White Christmas ( song ) - wikipedia White Christmas ( song ) `` White Christmas '' 1942 78 single release of `` White Christmas '' by Bing Crosby on Decca Records, 18429 A, with Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra, Matrix # DLA 3009 Single by Bing Crosby with Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra from the album Song Hits from Holiday Inn B - side `` Let 's Start the New Year Right '' `` God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen '' `` Jingle Bells '' Released 1942, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1970, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1998 Format 7 - inch 10 - inch CD Mini CD Recorded May 29, 1942 March 19, 1947 Genre Christmas pop Length 3 : 02 ( 1942 recording ) 3 : 04 ( 1947 recording ) Label Decca ( 1942 -- 1973 issues ) MCA ( 1983 -- 1985 issues ) Songwriter ( s ) Irving Berlin Bing Crosby with Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra singles chronology `` Be Careful, It 's My Heart '' ( 1942 ) `` White Christmas '' ( 1942 ) `` Moonlight Becomes You '' ( 1942 ) `` Be Careful, It 's My Heart '' ( 1942 ) `` White Christmas '' ( 1942 ) `` Moonlight Becomes You '' ( 1942 ) Music video `` White Christmas '' on YouTube `` White Christmas '' is a 1942 Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old - fashioned Christmas setting. The version sung by Bing Crosby is the world 's best - selling single with estimated sales in excess of 100 million copies worldwide. Other versions of the song, along with Crosby 's, have sold over 50 million copies. Contents 1 Origin 2 Bing Crosby version 3 Formats and track listing 4 Sales figures 5 Legacy 6 Original verse 7 Certifications 8 Other versions 9 Notes and references 10 External links Origin Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it in 1940, in warm La Quinta, California, while staying at the La Quinta Hotel, a frequent Hollywood retreat also favored by writer - director - producer Frank Capra, although the Arizona Biltmore also claims the song was written there. He often stayed up all night writing -- he 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 ! '' Bing Crosby version 1945 V - Disc release by the U.S. Army of `` White Christmas '' and `` I 'll Be Home for Christmas '' by Bing Crosby as No. 441B. Picture sleeve of 1959 reissue by Decca Records ( 9 - 23778 ) The first public performance of the song was by Bing Crosby, on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall on Christmas Day, 1941 ; a copy of the recording from the radio program is owned by Crosby 's estate and was loaned to CBS News Sunday Morning for their December 25, 2011, program. He subsequently recorded the song with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers and for Decca Records in just 18 minutes on May 29, 1942, and it was released on July 30 as part of an album of six 78 - rpm discs from the musical film Holiday Inn. At first, Crosby did not see anything special about the song. He just said `` I do n't think we have any problems with that one, Irving. '' The song established that there could be commercially successful secular Christmas songs -- in this case, written by a Jewish - American songwriter. The song initially performed poorly and was overshadowed by Holiday Inn 's first hit song : `` Be Careful, It 's My Heart ''. By the end of October 1942, `` White Christmas '' topped the Your Hit Parade chart. It remained in that position until well into the new year. It has often been noted that the mix of melancholy -- `` just like the ones I used to know '' -- with comforting images of home -- `` where the treetops glisten '' -- resonated especially strongly with listeners during World War II. A few weeks after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Crosby introduced `` White Christmas '' on a Christmas Day broadcast. The Armed Forces Network was flooded with requests for the song. The recording is noted for Crosby 's whistling during the second chorus. In 1942 alone, Crosby 's recording spent eleven weeks on top of the Billboard charts. The original version also hit number one on the Harlem Hit Parade for three weeks, Crosby 's first - ever appearance on the black - oriented chart. Re-released by Decca, the single returned to the No. 1 spot during the holiday seasons of 1945 and 1946 ( on the chart dated January 4, 1947 ), thus becoming the only single with three separate runs at the top of the U.S. charts. The recording became a chart perennial, reappearing annually on the pop chart twenty separate times before Billboard magazine created a distinct Christmas chart for seasonal releases. In Holiday Inn, the composition won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1942. In the film, Crosby sings `` White Christmas '' as a duet with actress Marjorie Reynolds, though her voice was dubbed by Martha Mears. This now - familiar scene was not the moviemakers ' initial plan. In the script as originally conceived, Reynolds, not Crosby, would sing the song. The song would feature in another Crosby film, the 1954 musical White Christmas, which became the highest - grossing film of 1954. ( Crosby made yet another studio recording of the song, accompanied by Joseph J. Lilley 's orchestra and chorus, for the film 's soundtrack album. ) 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 recognizable 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. Formats and track listing These are the formats and track listings of single releases of `` White Christmas ''. 10 '' shellac single -- U.S. ( Decca -- 18429 ) No. Title Writer ( s ) Length 1. `` White Christmas '' Irving Berlin 3 : 02 2. `` Let 's Start The New Year Right '' Irving Berlin CD single -- UK ( MCA Records -- MCSTD48105 ) No. Title Writer ( s ) Length 1. `` White Christmas '' Irving Berlin 3 : 06 2. `` Auld Lang Syne '' Traditional 1 : 38 3. `` Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy '' Henry W. Longfellow, K. Davis / H. Onorati 2 : 37 Sales figures Crosby 's `` White Christmas '' single has been credited with selling 50 million copies, the most by any release and therefore it is the biggest - selling single worldwide of all time. The Guinness Book of World Records 2009 Edition lists the song as a 100 - million seller, encompassing all versions of the song, including albums. Crosby 's holiday collection Merry Christmas was first released as an LP in 1949, and has never been out of print since. There has been confusion and debate on whether Crosby 's record is or is not the best - selling single, due to a lack of information on sales of `` White Christmas, '' because Crosby 's recording was released before the advent of the modern - day US and UK singles charts. However, after careful research, Guinness World Records in 2007 concluded that, worldwide, Crosby 's recording of `` White Christmas '' has, in their estimation, sold at least 50 million copies, and that Elton John 's recording of `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' has sold 33 million, making Crosby 's recording the best - selling single of all time. However, an update in the 2009 edition of the book decided to further help settle the controversy amicably by naming both John 's and Crosby 's songs to be `` winners '' by stating that John 's recording is the `` best - selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, '' while maintaining that `` the best - selling single of all time was released before the first pop charts, '' and that this distinction belongs to `` White Christmas, '' which it says `` was listed as the world 's best - selling single in the first - ever Guinness Book of Records ( published in 1955 ) and -- remarkably -- still retains the title more than 50 years later. '' Legacy In 1999, National Public Radio included it in the `` NPR 100 '', which sought to compile the one hundred most important American musical works of the 20th century. Crosby 's version of the song also holds the distinction of being ranked No. 2 on the `` Songs of the Century '' list, behind only Judy Garland 's `` Over the Rainbow, '' as voted by members of the RIAA. In 2002, the original 1942 version was one of 50 historically significant recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. In 2004, it finished at No. 5 on AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. The recording was broadcast on Armed Forces Radio on April 30, 1975, as a secret, pre-arranged signal precipitating the U.S. evacuation from Saigon. Original verse Irving Berlin 's opening verse is often dropped in recordings. It is included on A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records, sung by