At Christmas time, certain melodies just feel like home. Among them, few shine brighter than Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” a song that has woven itself into the fabric of American life. What many might not realize is the remarkable journey behind this iconic tune. Irving Berlin, a Jewish immigrant who fled persecution in Russia, couldn’t even read or write music, yet he penned one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time, along with other American standards like “God Bless America.” His story, like his music, celebrates the unique spirit of opportunity and creativity found only in America.
This enduring melody debuted just days after Pearl Harbor, instantly offering comfort during a time of immense uncertainty and fear. As American GIs went off to fight in World War II, it was Bing Crosby’s heartfelt rendition of “White Christmas” that they yearned to hear most, a sweet reminder of family, peace, and the snowy scenes back home. Though Bing worried it made the soldiers sad, they “hollered for it,” clinging to its hopeful message. More than just a song, “White Christmas” became a symbol of resilience, love, and the longing for peace, cementing its place as a timeless treasure in American music and a testament to the power of a simple, honest tune.
📖 Read the Episode Transcript
Speaker 1: The first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree. The second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. The third day of Christmas, my true love gave.
00:00:44
Speaker 2: This is Our American Stories, and today we’re telling the story of a song. And since it’s Christmas time, we thought we’d do it about one of our most beloved Christmas songs, and that’s Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” Irving Berlin was a Jewish immigrant from Russia who came to America fleeing anti-Semitism. That’s right, the man who gave us “White Christmas,” one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time, was Jewish. By the way, he also wrote “God Bless America,” and he was from Russia. Only in America, folks! Irving Berlin had no formal musical education. He could not read or write music, and taught himself how to play piano. In fact, he only used the black keys. At one point, Berlin even boasted of his ignorance of music. He said that because he didn’t know the rules of music, he was actually free to violate them. Berlin wrote over 1,000 songs, many of which have become American standards. The one we are focusing on today rises above them all, along with “God Bless America.” It’s hard to write one like that in your lifetime. Berlin wrote dozens. Most of us know the Bing Crosby version of “White Christmas.” That version sold over 50 million copies, and it is still the best-selling single of all time, along with one of the most recorded songs in history. In 1942, it spent 11 weeks on the top of the Billboard charts. The first performance of “White Christmas” by Bing was on Christmas Day, 1941, on NBC radio show called The Kraft Music Hall. This was a mere 18 days after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. had officially joined the war. Soon, very soon, we would be sending thousands, hundreds of thousands of our sons overseas. In 1942, Bing traveled abroad to perform for our troops. Which song did American GIs ask for the most? You got it? “White Christmas,” a song that reminded them of hearth and home. Bing said, quote, “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. 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. Sadly, the original recording from 1941 was lost, but was later re-recorded in 1947. Since then, it has been covered by a number of others, including Sinatra, Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, even Bob Marley and the Wailers. Other covers of this song, along with Crosby’s, have sold over 150 million copies. Let’s hear a few of these renditions. The American punk rock band, Bad Religion, known for their harmonies and controversial lyrics, tried to make this their own.
00:04:00
Speaker 3: I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.
00:04:10
Speaker 2: Where the treetops. Okay, maybe that one’s not playing around the old family tree. Here’s another unexpected version of “White Christmas” by Bob Marley and his Wailers.
00:04:35
Speaker 3: I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.
00:04:58
Speaker 2: Okay, maybe that one’s not the one we’re listening to around the Christmas tree, either. Hey, let’s take a listen now to Elvis Presley’s “White Christmas.”
00:05:17
Speaker 3: I dream of a White.
00:05:24
Speaker 4: Christmas, just like.
00:05:35
Speaker 3: Where the treetops.
00:05:49
Speaker 2: And see, that’s the thing about trying to record a song that’s just perfect. I mean, these are great people, you know, Bob Marley, Elvis Presley. I’m not sure about Bad Religion, but these are some of the greats. And when you try to add your own twist to something that’s just straight and perfect, sometimes you just have to leave things alone. It’s like some movies you shouldn’t do a remake of; you just should leave them alone. That’s why our favorite will always be Bing’s, because it’s just, it’s sung straight as an arrow. Bing gets out of the way, gets out of the way of the words, and just sings it. Fellow composer Jerome Kern once said of Irving Berlin (and we’re going to get to that in a bit), “Irving has no place in American music. He is American music.” And a similar thing can be said about “White Christmas” and this version of Bing Crosby’s classic.
00:06:50
Speaker 5: About 25 years ago, Mr. Irving Berlin strung together a touch of words and music that has become sort of a special sound of “Christmas” to a lot of people.
00:07:00
Speaker 3: I may, I like, you’re talking about “White Christmas,” are you?
00:07:03
Speaker 5: Well, we were just wondering, since there are so many wonderful voices on the show, we thought it would be fun to take a vote and see who would sing it. Nope, as I was saying, Mr. Berlin wrote this song 25 years ago, and…
00:07:21
Speaker 2: Through that, like “Christmas,” not a.
00:07:23
Speaker 5: Chance! Seems to be an excess of zeal here this evening. I applaud zeal.
0007:28
Speaker 2: But after all, there are certain.
00:07:29
Speaker 3: Things, I think. Forget it, Bob.
00:07:35
Speaker 2: Hit it, Nick.
00:07:43
Speaker 4: Dream of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.
00:07:57
Speaker 3: Where the treetops.
00:07:59
Speaker 2: And by the way, a little side note, “White Christmas” won Irving Berlin the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1942. Irving Berlin actually presented himself with the Original Song Oscar at the 15th Oscar Ceremonies on March 4, 1943. When he opened the envelope and saw his name (you see, he was the presenter), Irving Berlin told the audience, “I’m glad to present the award. I’ve known him a long time.” By the way, that was the last time a presenter was actually in the running for an award. Leave it to Irving Berlin to write that kind of history. We will go out now with Bing Crosby’s very last recording of “White Christmas.” This recording is from his last TV appearance on a Christmas special filmed in London in September 1977. It was on the same Christmas special that Bing performed “The Little Drummer Boy” with David Bowie. Bing died of a heart attack just a few weeks later. This special aired on November 30, 1977, shortly after his death. As you can hear, Bing’s voice never lost its richness.
00:09:18
Speaker 4: Dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.
00:09:29
Speaker 2: This is Our American Stories, the story of “White Christmas,” of Irving Berlin, and, of course, Bing Crosby. More after these messages.
00:09:40
Speaker 3: And children listened to him. Slave Elzi, listen.
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