stevens on lead vocal) released a version of the song that reached number 18 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart.
 * Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (with Clyde Rogers on lead vocal) released a version of the song that reached number 20 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart (this same version charted on the Billboard pop singles chart again in December 1945, reaching number 16).
 * 1944:
 * Frank Sinatra released a version of the song (with backing orchestration under the direction of Axel Stordahl) that reached number 7 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart (this same version charted on the Billboard pop singles chart two more times: in December 1945, reaching number 5, and in December 1946, reaching number 6).
 * 1945:
 * On December 23, Kay Thompson performed her version of the song on the CBS radio program Request Performance backed by the Kay Thompson Rhythm Singers and an orchestra conducted by Leith Stevens. A recording of this radio performance has survived and can be heard on Sepia Records' 2009 3-CD compilation Think Pink! A Kay Thompson Party produced and annotated by Sam Irvin, author of Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise published by Simon & Schuster in 2010.
 * 1946:
 * Jo Stafford (with backing vocals by the Lyn Murray Singers and backing orchestration by Paul Weston) released a version of the song that reached number 9 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart.
 * 1947:
 * Eddy Howard and his Orchestra released a version of the song that reached number 21 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart.
 * Perry Como (with backing orchestration by Lloyd Shaffer) released a version of the song that reached number 23 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart.
 * Harry James released a version on Columbia 37955 with vocals by Marion Morgan.
 * 1948:
 * R&B vocal group the Ravens released a version of the song that reached number 9 on Billboard magazine's Rhythm & Blues Records chart in January 1949. Their version was released as the flip-side of a single that included their version of "Silent Night".
 * 1949:
 * Country singer Ernest Tubb (with female backing vocals by The Troubadettes) released a version of the song that reached number 7 on Billboard magazine's Country & Western Records chart.

1950s

 * 1952:
 * On July 15, singer Eddie Fisher with Hugo Winterhalter's orchestra & chorus recorded a version of the song at Manhattan Center, New York City. The song was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4910 (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10779 and JO 420.
 * Mantovani and His orchestra released a version of the song that reached number 23 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart.
 * 1954:
 * The Drifters released a cover version of the song that showcased the talents of lead singer Clyde McPhatter and the bass vocals of Bill Pinkney. Their recording of the song peaked at number 2 on Billboard ' s Rhythm & Blues Records chart in December 1954 (it also returned to the same chart in the next two years). In December 1955, "White Christmas" became the Drifters' first of 34 singles to register on the mainstream Billboard Top 100 singles chart, reaching number 80. For decades, the Drifters' version of the song was primarily heard on R&B radio stations, getting little exposure elsewhere. It received a boost in popularity in the early 1990s, when it was prominently featured in the film Home Alone during a scene in which the lead character Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is applying his father's aftershave while mouthing the lyrics.  Radio formats as diverse as oldies, adult contemporary, Top 40, and country began playing the Drifters' version of the song, which was later featured in the 1994 films Mixed Nuts and The Santa Clause.
 * Frank Sinatra recorded the song (with backing orchestration by Nelson Riddle) for a holiday single on Capitol Records.
 * 1957:
 * Elvis Presley recorded the song for his first holiday album, Elvis' Christmas Album.
 * 1958:
 * Johnny Mathis recorded the song for his first holiday album, Merry Christmas.
 * 1959:
 * Perry Como recorded the song for his holiday album, Season's Greetings from Perry Como.
 * The Ray Conniff Singers recorded the song for their holiday album, Christmas with Conniff.
 * Dean Martin recorded the song for his holiday album, A Winter Romance.

