December 26, 2025 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, for generations, “White Christmas” has served as the soundtrack to the holiday season. Its lyrics and melody helped define what Christmas sounds like in America, shaping holiday music for decades. Yet the man who wrote it, Irving Berlin, did not celebrate Christmas. He arrived in the United States as a Jewish immigrant from Russia and built his career as one of the most influential songwriters in American history. Our host, Lee Habeeb, shares the story.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
The first day of Christmas, my chew lovecate to me
a portraitch in a pair tree. The second day of Christmas,
my chew lovecate to me two turtle doves and apartrech
(00:31):
in a pair tree. The third day of Christmas, my
chew lovecates.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
This is our American stories, and today we're telling the
story of a song. And since it's Christmas time, we
thought we'd do it about one of our most beloved
Christmas songs, and that's Serving Berlin's White Christmas. Irving Berlin
was a Jewish immigrant from Russia who came to America
fleeing anti Semitism. That's right, the man who gave us
(01:08):
White Christmas, one of the most popular Christmas songs of
all time, was Jewish. By the way, he also wrote
God Bless America, and he was from Russia. Only in America, folks.
Irving Berlin had no formal musical education. He could not
read or write music, and taught himself how to play piano.
(01:30):
In fact, he only used the black keys. At one point,
Berlin even boasted of his ignorance of music. He said
that because he didn't know the rules of music, he
was actually free to violate them. Berlin wrote over one
thousand songs, many of which have become American standards. The
one we are focusing on today rises above them all,
(01:51):
along with God Bless America. It's hard to write one
like that in your lifetime. Berlin wrote dozens. Most of
us snow the Bing Crosby version of White Christmas. That
version sold over fifty million copies, and it is still
the best selling single of all time, along with one
of the most recorded songs in history. In nineteen forty two,
(02:12):
It's spent eleven weeks on the top of the Billboard charts.
The first performance of White Christmas by Bing was on
Christmas Day nineteen forty one on NBC radio show called
the Craft Music Hall. This was a mere eighteen days
after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor. The US had officially
joined the war. Soon, very soon, we would be setting thousands,
(02:35):
hundreds of thousands of our sons overseas. In nineteen forty two,
Bing traveled abroad to perform for our troops. Which song
did American gis ask for the most? You got it?
White Christmas, a song that reminded them of hearth and home,
Bing said, quote I hesitated about doing it because invariably
it caused such a nostalgic yearning among the men that
(02:58):
it made them sad. Heaven knows, I didn't come that
far to make them sad. For this reason. Several times
I tried to cut it out of the show, but
these guys just hollered for it. 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. Sadly,
(03:21):
the original recording from nineteen forty one was lost, but
was later re recorded in nineteen forty seven. Since then,
it has been covered by a number of others, including Sinatra, Presley,
Ella Fitzgerald, even Bob Marley and the Whalers. Other covers
of this song, along with Crosby's, have sold over one
hundred and fifty million copies. Let's hear a few of
(03:42):
these renditions. The American punk rock band Bad Religion, known
for their harmonies and controversial lyrics, tried to make this
their own.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I'm treating Christmas just like the one to know.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Where the tree talk. Okay, maybe that one's not playing
around the old family tree. Just could be here's another
unexpected version of White Christmas by Bob Marley and his Whalers.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
I'm dreaming, not like the one I used to know French.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Okay, maybe that one's not the one we're listening to
around the Christmas tree either. Hey, let's take a listen
now to Elvis Presley's White Christmas.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
I dream of a Why.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Christmas, just like.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Where those tree to here.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Slaves and And see that's the thing about trying to
record a song that's just perfect. I mean, these are
great people, you know, Bob Marley, Elvis Presley. I'm not
sure about bad religion, but these are some of the greats.
And when you try to add your own twist to
something that's just straight and perfect, sometimes you just have
(06:09):
to leave things alone. It's like some movies you shouldn't
do a remake of. You just should leave them alone.
That's why our favor will always be Bings, because it's
just it's sung straight as an arrow. Bing gets out
of the way, gets out of the way of the words,
and just sings it. Fellow composer Jerome Kern once set
(06:31):
of Irving Berlin and We're going to get to that
in a bit. Bing Crosby's version, Irving has no place
in American music. He is American music. And a similar
thing can be said about White Christmas. Christmas and this
version of Bing Crosby's classic.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
About twenty five years ago, mister Irving Berlin strung together
at a touch of words and music that it becomes
sort of a special sound of Christmas to a lot
of people.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I may, I like, you're talking about white Christmas, are you?