Darlene Love ; on Barbra Streisand 's A Christmas Album ; on the Carpenters ' Christmas Portrait, sung by Karen Carpenter ; on Neil Diamond 's The Christmas Album ; on Bette Midler 's Cool Yule ; on Libera 's Christmas Album ; and on Crash Test Dummies ' Jingle All the Way. The sun is shining, the grass is green, The orange and palm trees sway. There 's never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it 's December the twenty - fourth, -- And I am longing to be up North -- Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Denmark ( IFPI Denmark ) Gold 45,000 Sweden ( GLF ) Platinum 50,000 shipments figures based on certification alone Other versions This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2017 ) `` White Christmas '' is the most - recorded Christmas song ; there have been more than 500 recorded versions of the song, in several different languages. The following have received some charting success. Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra ( with Bob Carroll on lead vocal ) released a version ( Capitol F - 124 ) that reached No. 16 on Billboard magazine 's pop singles chart in 1942 and Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra ( with Garry Stevens on lead vocal ) released a version that reached No. 18 on Billboard 's pop singles chart as did Freddy Martin and his Orchestra ( with Clyde Rogers on lead vocal ), reaching No. 20 on Billboard 's pop singles chart ( and again in December 1945, reaching No. 16 ). In 1944, Frank Sinatra with a backing orchestration under the direction of Axel Stordahl reached No. 7 on Billboard 's pop singles chart ( two more times : December 1945, No. 5 ; December 1946, No. 6 ) Jo Stafford reaching No. 9 on Billboard 's pop singles chart in 1946, with backing vocals by the Lyn Murray Singers and backing orchestration by Paul Weston. Eddy Howard and his Orchestra released a version that reached No. 21 on Billboard 's pop singles chart the same year while Perry Como, with backing orchestration by Lloyd Shaffer, reachead No. 23 on Billboard 's pop singles chart. In 1949 The Ravens peacked at No. 9 on Billboard 's Rhythm & Blues Records chart in January 1949 while Ernest Tubb, with female backing vocals by The Troubadettes, peaked at No. 7 on Billboard 's Country & Western Records chart. In 1952 Mantovani and his orchestra reached No. 23 on Billboard 's pop singles chart while The Drifters showcased the talents of lead singer Clyde McPhatter and the bass vocals of Bill Pinkney in 1954, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard 's Rhythm & Blues Records chart. It returned to the same chart in the next two years. The Drifters rendition of this song can be heard in Home Alone Andy Williams recorded it in 1963 's, The Andy Williams Christmas Album, where ir reached No. 1 on Billboard 's special, year - end, weekly Christmas Singles chart. It was released in 1968 as a posthumous single from Otis Redding, and reached No. 12 on the Christmas Singles chart In 1980, Darts 's version peaked at No. 48 on the UK singles chart. Michael Bolton performed it on his 1992 non-holiday album, Timeless : The Classics, where it peaked at No. 73 on Billboard 's Hot 100 Airplay chart in January 1993. Garth Brooks version included on his first holiday album, Beyond the Season, peaked at No. 70 on Billboard 's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in January 1995. In Martina McBride recorded it for, White Christmas, charting twice, reaching No. 75 on Billboard 's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1999, and No. 62 on the same chart in 2000 Bette Midler 's version, released on her non-holiday album, Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook, reached No. 15 on Billboard 's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart in 2003. The version released on Andrea Bocelli 2009 album, My Christmas, reached No. 16 on the Portuguese Singles Chart. Despite not being released as a single, Marco Mengoni 's version, released on the compilation album X Factor -- The Christmas Album, charted at No. 13 on the Italian Singles Chart based on digital downloads of the track. Notes and references Jump up ^ `` Christmas comes early with ' Irving Berlin 's White Christmas ' at the Peoria Civic Center Theater ''. Retrieved 16 January 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Guinness Book of Records, 2007 Edition, page 187 '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 16 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Guinness Book of Records, 2008 Edition, page 181 '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 16 January 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169 '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 16 January 2018. ^ Jump up to : Roy J. Harris, Jr. ( December 5, 2009 ). `` The Best - Selling Record of All. ' White Christmas ' and the reasons it endures ''. