Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’: The Movie That Became a Holiday Classic
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As the holiday season approaches, few songs resonate like Bing Crosby’s enduring classic, “White Christmas.” With an estimated 50 million physical singles sold, Crosby’s rendition holds the title of the best-selling recording of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Released before the advent of the Billboard Hot 100, the song captures the singer’s longing for nostalgic, peaceful Christmases. A review from the August 8, 1942, issue of Billboard noted, “This tune will become more and more important,” perhaps marking a prophetic sentiment for the beloved holiday song.
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‘Faithful’ Hit
In a roundup of popular Christmas recordings published in Billboard on January 10, 1942, titles like “Silent Night” and “Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)” emerged as frontrunners. However, insiders hinted at a burgeoning favorite: Crosby’s “White Christmas.” The May 2 issue forecasted a promising response to the song, describing it in “warm and wonderful” terms.
We’re ‘Inn’ the Money
“White Christmas” debuted in the musical film Holiday Inn, which starred Crosby. The August 15, 1942, edition of Billboard praised the film as “a dilly of a musical,” highlighting “White Christmas” and “Be Careful, It’s My Heart” as standout hits. Despite some resistance from publishers regarding airplay, demand began to surge by September 19.
‘Christmas’ Comes Early
According to a report from October 13, 1942, Billboard noted that Berlin’s “White Christmas” was spreading rapidly across the phonograph network, likening its popularity to “a blanket of snow.” By November, the demand had pushed it to become potentially the top-selling record of 1942, eventually surpassing one million sales by December 26.
Green Christmas
The song proved to be a lasting hit. On October 18, 1947, Billboard reported an unprecedented advance sale of more than 500,000 copies of Crosby’s Merry Christmas album. The 1954 film White Christmas, which again featured Crosby, further fueled its popularity. The December 4, 1954, issue remarked that regardless of Crosby’s standing with younger audiences, “everyone heads to the nearest record shop to buy Bing’s versions of these seasonal songs” during the holiday season.
The Bing of Rock
Shortly after participating in a television special with David Bowie for CBS-TV, Crosby passed away from a heart attack at the age of 74 while on a golf course in Spain, as reported in the October 22, 1977, issue of Billboard. While Crosby produced numerous hits during his career, he remains best known for “White Christmas,” a song that continues to be a holiday staple. As of November 20, Crosby’s recording has accumulated 698.5 million official on-demand streams in the U.S., according to Luminate. The essence of Bing lives on.
This story appears in the December 6, 2025, issue of Billboard.
