Comments: 28

• Deafasheck from North CarolinaI read were Bing Crosby literally hated this song..
• AnonymousWhite Christmas was not written by Irving Berlin. He stole that song from a woman that trusted him to tell her if the song was any good. Her name was Gerda Christina Wales. I remember when it was released on radio and her crying saying that was her song and how could he do that to her. I could never prove that but I know it was the truth.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyHere's Some Real Obscure Trivia:
  On December 15, 1957, "How Lovely Is Christmas "* by Bing Crosby entered Billboard's Top 100 chart for a one week stay at position #97, it was tied at that position with two other records, "Love Letters In The Sand" by Pat Boone, it would peak at #1 for seven weeks, and "Loving You" by Elvis Presley, it was the B-side of "Teddy Bear", which also peaked at #1 for seven weeks...
  * The week that "How Lovely Is Christmas" was on the Top 100 chart, Bing Crosby had four other songs on the Top 100; "White Christmas" {at #41}, "Silent Night" {at #54}, "Silver Bells" {at #78}, and "Around The World" {at #92}...
• James from Diamond Bar, CaWhite Christmas has already topped Candle In The Wind , in fact it was always Number 1 - Check the Guinness Book Of World Records - Bing Crosby's version is still selling digital downloads as well , year in and year out . Of course - White Christmas - The Number One Song Of All Times- Was There Ever Any Doubt? No
• Jay from Centereach, Long Island, NyIf anyone is looking for a very different take on this song, look up "drifters white Christmas" on youtube. The Drifters changed the rhythm, added background doo-whops and gave White Christmas a completely different sound. I read once that Irving Berlin loved their version.
• Len from Greenville, ScI believe 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby has indeed passed Candle In The Wind now, because 'White Christmas ' has continued to sell, even til this day, while Candle In The Wind sold for only a few weeks. Who can verify this?
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 31st, 1942 "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby reached No.1 and stayed in the top spot for eleven consecutive weeks!!!
• Robin from New York, NyMany people actually consider "White Christmas" the best selling song of all time. It is listed as such in the Guinness Book of World Records. One problem is that sales records were not really kept in the '40s when the song was first released. The scanning system had not been developed yet. In those days the popularity of a song was judged by its sales of sheet music, not records. "White Christmas," also, has sold many copies in compilation albums in addition to sales of the single. Considering all these things, it is probably more popular than Elton John's tribute.
• Sara from Silver Spring, MdThe song was in fact sung by Bing Crosby and Martha Mears in the film (Mears dubbed for Marilyn Reynolds)
• Bing from Holiday Inn, CtTeresa: re Spector's Wall of Sound. The very first recorded song featuring it was that all-time classic, Tina Turner's "River Deep Mountain High" (1966), and I went straight to the record store. What an American treasure she is. "Remember where you are - this is Thunderdome. Death is listening, and will take the first man who screams." -- Auntie Entity. I'm gonna marry her if she ever starts answering my letters. Well, her or Emmylou Harris. "Do I love you my oh my..."
  
• Bing from Holiday Inn, CtMusicMama: The armed forces in WWII were segregated by skin color. I'm just saying. Had they not been, not all of them would've been making that "joke," now would they have been, hm?
• Bing from Holiday Inn, CtJust a couple of historical notes: Elton John did originally write "Candle in the Wind" with Bernie Taupin as an ode to Marilyn Monroe, thus "Goodbye Norma Jean" (Baker). One of their best songs. "It seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind, never knowing who to turn to when the rains set in. And I would have liked to've known you, but I was just a kid. Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did." Bernie Taupin wrote some truly great lyrics. "Goodbye England's Rose" was the song they wrote (lyrics modified from Candle), to the same tune, which Sir Elton sang at Princess Diana's funeral, because they were very close long-time friends.
• Bing from Holiday Inn, Ct"The choir for the song White Christmas wore black face." -- Mark from Seattle *** With all due respect, you're completely mistaken. The minstrel number did not feature the song "White Christmas, and was not done in black-face. See http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uiws88x-fX0. The finale of "White Christmas" did not involve a chorus. See also http://www.moviehabit.com/reviews/whi_lj04.shtml for a good review with commentary on the minstrel number. By the way, the term "minstrel show" was sorely miscast in popular understanding by the black-face minstrel shows. "Minstrel" originally meant "a medieval entertainer who traveled from place to place, especially to sing and recite poetry; a lyric poet; a musician." Pity.
• Steve Dotstar from Los Angeles, Caresponses to comments:
  Heather...I don't understand you're thinking
  on White Xmas..What is your concept of a great song?
  Music Mama-Ny Lol, pretty funny!
  Charles of Bronxville-I agree that a lot of film
  versions are better than the commercially re-cut ones.
  this was true with some of Elvis' renditions, and also
  Henry Mancini....
  teresa.."the GREAt Wall of Sound? and not the Great Wall
  of China?(teasing)lol
  Bobbie-very humrous post, but you have a valid point!
  
  Steveo
• Steve Dotstar from Los Angeles, Cawhat is America, without this song,I tell ya....
• Heather from Los Angeles, CaI think both "Candle in the Wind" and "White Christmas" are absolutely yecchy tunes.
• Musicmama from New York, NyA great-uncle of mine who was in North Africa during WWII told me that some of his fellow-soldiers had their own version of this song: I'm Dreaming of a White Mistress.
• Charles from Bronxville, NyIf you listen to the version in the film "Holiday Inn" you'll hear that it's slightly different from the released version recorded on March 19th of 1947. The film version is phrased a little differently and Bing's inflections are also somewhat more moving. IMHO the version in the film is the better of the two.
• Mark from Lancaster, OhIs that Bing himself doing the whistling?
• Mark from Seattle, WaThink about the fact that at the time White Christmas was in production, young black man where dying for this country and freedom.. The choir for the song White Christmas wore black face. When I hear this song, I think of hypocrisy.
  Mark Stevens, a very white guy
• Mark from Lancaster, OhThe name of the famous motel chain came from the title of the movie, "Holiday Inn." And my understanding is that "White Christmas" was not only the most popular Christmas song of all time, but was in fact the most popular song of all time, period. I think it's since been displaced, but still.
• Fyodor from Denver, CoCristin, Candle In The Wind WAS originally written about Marilyn Monroe, but when Pincess Di died, John did a new version as a tribute to her, and that's the version that sold so much it surpassed White Christmas.
• Teresa from Mechelen, BelgiumYou can find a version of Darlene Love on the Christmas cd "A Christmas gift for you from Phil Spector; it's very good, very Spector, with a great "Wall of Sound".
• Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScKristi. I think they're refering to that specific version about Princess Diana, and how it out-sold both "Rock Around the Clo0ck" and this song.
• Bobbie from Central, NmAs pretty as this song is when the holidays come around I could just puke, after of hearing this song by redone by every Tom, Dick, and Back Street Boy. The recording industry should put a ban on recording this song to keep it from being ruined any farther.
• Cristin from Boston, MaAbout a fact above. . . wasn't Candle in the Wind a tribute to Marilyn Monroe?? Hence "goodbye, Norma Jean. . ." It came way before Princess Di.
• Rosalie from Newark, DeI really love this Album by Bing Crosby. I grew up in Singapore in the 1950's and 1960's, and this is the ONE Christmas Album that went around the world with us (Literally) through the years!!!
  
  I still have the Album, By The Way!!!
  
  Rosalie
• Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScI didn't even know that there was a verse left out of the original song.

see more comments