White Christmas
The best-selling single of all time
♫ Lyrics
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow...
Lyrics excerpt shown. This song is under copyright protection.
❄ The Story
"White Christmas" is the best-selling single of all time, with over 50 million copies sold worldwide. Written by Irving Berlin — a Russian-Jewish immigrant who didn't celebrate Christmas himself — it was first performed by Bing Crosby on his NBC radio show on Christmas Day, 1941, just 18 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The song was featured in the 1942 film "Holiday Inn" and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Its wistful nostalgia — "just like the ones I used to know" — struck a deep chord with American soldiers stationed overseas during World War II. Armed Forces Radio received so many requests for the song that they wore out the original master recording, and Crosby had to re-record it in 1947.
Berlin, who wrote over 1,500 songs in his career, reportedly told his secretary after completing it: "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." For once, the songwriter's boast proved prophetic.
🎶 Notable Recordings
The original and best-selling version — over 50 million copies
A doo-wop version that charted in its own right
A soulful, deeply emotional rendition
A big-band revival for a new generation
Fun Facts
Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" has sold over 50 million copies — the best-selling single in history.
Irving Berlin, who wrote it, was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who didn't celebrate Christmas.
Armed Forces Radio wore out the original master during WWII from excessive play — Crosby had to re-record it in 1947.
Berlin reportedly said: "I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written."