Timeless success, the song white Christmas was launched 80 years ago. Popularized by Bing Crosby, this composition by Irving Berlin has been taken up by a hundred artists in multiple languages. white Christmas was sung by Sinatra, Elvis, Ella Fitzgerald, the Beach Boys, Michael Bublé, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and many others. It was also recorded in Quebec by Nicole Martin, Celine Dion, Ginette Reno and Michèle Richard. Here are seven facts about this song that has become a timeless holiday classic.
FOR A SOUNDTRACK
White Christmas was recorded on May 29, 1942 and was part of the soundtrack to the musical film Holiday Inn (Love Sings and Dances) starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale. It was originally released in a collection of six 78rpm discs, on which we found the music of this feature film, which hit screens in early August. In the film, Bing Crosby sings this track in a duet with Marjorie Reynolds, dubbed by Martha Mears.
WRITTEN IN LOS ANGELES
There are several stories about the origin of this Christmas classic composed by Irving Berlin. The Russian-American composer is said to have written White Christmas in 1940 at the age of 54 while he was staying at the Hotel La Quinta in Hollywood. Berlin is said to have told his secretary that he had just written his and the best song of all time.
RADIO PREMIERE
White Christmas was first sung on radio by Bing Crosby on December 25, 1941 on his NBC show The Kraft Music Hall. A broadcast that took place 18 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The success achieved led to a studio recording that was made in Los Angeles in 18 minutes.
AN OSCAR
White Christmas won the Oscar for Best Original Song for the film Holiday Inn on March 4, 1943 at the 15th Academy Awards at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
A RECORD
The original version of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas is the best-selling single in the history of the physical format, selling 50 million copies worldwide. The total sales in the different formats reach 100 million, rising to 150 million if we add the versions recorded by other artists.
ON THE AWARDS
In 1942, White Christmas stayed at the top of the Billboard charts for 11 weeks. Restarted, the song found itself again at number one during the 1945 and 1946 holiday season.
A NEW PUBLICATION
The version of White Christmas we hear today was re-recorded on March 19, 1947. The tape of the original version was too badly damaged due to its use. The Trotter Orchestra and Darby Singers, who had worked on the original recording, were invited into the studio to faithfully reproduce the 1942 version, but with flutes and a celesta, an instrument combining percussion and keyboard, at the beginning of the song.