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 06. It was a peaceful song that became a wartime classic. Its unorthodox, melancholy melody, and mere 54 words, expressing the simple yearning for a return to happier times -- sounded instantly familiar when sung by America 's favorite crooner. But 67 years after its introduction, some still are surprised to learn that Bing Crosby 's recording of the Irving Berlin ballad `` White Christmas '' became not only the runaway smash - hit for the World War II holidays, but the best - selling record of all time. Jump up ^ `` History of `` '' The Jewel of the Desert `` '' Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel ``. Arizonabiltmore.com. Retrieved 2013 - 11 - 13. ^ Jump up to : `` White Christmas ''. www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com. Retrieved 16 January 2018. ^ Jump up to : John Mueller ( 1986 ). Astaire Dancing -- The Musical Films. London : Hamish Hamilton. pp. 204, 425. ISBN 0 - 241 - 11749 - 6. Jump up ^ Wook Kim ( Dec 17, 2012 ). `` Yule Laugh, Yule Cry : 10 Things You Did n't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs ( With holiday cheer in the air, TIME takes a closer look at some of the weird stories behind our favorite seasonal tunes ) ''. TIME. -- `` White Christmas '' ( p. 6 ) Jump up ^ `` No one dreamed of a ' White Christmas ' before this song ''. PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 16 January 2018. Jump up ^ Todd Decker. `` Crosby, Bing. '' Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 26 Sep. 2016. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Top R&B / Hip - Hop Singles : 1942 -- 2004. Record Research. p. 139. Jump up ^ Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 134. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. Jump up ^ Bing Crosby : Crooner of the Century -- By Richard Grudens Jump up ^ Billboard 15 Dec 1945 -- `` Bing Crosby -- White Christmas / Let 's Start The New Year Right '' 10 '' single, ( Decca -- 18429 ) Jump up ^ Complete UK Hit Singles -- 1952 -- 2006, Graham Betts, Collins, 2006 -- Music -- 1088 pages -- ( `` White Christmas '' 1998 UK CD single ) Jump up ^ `` RIAA News Room -- The American Recording Industry Announces its Artists of the Century -- Nov 10, 1999 ''. Recording Industry Association of America website. RIAA. 1999 - 11 - 10. Archived from the original on 2014 - 10 - 06. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 08. Jump up ^ Guinness Book of Records. 2009. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 37 - 7. States that `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' is the `` best - selling single since charts began '' ; however, not of all time. Bing Crosby 's `` White Christmas '' is still recognized as the best - selling single of all time, but since it was released before the start of many charts, its pre-1950s sales are estimated. John 's 1997 song has sold the most copies when looking at copies sold since charts began, as verified in Guinness World Records. See also : Guinness Book of Records, 2009 Edition, pages 14, 15 & 169 ( 1 ) Jump up ^ `` New song list puts ' Rainbow ' way up high ''. CNN. March 7, 2001. Jump up ^ Todd, Olivier ( 1990 ), Cruel April : The Fall of Saigon, W.W. Norton & Company, p. 353. For more information, see Fall of Saigon, the end of the Vietnam War. Jump up ^ White Christmas piano solo, Hal Leonard Jump up ^ `` Bing Crosby `` White Christmas '' ``. IFPI Denmark. January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Guld - och Platinacertifikat − År 1987 − 1998 '' ( PDF ) ( in Swedish ). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 21 December 2012. Jump up ^ `` ASCAP Announces Top 25 Holiday Songs of the Decade ''. ASCAP. November 23, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2011. