Sometimes the simplest songs have the most impact. That’s certainly true for Irving Berlin’s classic holiday hit, “White Christmas.” Once vocalist Bing Crosby played his rendition over the radio, the understated composition turned into a cultural force that changed the landscape of Christmas in the United States.
A Different Kind of Christmas Song
When famed American songwriter Irving Berlin (1888–1989) sat down to write a Christmas-themed song for a musical he was working on, he did something different. Instead of the jovial number, he penned a heartfelt ballad with a poignant yearning for a peaceful holiday.
Since 1928, Berlin’s Christmases with his wife, Ellin, were a bit more subdued than a typical holiday schedule that were generally full of family dinners, gift unwrapping, and travel. His infant son, Irving Berlin Jr., had passed away on Christmas day in 1928 due to heart complications. He wasn’t even a month old. Each year after that, he and his wife spent part of their holiday visiting his grave while also celebrating Christmas and Hannukah with their daughters.
Exactly when Berlin penned “White Christmas” is only speculated on, but many pinpoint its origin between 1938 and 1941. Though years had gone by since his son died, his memory and the emotions accompanying his death worked their way into his father’s tune.
Berlin’s penning of one of America’s favorite songs could be viewed as a bit surprising. He was a native of Russia, came to America when he was 5, and was Jewish by birth. Perhaps his background helped him cultivate the unexplored-yet-relatable perspective of “White Christmas” that was absent in other holiday hits.
After he wrote the ballad, amid high energy songs and danceable Christmas numbers, suddenly it was clear that a this song stood out. It was so full of reflective longing and contemplation that it warmed the hearts of those who listened to it as it brought forth even the most remote holiday memories.
With the writing of “White Christmas,” Berlin penned his ideal composition. He once boasted to his secretary, “It’s the best song” he ever wrote.
A Holiday Favorite for Soldiers
Berlin wrote “White Christmas” for a musical that eventually turned into the movie, “Holiday Inn.” It featured a love triangle and a hotel only open on the holidays. Berlin won an Academy Award for the composition of Best Original Song. But it was beloved crooner and “Holiday Inn” star Bing Crosby whose soothing version swept the nation. It eventually made its way to the battlefields of Europe, where American soldiers were stationed during World War II.
Crosby first sang his rendition of the serene ballad on his radio show, “The Kraft Music Hall,” in 1941 on Christmas Day. On that particular Christmas, America was in desperate need of something to remind them of simpler, quieter times. Pearl Harbor had been attacked mere weeks before, and Crosby’s rendition of “White Christmas” proved to be just what audiences were looking for. Listeners loved the song so much, Crosby officially recorded the composition in 1942.
In the fall of that year, “White Christmas” really hit its stride. As it received more attention and radio play, it became one of overseas U.S. troops’ favorite songs. When Crosby performed for USO events, the soldiers always requested he sing it. It reminded them of their families back home and memories of Christmases past.
“I hesitated about doing it because invariably it caused such a nostalgic yearning among the men, that it made them sad. … Heaven knows, I didn’t come that far to make them sad. For this reason, several times I tried to cut it out of the show, but these guys just hollered for it.”
“I once asked Uncle Bing about the most difficult thing he ever had to do during his entertainment career. … He said in December 1944, he was in a USO show. ... They did an outdoor show in northern France … he had to stand there and sing ‘White Christmas’ with 100,000 G.I.s in tears without breaking down himself.”
Themes of ‘Home and Hearth’
In 1947, Crosby recorded “White Christmas” again because the song’s original 1942 master recording had received so much wear that it was almost unusable. He tried to stay as close to the original recording as possible, bringing back in John Scott Trotter and his orchestra from 1942’s rendition, and the Ken Darby Singers as backup. But the 1947 rendition, which most hear today, can be told apart from its original by the addition of flutes and a celesta (a keyboard instrument that produces a bell sound) towards the beginning of the song.[audio mp3=“https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2024/11/30/id5768775-82487-Bing-Crosby-White-Christmas.mp3”][/audio]
As Americans embraced “White Christmas,” a new focus on what writer Ronald D. Lankford Jr. described as “home and hearth” was born. This theme had a unifying effect on American culture, and the stirring ballad was its catalyst.
In 1955, the first edition of the Guinness Book of Records listed “White Christmas” as “the world’s best-selling single.” Crosby’s version alone sold more than 50 million physical copies. Taking into account all covers and versions of “White Christmas,” the song has sold over 100 million copies. Today, the tune still holds the title as the best-selling single of all time.
In 1974, “White Christmas” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Today, it remains a holiday staple, as millions of families celebrating Christmas return to the timeless composition for solace each year.