1960s

 * 1960:
 * Ella Fitzgerald recorded the song for her holiday album, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas.
 * 1961:
 * Mitch Miller included the song on his album Holiday Sing Along with Mitch. Instead of the lyrics, Miller printed a disclaimer on the album cover stating "The publisher assumes everyone knows the lyrics to this song!"
 * Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., mostly known as David Seville, covered the song for the first holiday album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, Christmas with The Chipmunks.
 * Haunani Kahalewai sang the song, including some lyrics in Hawaiian language, on the holiday album A Merry Hawaiian Christmas by the Hawaii Calls Orchestra and Chorus.
 * 1963:
 * Before he emigrated to the USA, Italo-American tenor Sergio Franchi recorded an Italian language version of the song titled "Bianco Natale." It was recorded in Italy and produced in Canada (Durium DC 26099).
 * Robert Goulet recorded the song for his holiday album, This Christmas I Spend with You.
 * Andy Williams recorded the song for his first holiday album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. This version of "White Christmas" was also released as a single, and reached number 1 on Billboard ' s special, year-end, weekly Christmas Singles chart (the B-side of the single contained Williams's version of "The Christmas Song"). This same version of "White Christmas" charted again on Billboard ' s Christmas Singles chart again in 1967, reaching number 22.
 * Darlene Love recorded the song for the Phil Spector-produced holiday album, A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records.
 * Smokey Robinson & the Miracles recorded the song for their holiday album, Christmas with the Miracles.
 * Jimmy McGriff recorded the song for his holiday album, Christmas with McGriff.
 * Jim Reeves recorded the song for his holiday album, Twelve Songs of Christmas.
 * 1964:
 * The Beach Boys recorded the song for their holiday album, The Beach Boys' Christmas Album.
 * Doris Day recorded the song for her holiday album, The Doris Day Christmas Album.
 * Jack Jones recorded the song for his holiday album, The Jack Jones Christmas Album.
 * Jo Stafford recorded the song for her holiday album, The Joyful Season.
 * Jerry Vale recorded the song for his holiday album, Christmas Greetings from Jerry Vale.
 * 1965:
 * The Supremes recorded the song for their holiday album, Merry Christmas.
 * Bob Marley recorded the song with the Wailers and released it as a single. This version later appeared on his compilation album Destiny: Rare Ska Sides from Studio 1.
 * 1966:
 * Kenny Burrell recorded the song for his holiday album, Have Yourself a Soulful Little Christmas.
 * Eydie Gorme, backed by Trio Los Panchos, recorded "Blanca Navidad", a Spanish language version of the song.
 * Dean Martin recorded the song for his holiday album, The Dean Martin Christmas Album.
 * Kate Smith recorded the song for her holiday album, The Kate Smith Christmas Album.
 * 1967:
 * Barbra Streisand's version of the song, recorded for her first holiday album, A Christmas Album, contains the seldom-heard verse.
 * 1968:
 * Tony Bennett recorded the song for his holiday album, Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album.
 * Otis Redding's version of the song was released as a single (posthumously), and reached number 12 on Billboard magazine's special, year-end, weekly Christmas Singles chart in December of '68.
 * Lana Cantrell released a version of the song on the various-artists holiday album Christmas Day with Colonel Sanders. This version was later included on other various-artists Christmas albums.
 * Tennessee Ernie Ford Recorded "White Christmas" for his LP O Come, All ye Faithful.

1970s

 * 1971:
 * The Partridge Family recorded a version of the song for their holiday album, A Partridge Family Christmas Card.
 * 1972:
 * Keith Lamb recorded a reggae version of the song with his band Hush in December 1972 (EPW 263) for Warner for an EP entitled Hush Power.
 * 1973:
 * Shu-Bi-Dua, from Denmark, released a rock version of the song under the title "Rap Jul" ("Quack (/Quick) Christmas" - in Danish, the word "rap" also translates into "quick"). The Danish lyrics depicts a duck (that turns out to be none other than Donald Duck) not looking forward to Christmas, because all humans tend to eat duck at Christmas Eve. Therefore, he dreams about a quick Christmas.
 * 1975:
 * John Denver recorded the song during the sessions for his holiday album, Rocky Mountain Christmas. While the song was not included on the original LP, it later appeared as a bonus track on the 1998 CD reissue of the album.
 * 1979:
 * Willie Nelson recorded the song for his holiday album, Pretty Paper.
 * Stiff Little Fingers covered the song and released it as part of the "Silly Encores" B-side to their UK 7" single "At the Edge". This version also appeared as a bonus track on the American 2005 CD reissue of the band's 1980 live album, Hanx!

1980s

 * 1980:
 * Slim Whitman covered this song on the Epic album Christmas With Slim Whitman.
 * Darts covered this song, released with a B-side of "Sh-Boom", which reached #48 in the UK Singles Chart.
 * 1981:
 * Boney M. covered the song creating a reggae-version in the process and included it on their album Christmas Album.
 * 1984:
 * Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton recorded a version of the song for their holiday album, Once Upon a Christmas.
 * 1985:
 * The Canadian Brass recorded an instrumental version for their holiday album, A Canadian Brass Christmas.
 * 1989:
 * New Kids on the Block recorded a version of the song for their holiday album, Merry, Merry Christmas.