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 42. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. ^ Jump up to : Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 59. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. ^ Jump up to : Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 47. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 58. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 41. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 - 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 29. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. ^ Jump up to : Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 - 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 55. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 62. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ CD sleeve : Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits ( 1955 -- Present ), 1989 Rhino Records Inc. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 22. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 23. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 48. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 -- 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 49. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ `` White Christmas - bianco Natale by Andrea Bocelli - Music Charts ''. acharts.us. Retrieved 16 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Italian Charts -- Marco Mengoni -- White Christmas ( song ) ''. Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 December 2012. External links Library of Congress essay on Crosby 's version on the National Recording Registry. Preceded by `` ( I 've Got a Gal In ) Kalamazoo '' by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with vocal refrain by Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton and the Modernaires The Billboard National Best Selling Retail Records number - one single ( Bing Crosby version ) October 31, 1942 -- January 9, 1943 ( 11 weeks ) Succeeded by `` There Are Such Things '' by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra with vocal refrain by Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers Preceded by `` Mr. Five by Five '' by Freddie Slack and His Orchestra with vocal by Ella Mae Morse The Billboard Harlem Hit Parade number - one single ( Bing Crosby version ) December 19, 1942 -- January 2, 1943 ( three weeks ) Succeeded by `` When the Lights Go on Again ( All Over the World ) '' by Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra with vocal chorus by Trevor Bacon Academy Award for Best Original Song 1934 -- 1940 `` The Continental '' Music : Con Conrad Lyrics : Herb Magidson ( 1934 ) `` Lullaby of Broadway '' Music : Harry Warren Lyrics : Al Dubin ( 1935 ) `` The Way You Look Tonight '' Music : Jerome Kern Lyrics : Dorothy Fields ( 1936 ) `` Sweet Leilani '' Music and lyrics : Harry Owens ( 1937 ) `` Thanks for the Memory '' Music : Ralph Rainger Lyrics : Leo Robin ( 1938 ) `` Over the Rainbow '' Music : Harold Arlen Lyrics : E.Y. Harburg ( 1939 ) `` When You Wish Upon a Star '' Music : Leigh Harline Lyrics : Ned Washington ( 1940 ) 1941 -- 1950 `` The Last Time I Saw Paris '' Music : Jerome Kern Lyrics : Oscar Hammerstein II ( 1941 ) `` White Christmas '' Music and lyrics : Irving Berlin ( 1942 ) `` You 'll Never Know '' Music : Harry Warren Lyrics : Mack Gordon ( 1943 ) `` Swinging on a Star '' Music : Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics : Johnny Burke ( 1944 ) `` It Might as Well Be Spring '' Music : Richard Rodgers Lyrics : Oscar Hammerstein II ( 1945 ) `` On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe '' Music : Harry Warren Lyrics : Johnny Mercer ( 1946 ) `` Zip - a-Dee - Doo - Dah '' Music : Allie Wrubel Lyrics : Ray Gilbert ( 1947 ) `` Buttons and Bows '' Music : Jay Livingston Lyrics : Ray Evans ( 1948 ) `` Baby, It 's Cold Outside '' Music and lyrics : Frank Loesser ( 1949 ) `` Mona Lisa '' Music and lyrics : Ray Evans and Jay Livingston ( 1950 ) 1951 -- 1960 `` In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening '' Music : Hoagy Carmichael Lyrics : Johnny Mercer ( 1951 ) `` High Noon ( Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin ' ) '' Music : Dimitri Tiomkin Lyrics : Ned Washington ( 1952 ) `` Secret Love '' Music : Sammy Fain Lyrics : Paul Francis Webster ( 1953 ) `` Three Coins in the Fountain '' Music : Jule Styne Lyrics : Sammy Cahn ( 1954 ) `` Love Is a Many Splendored Thing '' Music : Sammy Fain Lyrics : Paul Francis Webster ( 1955 ) `` Que Sera, Sera ( Whatever Will Be, Will Be ) '' Music and lyrics : Jay Livingston and Ray Evans ( 1956 ) `` All the Way '' Music : Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics : Sammy Cahn ( 1957 ) `` Gigi '' Music : Frederick Loewe Lyrics : Alan Jay Lerner ( 1958 ) `` High Hopes '' Music : Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics : Sammy Cahn ( 1959 ) `` Never on Sunday '' Music and lyrics : Manos Hatzidakis ( 1960 ) 1961 -- 1970 `` Moon River '' Music : Henry Mancini Lyrics : Johnny Mercer ( 1961 ) `` Days of Wine and Roses '' Music : Henry Mancini Lyrics : Johnny Mercer ( 1962 ) `` Call Me Irresponsible '' Music : Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics : Sammy Cahn ( 1963 ) `` Chim Chim Cher - ee '' Music and lyrics : Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman ( 1964 ) `` The Shadow of Your Smile '' Music : Johnny Mandel Lyrics : Paul Francis Webster ( 1965 ) `` Born Free '' Music : John Barry Lyrics : Don Black ( 1966 ) `` Talk to the Animals '' Music and lyrics : Leslie Bricusse ( 1967 ) `` The Windmills of Your Mind '' Music : Michel Legrand Lyrics : Alan and Marilyn Bergman ( 1968 ) `` Raindrops Keep Fallin ' on My Head '' Music : Burt Bacharach Lyrics : Hal David ( 1969 ) `` For All We Know '' Music : Fred Karlin Lyrics : Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin ( 1970 ) 1971 -- 1980 `` Theme from Shaft '' Music and lyrics : Isaac Hayes ( 1971 ) `` The Morning After '' Music and lyrics : Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn ( 1972 ) `` The Way We Were '' Music : Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics : Alan and Marilyn Bergman ( 1973 ) `` We May Never Love Like This Again '' Music and lyrics : Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn ( 1974 ) `` I 'm Easy '' Music and lyrics : Keith Carradine ( 1975 ) `` Evergreen ( Love Theme from A Star Is Born ) '' Music : Barbra Streisand Lyrics : Paul Williams ( 1976 ) `` You Light Up My Life '' Music and lyrics : Joseph Brooks ( 1977 ) `` Last Dance '' Music and lyrics : Paul Jabara ( 1978 ) `` It Goes Like It Goes '' Music : David Shire Lyrics : Norman Gimbel ( 1979 ) `` Fame '' Music : Michael Gore Lyrics : Dean Pitchford ( 1980 ) 1981 -- 1990 `` Arthur 's Theme ( Best That You Can Do ) '' Music and lyrics : Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen ( 1981 ) `` Up Where We Belong '' Music : Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte - Marie Lyrics : Will Jennings ( 1982 ) `` Flashdance... What a Feeling '' Music : Giorgio Moroder Lyrics : Keith Forsey and Irene Cara ( 1983 ) `` I Just Called to Say I Love You '' Music and lyrics : Stevie Wonder ( 1984 ) `` Say You, Say Me '' Music and lyrics : Lionel Richie ( 1985 ) `` Take My Breath Away '' Music : Giorgio Moroder Lyrics : Tom Whitlock ( 1986 ) `` ( I 've Had ) The Time of My Life '' Music : Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz Lyrics : Franke Previte ( 1987 ) `` Let the River Run '' Music and lyrics : Carly Simon ( 1988 ) `` Under the Sea '' Music : Alan Menken Lyrics : Howard Ashman ( 1989 ) `` Sooner or Later ( I Always Get My Man ) '' Music and lyrics : Stephen Sondheim ( 1990 ) 1991 -- 2000 `` Beauty and the Beast '' Music : Alan Menken Lyrics : Howard Ashman ( 1991 ) `` A Whole New World '' Music : Alan Menken Lyrics : Tim Rice ( 1992 ) `` Streets of Philadelphia '' Music and lyrics : Bruce Springsteen ( 1993 ) `` Can You Feel the Love Tonight '' Music : Elton John Lyrics : Tim Rice ( 1994 ) `` Colors of the Wind '' Music : Alan Menken Lyrics : Stephen Schwartz ( 1995 ) `` You Must Love Me '' Music : Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics : Tim Rice ( 1996 ) `` My Heart Will Go On '' Music : James Horner Lyrics : Will Jennings ( 1997 ) `` When You Believe '' Music and lyrics : Stephen Schwartz ( 1998 ) `` You 'll Be in My Heart '' Music and lyrics : Phil Collins ( 1999 ) `` Things Have Changed '' Music and lyrics : Bob Dylan ( 2000 ) 2001 -- 2010 `` If I Did n't Have You ( Disney song ) '' Music and lyrics : Randy Newman ( 2001 ) `` Lose