Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Bing Crosby’s White Christmas: 75th anniversary

Bing Crosby White Christmas
Bing Crosby White Christmas

The well deserved best selling single of all time – or sentimental claptrap? Michael Alexander examines the appeal of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas which was first performed 75 years ago this Christmas.

If you are dreaming of a White Christmas, then the chances are you will be disappointed.

Following in the wake of Storm Barbara, weather forecasters are predicting record-breaking mild conditions for Christmas Day with any snowfall likely to be limited to the mountains.

But that won’t stop people conjuring up a romanticised view of an old-fashioned Christmas  – which is exactly what inspired the Bing Crosby version of the classic song White Christmas which was first performed publicly 75 years ago this Christmas Day.

Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas
Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas

Jewish-American songwriter Irving Berlin –also famous for writing God Bless America – is believed to have written White Christmas in 1940 whilst staying in the warmth of a Hollywood hotel.

He reputedly 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!”

However, it was the first public performance of the song by Bing Crosby on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall on December 25, 1941, that first put it into the public domain.
Coming just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the USA’s entry into the Second World War, the Armed Forces Network was inundated with requests for it to be replayed.
But after initially being overshadowed by music film Holiday Inn’s first hit song: “Be Careful, It’s My Heart”, it was October 1942 before White Christmas topped the American Your Hit Parade and remained in that position until well into the new year.
The recording, which took just 18 minutes to record on May 29,1942, saw Crosby perform with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers and Chorus for Decca Records.
1942 version of White Christmas
1942 version of White Christmas
That original version also hit number one on the Harlem Hit Parade for three weeks – Crosby’s first-ever appearance on the black-oriented chart.
The song was re-released in 1945 and 1946 and went on to be recorded by various other artists over the years including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Pressley, Bob Marley – and New Kids on the Block.
Yet according to the Guinness Book of 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.
Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie outside Grouchos
Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie outside Grouchos
Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie, proprietor of Groucho’s Record store in Dundee has had various versions of the single pass through his shop over the years,  and he is no doubt as to why the song is so popular.
“It’s warm,”  he says. “My wife tends to call it sentimental claptrap! Everyone dreams of waking up to a white Christmas on Christmas morning.”
If you come across an old copy, however, it’s not going to make your fortune, Breeks says.
“A 45 RPM re-release is going to sell for 50p, and even an original 78 RPM will only sell for a couple of pounds. It’s all about supply and demand and there are plenty copies out there! Besides, you can’t beat The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl for the best Christmas song ever!”
Traditional snow covered Christmas card scene
Traditional snow covered Christmas card scene
Crosby’s version of White Christmas holds the distinction of being ranked #2 on the ”Song of the Century” list behind Judy Garland’s ‘Over the Rainbow’.
 The song featured in another Crosby film, the 1954 musical White Christmas which became the highest-grossing film of 1954.
It should be noted, however, that 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 recognisable 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.
Bing Crosby golfing at St Andrews in 1950
Bing Crosby golfing at St Andrews in 1950
That would have been firmly in the minds of those who saw him play a first round match in the British Amateur Golf Tournament held  over the Old Course in St Andrews in May 1950.
Thousands lined up to watch J.K. Wilson, a building contractor from St Andrews, face Harry L. Crosby, better known to the thousands gathered as Bing Crosby.
Film crews were on hand to record the event for newsreels, while newspaper reports emphasised the popular excitement generated by Crosby’s appearance.
When Bing Crosby returned to St Andrews in 1971, he again played the Old Course with Wilson. The two men discussed setting up a new tournament for senior golfers.
In September 1972, Crosby returned and was on hand to present the silver bowl to the winner of the Bing Crosby Trophy.
Crosby at St Andrews
Crosby at St Andrews
The tournament continues to this day – played at St Andrews each September – and in 1995 was won by Sean Connery.
In 1977, Crosby died of a heart attack whilst playing golf in Spain. He was 74.