Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”: The Record That Keeps Returning Each Holiday
When the holidays roll around, many listeners still consider a season incomplete without Bing. Guinness World Records estimates that Crosby’s recording of “White Christmas” has sold roughly 50 million physical singles, making it the best-selling record in history. The Billboard review from Aug. 8, 1942, captured the tune’s essence, describing it as a longing for the gentle, graceful Christmases of the past and predicting the song’s growing significance.
“Faithful” Hit
In its Jan. 10, 1942 roundup of in-demand seasonal songs, Billboard listed familiar Crosby standards like “Silent Night” and “Adeste Fideles” as top contenders. Yet insiders were already whispering about a new number: the May 2 issue reported early buzz that Crosby was preparing a rendition of a song titled “White Christmas,” and the chatter cast the performance in glowing terms.
We’re “Inn” the Money
After Irving Berlin’s song debuted in the film Holiday Inn, Billboard’s Aug. 15, 1942 coverage praised the picture as a lively musical featuring two standout tunes: “White Christmas” and “Be Careful, It’s My Heart.” By Sept. 19 the song’s popularity was spreading, even as some publishers initially resisted broad radio play because of its seasonal theme. Still, local markets began snapping it up.
“Christmas” Arrives Ahead of Schedule
Billboard’s Oct. 13, 1942 copy noted that neither calendar-makers nor publishers could suppress the song’s surge: it was sweeping coin-operated phonograph networks and drawing steady purchases. If Decca could keep up with demand, a Nov. 14 story suggested, “White Christmas” was on track to be the year’s top seller. By the Dec. 26 issue, the record had become the label’s biggest seller to date, racing past one million copies.
A Green Christmas for Record Sales
The appetite for Crosby’s holiday recordings endured. By Oct. 18, 1947, Decca reported extraordinary advance sales—more than 500,000 copies—of Crosby’s Merry Christmas album, a collection of seasonal standards. The 1954 film White Christmas, starring Crosby and featuring additional Berlin songs, renewed interest further. As Billboard observed on Dec. 4, 1954, Crosby’s seasonal versions continued to attract a broad audience each year, regardless of his current chart position.
The Bing of Rock
Crosby’s life ended suddenly after he filmed a television special in England with David Bowie; Billboard reported on Oct. 22, 1977, that he died of a heart attack at age 74 while on a golf course in Spain. Although Crosby built a long list of hits, history has anchored him most firmly to “White Christmas,” a perennial seller that endures across generations. According to Luminate, Crosby’s performance of the song has amassed approximately 698.5 million official on-demand U.S. streams through Nov. 20, 2025.
This feature originally appeared in the Dec. 6, 2025 issue of Billboard.
