Posted on Dec 24, 2022
'If only in my dreams.' The sad story behind ‘White Christmas’
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The most popular Christmas carol in America stands apart from the others in a number of ways.
It’s not upbeat, there are no fanciful characters and it isn’t religious. Instead, it’s melancholy and wistful — full of longing for bygone days.
A version of this story originally appeared on kuow.org on Dec. 22, 2015. It has since been updated and republished.
Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was first heard on a radio show sponsored by the Kraft Company on Christmas Day, 1941. Bing Crosby and Kraft Music Hall mainly appealed to young people — the average listener age was 21 — so it’s possible that the younger generation embraced “White Christmas” first.
But the longing and coziness of the song had a deeper meaning that day. Families tuning in to that broadcast were thinking about the tragic event that happened just 18 days before: the Pearl Harbor attack.
It’s not upbeat, there are no fanciful characters and it isn’t religious. Instead, it’s melancholy and wistful — full of longing for bygone days.
A version of this story originally appeared on kuow.org on Dec. 22, 2015. It has since been updated and republished.
Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was first heard on a radio show sponsored by the Kraft Company on Christmas Day, 1941. Bing Crosby and Kraft Music Hall mainly appealed to young people — the average listener age was 21 — so it’s possible that the younger generation embraced “White Christmas” first.
But the longing and coziness of the song had a deeper meaning that day. Families tuning in to that broadcast were thinking about the tragic event that happened just 18 days before: the Pearl Harbor attack.
'If only in my dreams.' The sad story behind ‘White Christmas’
Posted from kuow.org
Christmas
Music
WWII World War Two
Posted >1 y ago
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Here is a favorite tune called, about a White Christmas! Take a listen!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Crosby’s original 1942 master recording — the version heard by troops overseas — wore out from overuse. That’s why, for some years the 1947 remake — intended to sound as close as possible to the 1942 version — was widely distributed.
But a new 1942 remaster was issued in 1999 and is commonly available today.
For composer Berlin, who also wrote “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “God Bless America,” “White Christmas” was an unexpected hit. It was a simple song, just 54 words and 67 notes. It was written for a musical revue about the holidays that eventually became the movie “Holiday Inn.”
Berlin thought a different song from that film would become popular.
“I had a song in there called 'Be Careful It’s My Heart' for Valentine’s Day,” he said. “That’s the song I picked. And it was a fair success.”
But “White Christmas” was the song that won him an Academy Award."
..."Crosby’s original 1942 master recording — the version heard by troops overseas — wore out from overuse. That’s why, for some years the 1947 remake — intended to sound as close as possible to the 1942 version — was widely distributed.
But a new 1942 remaster was issued in 1999 and is commonly available today.
For composer Berlin, who also wrote “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “God Bless America,” “White Christmas” was an unexpected hit. It was a simple song, just 54 words and 67 notes. It was written for a musical revue about the holidays that eventually became the movie “Holiday Inn.”
Berlin thought a different song from that film would become popular.
“I had a song in there called 'Be Careful It’s My Heart' for Valentine’s Day,” he said. “That’s the song I picked. And it was a fair success.”
But “White Christmas” was the song that won him an Academy Award."
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