1990s

 * 1990:
 * John Denver recorded the song for his holiday album, Christmas, Like a Lullaby.
 * 1991:
 * Marco T. La Voz del Rock and Roll in Colombia recorded the song in Spanish for his album Pequeño Pueblo de Belen.
 * 1992:
 * Neil Diamond recorded a doo-wop version of the song for his first holiday album, The Christmas Album.
 * Michael Bolton recorded the song for his non-holiday album Timeless: The Classics. This version of the song reached number 73 on Billboard ' s Hot 100 Airplay chart in January 1993.
 * Garth Brooks covered the song for his first holiday album, Beyond the Season. This version of the song reached number 70 on Billboard ' s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in January 1995.
 * 1993:
 * Shu-Bi-Dua, from Denmark, this time under the pseudonym "Shu-Bi-40" (parodying British based reggae-band UB 40), recorded a Christmas album containing reggae versions of well-known Christmas songs including "White Christmas", making it their second cover version of the song (see also 1973).
 * Aaron Neville, recorded a version like The Drifters version. It was from his album Soulful Christmas
 * 1994:
 * Kenny G recorded an instrumental version of the song for his holiday album, Miracles: The Holiday Album.
 * 1995:
 * Glen Campbell recorded the song on his Christmas album, Christmas with Glen Campbell.
 * Michie Tomizawa (as Sailor Mars) covered the song on the holiday album Sailor Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS: Christmas For You
 * 1998:
 * Martina McBride covered the song for her holiday album, White Christmas. This version of the song charted twice, reaching number 75 on Billboard ' s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in December 1999, and number 62 on the same chart in December 2000.
 * Chicago recorded the song for their first Christmas album, Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album.
 * Samples of the song are in Jane McDonald's medley "Cruise into Christmas".
 * 1999:
 * A1 released an a cappella version of the song that was included on their "Ready or Not/Everytime" CD single.

2000s

 * 2000:
 * Rockapella recorded the song for their holiday album, Christmas.
 * Linda Ronstadt recorded the song for her holiday album, A Merry Little Christmas.
 * Country singer Billy Gilman recorded the song for his debut holiday album, Classic Christmas.
 * 2001:
 * Destiny's Child recorded the song for their holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas.
 * Mannheim Steamroller included the song on their holiday album, Christmas Extraordinaire.
 * 2002:
 * Crash Test Dummies included the song on their holiday album, Jingle All The Way.
 * 2003:
 * Bette Midler covered the song for her non-holiday album Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook. This version of the song reached number 15 on Billboard ' s Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart in December 2003. It also later appeared on her 2006 Christmas album Cool Yule.
 * Michael Bublé covered the song for his five-track holiday EP, Let It Snow.
 * The Moody Blues covered the song on their seasonal album, December.
 * 2004:
 * LeAnn Rimes recorded the song for her first holiday album, What a Wonderful World.
 * Dionne Warwick recorded the song for her holiday album, My Favorite Time of the Year.
 * Jazz guitarist Royce Campbell recorded the song for his holiday album, A Jazz Guitar Christmas.
 * Tina Sugandh recorded the song for the Columbia/Sony film Christmas With the Kranks with Indian/Bollywood elements added to the song.
 * 2005:
 * Girls Aloud recorded the song and included it on their Chemistry Christmas bonus disc.
 * Diana Krall recorded the song for her holiday album, Christmas Songs.
 * Westlife covered the song and included it as a B-side on their single, "When You Tell Me That You Love Me."
 * Dutch singer René Froger covered the song on his first holiday album, Pure Christmas (re-released as Happy Christmas in 2009).
 * 2006:
 * The song was covered by Twisted Sister featuring Doro Pesch and was released on their holiday album, A Twisted Christmas, with German/English lyrics.
 * Aimee Mann included the song on her holiday album, One More Drifter in the Snow.
 * 2007:
 * Taylor Swift recorded the song for her holiday EP, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection
 * Frank Rendo recorded the song as part of a medley with "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" for his holiday album, Remembering Christmas.
 * 2008:
 * Rascal Flatts included a version of the song as a bonus track on a limited edition version of their compilation album Greatest Hits Volume 1.
 * Neil Sedaka recorded the song for his first holiday album, The Miracle of Christmas.
 * Al Jarreau recorded the song for his holiday album, Christmas.
 * Edyta Górniak recorded the song for her holiday album, Zakochaj się na Święta w kolędach (Fall in love for Christmas in carols), with Polish/English lyrics.
 * Italian singer Irene Grandi recorded an Italian version of the song, titled "Bianco Natale", for her Christmas album, Canzoni per Natale.
 * Rick Astley sang the song at the DR Christmas Show.
 * Jason Castro recorded and released the song for a free download.
 * 2009:
 * Andrea Bocelli recorded the song for his first holiday album, My Christmas. The song debuted at No. 30 on the Portuguese Singles Chart; it spent the following two weeks at No. 19, then rose to No. 18 in its fourth week, before reaching No. 16 in its fifth week. The song also debuted at No. 7 on the Hungarian Singles Chart.
 * Boy George recorded a cover of the song that was released as a single in digital download format.
 * Ray Stevens recorded a cover of the song for his CD of non-comical Christmas recordings.
 * Marco Mengoni recorded a cover of the song for the compilation album X Factor - The Christmas Album. Despite not being released as a single, the song charted at number 13 on the Italian Singles Chart, based on digital downloads of the track.

