5 Things You May Not Know About White Christmas [Video]

White Christmas By Irving Berlin

One of the all-time greats by Bing Crosby. I have always played the song, even on country stations, at Christmas time. Many of my contemporaries, though, thought one should only play country versions on country stations. Well, they have their opinions and I have the right one. Who could not enjoy one of the 20th Century's greatest voices doing one of the centuries' greatest songs? Now, what you may not know ...

Composer Irving Berlin

1. According to the Wikipedia account, Berlin 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!"

Sales

2. Bing Crosby's version - which he recorded a total of three different times - is the biggest selling single of all-time, claiming worldwide sales of over 50 million!

Recognition

3. It ranked #2 on NPR's list of the greatest songs of the 20th Century.

Historical

4. In 1975, a radio playback of the tune was used as a secret, pre-arranged signal for the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam.

Oscar

5. It won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1942, the year it was featured in the Bing Crosby film, "Holiday Inn". In 1954, a movie called, "White Christmas" starring Bing Crosby was released. It's success, in no small part, was due to the prominence on the song that preceded it 12 years earlier.

Now, enjoy Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds perform "White Christmas" in the original film.