Yourself '' Music : Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto Lyrics : Eminem ( 2002 ) `` Into the West '' Music and lyrics : Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Annie Lennox ( 2003 ) `` Al otro lado del río '' Music and lyrics : Jorge Drexler ( 2004 ) `` It 's Hard out Here for a Pimp '' Music and lyrics : Juicy J, Frayser Boy and DJ Paul ( 2005 ) `` I Need to Wake Up '' Music and lyrics : Melissa Etheridge ( 2006 ) `` Falling Slowly '' Music and lyrics : Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová ( 2007 ) `` Jai Ho '' Music : A.R. Rahman Lyrics : Gulzar ( 2008 ) `` The Weary Kind '' Music and lyrics : Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett ( 2009 ) `` We Belong Together '' Music and lyrics : Randy Newman ( 2010 ) 2011 -- present `` Man or Muppet '' Music and lyrics : Bret McKenzie ( 2011 ) `` Skyfall '' Music and lyrics : Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth ( 2012 ) `` Let It Go '' Music and lyrics : Kristen Anderson - Lopez and Robert Lopez ( 2013 ) `` Glory '' Music and lyrics : John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn ( 2014 ) `` Writing 's on the Wall '' Music and lyrics : James Napier and Sam Smith ( 2015 ) `` City of Stars '' Music : Justin Hurwitz Lyrics : Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ( 2016 ) `` Remember Me '' Music and lyrics : Kristen Anderson - Lopez and Robert Lopez ( 2017 ) Irving Berlin songs `` Alexander 's Ragtime Band '' `` All Alone '' `` All by Myself '' `` All My Life '' `` Always '' `` Any Bonds Today ? '' `` Anything You Can Do ( I Can Do Better ) '' `` The Best Thing for You ( Would Be Me ) '' `` Blue Skies '' `` Change Partners '' `` Cheek to Cheek '' `` Count Your Blessings '' `` Daddy, Come Home '' `` Doin ' What Comes Natur'lly '' `` Easter Parade '' `` Follow the Crowd '' `` Get Thee Behind Me Satan '' `` The Girl That I Marry '' `` God Bless America '' `` Happy Holiday '' `` Heat Wave '' `` Heaven Watch the Philippines '' `` How About Me ? '' `` How Deep Is the Ocean ? '' `` How 's Chances ? '' `` I Got Lost in His Arms '' `` I Got the Sun in the Mornin ' ( and the Moon at Night ) '' `` I Used to Be Color Blind '' `` I Want To Go Back To Michigan '' `` I 'm an Indian Too '' `` I 'm Gonna Pin My Medal on the Girl I Left Behind '' `` I 'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket '' `` I 've Got My Captain Working for Me Now '' `` I 've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm '' `` Is n't This a Lovely Day ? '' `` It 's a Lovely Day Today '' `` Lazy '' `` Let Yourself Go '' `` Let 's Face the Music and Dance '' `` Let 's Have Another Cup of Coffee '' `` Let 's Take an Old - Fashioned Walk '' `` Mandy '' `` Moonshine Lullaby '' `` My Defenses Are Down '' `` The Near Future '' `` No Strings ( I 'm Fancy Free ) '' `` Now It Can Be Told '' `` Oh ! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning '' `` Play a Simple Melody '' `` A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody '' `` Puttin ' On the Ritz '' `` Reaching for the Moon '' `` Remember '' `` San Francisco Bound '' `` Say It Is n't So '' `` Sisters '' `` Slumming on Park Avenue '' `` The Song Is Ended ( but the Melody Lingers On ) '' `` Stay Down Here Where You Belong '' `` Steppin ' Out with My Baby '' `` Supper Time '' `` That International Rag '' `` That Mysterious Rag '' `` There 's No Business Like Show Business '' `` They Say It 's Wonderful '' `` Top Hat, White Tie and Tails '' `` What 'll I Do '' `` When I Lost You '' `` White Christmas '' `` Who Do You Love, I Hope ? '' `` You Can Have Him '' `` You Ca n't Get a Man with a Gun '' `` You Keep Coming Back Like a Song '' `` You 'd Be Surprised '' `` You 're Just in Love '' `` You 're Laughing at Me '' See also Irving Berlin Musicals Bing Crosby Discography Filmography Albums Music of Hawaii ( 1939 ) Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. One ( 1939 ) Patriotic Songs for Children ( 1939 ) Cowboy Songs ( 1939 ) Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. Two ( 1939 ) George Gershwin Songs, Vol. One ( 1939 ) Ballad for Americans ( 1940 ) Favorite Hawaiian Songs ( 1940 ) Christmas Music ( 1940 ) Star Dust ( 1940 ) Hawaii Calls ( 1941 ) Small Fry ( 1941 ) Crosbyana ( 1941 ) Under Western Skies ( 1941 ) Song Hits from Holiday Inn ( w / Fred