2010–present

 * 2010:
 * The Wanted covered the song. Sarah Geronimo also covered the song.
 * In October, Argos released an advert appearing to show Crosby beatboxing to the tune of the song.
 * Panic! at the Disco released their version of the song to their fan club "Northern Downpour".
 * Norwegian former World Idol winner Kurt Nilsen recorded the song for his album Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
 * 2011:
 * Deana Martin and Andy Williams recorded this song as a duet on her 2011 album, White Christmas released by Big Fish Records.
 * Michael Bublé recorded the song again in a duet featuring Shania Twain, this time for his full-length holiday album, Christmas. This version is based on the 1954 arrangement by The Drifters.
 * Sheryl Crow recorded the song for her holiday album Home for Christmas with a walking bass and an enigmatic, subversive twist.
 * Jackie Evancho recorded the song for her holiday album, Heavenly Christmas.
 * Lady Gaga recorded a version of the song for her holiday television special, A Very Gaga Thanksgiving, which was also included as one of four tracks on her holiday EP, A Very Gaga Holiday with an additional self-created verse.
 * Asker recorded and released a version for their holiday EP, A Yuletide Yell.
 * 2012:
 * Ivi Adamou recorded the song for her holiday album, Christmas with Ivi Adamou.
 * Cee Lo Green recorded the song for his holiday album Cee Lo's Magic Moment.
 * Rod Stewart recorded the song for his holiday album, Merry Christmas, Baby.
 * The Glee cast members Darren Criss and Chris Colfer recorded the song for Glee ' s Christmas episode "Glee, Actually".
 * Blake Shelton recorded the song for his holiday album, Cheers, It's Christmas.
 * Taylor Schlicht recorded the song for her first holiday album, Christmas 2012.
 * Andrea Densley recorded a big-band, swing version of the song for her 5-track Christmas EP, White Christmas.
 * 2013:
 * Bad Religion recorded the song for their holiday album, Christmas Songs.
 * Kelly Clarkson recorded the song for her first holiday album, Wrapped in Red, which was released as the first promotional single from the album.
 * Leona Lewis recorded the song for her first holiday album, Christmas, with Love.
 * Erasure recorded the song for their holiday album, Snow Globe.
 * A version performed by Iggy Pop was included on the compilation album Psych-Out Christmas
 * Contemporary Christian group Sidewalk Prophets recorded the song in their 2013 Christmas album Merry Christmas to You
 * Keith Urban played a live version of this during his concert in Louisville, Kentucky.
 * 2014:
 * Darius Rucker recorded the song for his first holiday album, Home for the Holidays.
 * Idina Menzel recorded the song as the final track of her holiday album Holiday Wishes.
 * Hayden Panettiere recorded the song for the Nashville holiday album Christmas With Nashville.
 * Jared Padalecki recorded the song for Jason Manns' holiday album Christmas With Friends.
 * 2015:
 * Donna Burke and Stefanie Joosten recorded a cover of the song in the digital download format.
 * Mac Demarco released his version of the song on YouTube on December 26.
 * The Hot Sardines on their debut album released in 2014
 * Laura Pausini recorded English, Spanish and French versions of the song and included them in her Christmas album Laura Xmas.
 * 2016:
 * Pentatonix released an a cappella version of the song featuring The Manhattan Transfer on their album "A Pentatonix Christmas".
 * Sarah McLachlan recorded the song for her second holiday album, Wonderland.