Christmas and everywhere every year they play songs in the atmosphere and spirit of the season. And we may hear the same thing over and over again every year, but most do not seem to get bored. Songs that have become a tradition and are associated with the festive season.
Because as we speak, Christmas without "Last Christmas"? They are not made. In fact, Billboard had released the list of the top ten Christmas songs of all ages. Songs that count decades and others are more popular, such as Feliz Navidad (1970) or "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey, first released in 1994. Others are less popular with us mainly, such as "A Holly Jolly Christmas "by Burl Ives (1965) which, however, is one of the favorites of the Americans.
But what is definitely their favorite while it is considered one of the most important songs of all time in all categories, is the well-known "White Christmas", Written in 1941 by Irving Berlin (Cheek to Cheek, God Bless America). A song that has been included in Guinness record as the "biggest single sales of all time", having more than 50 million sales worldwide. But what gives it another dimension - beyond the huge success it has had - is the tragic story behind the lyrics and the reason it was written.
Having sold over 50 million copies of the song White Christmas, which marked with his voice Bing Crosby, is not just the most commercial Christmas song but the most successful single sale of all time, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
The Pearl Harbor tragedy and how it became the favorite of American soldiers
What makes "White Christmas" stand out from the rest of Christmas is that there are no "tones" of optimism in it, it does not have fantastic happy characters, it is not even religious in nature. Instead, he is melancholy with a strong mood and longing for the past and for days that have passed.
The song was written by Irving Berlin and first heard on Christmas 1941 on Bing Crosby's radio show Kraft Music Hall, who performed it with his sensual voice. But the song had a deeper meaning that day with a melancholy mood. The singer, as well as the Americans who heard it on their radios, were thinking about the tragic event that happened just 18 days before: his attack Pearl Harbor.
The following Christmas and until the end of World War II, American soldiers were on the battlefield, away from their families. And "White Christamas" played again and again on the army radios as it reminded them of their home.
The song made its way to recording in 1942 with the voice of Bing Crosby. In fact, during his visits to American troops, the soldiers demanded it most of all.
"I was reluctant to sing it because it always caused a nostalgia for the soldiers for their families that made them sad. I did not want to make them sad. "That's why I tried many times to cut it off from the show, but the soldiers were shouting from below to say 'White Christmas,'" Crosby said in an interview.
The end of the war "found" White Christmas as the best-selling song of all time, a distinction that lasted for 56 whole years.
The story of the song, as it turned out, is in itself sad. It was written by Irving Berlin, who did not actually celebrate Christmas as a Jew. Berlin was one of the most important composers with many successes to his credit. He was born in Russia and immigrated to America with his family when he was 5 years old, as many Jews at the time did.
His son died just 3 weeks old, on Christmas Day 1928, so every December 25, he and his wife visited his grave. The secret that White Christmas carries, then, is Berlin's attempt to overcome his grief over the death of his son..
He originally wrote the song to be part of a musical that eventually evolved into the Holiday Inn film, earning him an Oscar. Then the song played in the 1946 film "Blue Skies" before being identified with the eponymous in 1954.
Bing Crosby's rendition quickly made it one of America's favorite songs, even though the original radio version was lost and the 1942 18-minute recording was worn out.
Since then the piece has been performed by dozens of artists. From Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, with his message and the melancholy that the lyrics bring out to remain the same, in every version.