Astaire ) ( 1942 ) Merry Christmas ( 1945 ) Selections from Going My Way ( 1945 ) Selections from The Bells of St. Mary 's ( 1946 ) Do n't Fence Me In ( 1946 ) The Happy Prince ( 1946 ) Selections from Road to Utopia ( 1946 ) Bing Crosby -- Stephen Foster ( 1946 ) What We So Proudly Hail ( 1946 ) Favorite Hawaiian Songs, Vol. One ( 1946 ) Favorite Hawaiian Songs, Vol. Two ( 1946 ) Blue Skies ( w / Fred Astaire ) ( 1946 ) Bing Crosby -- Jerome Kern ( 1946 ) St. Patrick 's Day ( 1947 ) Bing Crosby -- Victor Herbert ( 1947 ) Selections from Welcome Stranger ( 1947 ) Our Common Heritage ( 1947 ) El Bingo ( 1947 ) The Small One ( 1947 ) The Man Without a Country ( 1947 ) Drifting and Dreaming ( 1947 ) Blue of the Night ( 1948 ) Selections from Showboat ( 1948 ) The Emperor Waltz ( 1948 ) St. Valentine 's Day ( 1948 ) Bing Crosby Sings with Al Jolson, Bob Hope, Dick Haymes and the Andrews Sisters ( 1948 ) Selections from Road to Rio ( 1948 ) Bing Crosby Sings with Judy Garland, Mary Martin, Johnny Mercer ( 1948 ) Bing Crosby Sings with Lionel Hampton, Eddie Heywood, Louis Jordan ( 1948 ) Auld Lang Syne ( 1948 ) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur 's Court ( 1949 ) Bing Crosby Sings Songs by George Gershwin ( 1949 ) South Pacific ( 1949 ) Christmas Greetings ( 1949 ) Ichabod -- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ( 1949 ) Top o ' the Morning / Emperor Waltz ( 1949 ) Songs from Mr. Music ( 1950 ) Go West Young Man ( 1950 ) Le Bing : Song Hits of Paris ( 1953 ) Some Fine Old Chestnuts ( 1954 ) Selections from White Christmas ( 1954 ) Bing : A Musical Autobiography ( 1954 ) High Tor ( 1956 ) A Christmas Sing with Bing Around the World ( 1956 ) High Society ( w / Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, and Louis Armstrong ) ( 1956 ) Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around ( 1956 ) Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings ( 1956 ) Bing with a Beat ( 1957 ) A Christmas Story ( 1957 ) Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves ( 1957 ) Never Be Afraid ( 1957 ) Jack B. Nimble -- A Mother Goose Fantasy ( 1957 ) New Tricks ( 1957 ) Fancy Meeting You Here ( w / Rosemary Clooney ) ( 1958 ) How the West Was Won ( 1959 ) Bing & Satchmo ( w / Louis Armstrong ) ( 1960 ) 101 Gang Songs ( 1960 ) Holiday in Europe ( 1960 ) The Road to Hong Kong ( 1962 ) On the Happy Side ( 1962 ) On the Sentimental Side ( 1962 ) I Wish You a Merry Christmas ( 1962 ) Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre ( 1963 ) Return to Paradise Islands ( 1963 ) Bing Crosby Sings the Great Country Hits ( 1963 ) America, I Hear You Singing ( w / Frank Sinatra and Fred Waring ) ( 1964 ) 12 Songs of Christmas ( w / Frank Sinatra and Fred Waring ) ( 1964 ) That Travelin ' Two - Beat ( w / Rosemary Clooney ) ( 1965 ) Bing ' n ' Basie ( w / Count Basie ) ( 1972 ) A Couple of Song and Dance Men ( w / Fred Astaire ) ( 1975 ) Seasons ( 1977 ) Bing Crosby : The Voice of Christmas ( 1998 ) Family Dixie Lee ( first wife ) Gary Crosby ( son ) Dennis Crosby ( son ) Phillip Crosby ( son ) Lindsay Crosby ( daughter ) Kathryn Crosby ( second wife ) Harry Crosby ( son ) Mary Crosby ( daughter ) Nathaniel Crosby ( son ) Denise Crosby ( granddaughter ) Larry Crosby ( brother ) Bob Crosby ( brother ) Related Songs Bing Crosby recorded multiple times A Tribute to Bing Crosby Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_Christmas_(song)&oldid=834448134 '' Categories : 1940 songs 1942 singles American Christmas songs Bing Crosby songs Best Original Song Academy Award - winning songs Songs written by Irving Berlin Number - one singles in the United States 1940s jazz standards Jazz compositions in A major Decca Records singles MCA Records singles Hidden categories : CS1 Swedish - language sources ( sv ) Articles with hAudio microformats Track listings with deprecated parameters Certification Table Entry usages for Denmark Certification Table Entry usages for Sweden Articles needing additional references from May 2017 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Қазақша Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Tiếng Việt 15 more Edit links This page was last edited on 5 April 2018, at 19 : 58. 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Question: when did the song white christmas come out
Answer: 1942