Speaker 5 (07:03):
Well? We were just wondering, since there's so many wonderful
voices on the show, we thought it would be fun
to take a vote and see who would sing it. Nope,
as I was saying, mister Berlin wrote this song twenty
five years ago, and.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Through that, like Christmas, not a.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
Chance, seems to be an excess of zeal here this evening,
I applawed zeal.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
But after all, there are certain.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Things I think. Forget it, Bob.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Hit it, Nick.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Ream of a war Christmas, just like the walls still know.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Where the trees.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And by the way, a little side note, White Christmas
won Irving Berlin the Academy Award for Best Original Song
in nineteen forty two. Irving Berlin actually presented himself with
the original song Oscar at the fifteenth Oscar Ceremonies on
March fourth, nineteen forty three. When he opened the envelope
(08:19):
and saw his name, you see he was the presenter.
Irving Berlin told the audience, I'm glad to present the award.
I've known him a long time. By the way, that
was the last time a presenter was actually in the
running for an award. Leave it to Irving Berlin to
write that kind of history. We will go out now
with Bing Crosby's very last recording of White Christmas. This
(08:42):
recording is from his last TV appearance on a Christmas
special filmed in London in September nineteen seventy seven. It
was on the same Christmas special that being performed The
Little Drummer Boy with David Bowie. Bing died of a
heart attack just a few weeks later. This special aired
on November thirtieth, nineteen seventy seven, shortly after his death.
(09:07):
As you can hear, Bing's voice never lost its richness.
Speaker 5 (09:16):
A.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Dreaming of a life Christmas just like the Waes.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
This is our American stories, the story of White Christmas
of Irving Berlin, and of course Bing Crosby. More after
these messages.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
And children listened to him. Slave Elzi listen
The first day of Christmas, my chew lovecate to me
a portraitch in a pair tree. The second day of Christmas,
my chew lovecate to me two turtle doves and apartrech
(00:31):
in a pair tree. The third day of Christmas, my
chew lovecates.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
This is our American stories, and today we're telling the
story of a song. And since it's Christmas time, we
thought we'd do it about one of our most beloved
Christmas songs, and that's Serving Berlin's White Christmas. Irving Berlin
was a Jewish immigrant from Russia who came to America
fleeing anti Semitism. That's right, the man who gave us
(01:08):
White Christmas, one of the most popular Christmas songs of
all time, was Jewish. By the way, he also wrote
God Bless America, and he was from Russia. Only in America, folks.
Irving Berlin had no formal musical education. He could not
read or write music, and taught himself how to play piano.
(01:30):
In fact, he only used the black keys. At one point,
Berlin even boasted of his ignorance of music. He said
that because he didn't know the rules of music, he
was actually free to violate them. Berlin wrote over one
thousand songs, many of which have become American standards. The
one we are focusing on today rises above them all,
(01:51):
along with God Bless America. It's hard to write one
like that in your lifetime. Berlin wrote dozens. Most of
us snow the Bing Crosby version of White Christmas. That
version sold over fifty million copies, and it is still
the best selling single of all time, along with one
of the most recorded songs in history. In nineteen forty two,
(02:12):
It's spent eleven weeks on the top of the Billboard charts.
The first performance of White Christmas by Bing was on
Christmas Day nineteen forty one on NBC radio show called
the Craft Music Hall. This was a mere eighteen days
after the tragedy at Pearl Harbor. The US had officially
joined the war. Soon, very soon, we would be setting thousands,
(02:35):
hundreds of thousands of our sons overseas. In nineteen forty two,
Bing traveled abroad to perform for our troops. Which song
did American gis ask for the most? You got it?
White Christmas, a song that reminded them of hearth and home,
Bing said, quote I hesitated about doing it because invariably
it caused such a nostalgic yearning among the men that
(02:58):
it made them sad. Heaven knows, I didn't come that
far to make them sad. For this reason. Several times
I tried to cut it out of the show, but
these guys just hollered for it. 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. Sadly,
(03:21):
the original recording from nineteen forty one was lost, but
was later re recorded in nineteen forty seven. Since then,
it has been covered by a number of others, including Sinatra, Presley,
Ella Fitzgerald, even Bob Marley and the Whalers. Other covers
of this song, along with Crosby's, have sold over one
hundred and fifty million copies. Let's hear a few of
(03:42):
these renditions. The American punk rock band Bad Religion, known
for their harmonies and controversial lyrics, tried to make this
their own.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I'm treating Christmas just like the one to know.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Where the tree talk. Okay, maybe that one's not playing
around the old family tree. Just could be here's another
unexpected version of White Christmas by Bob Marley and his Whalers.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
I'm dreaming, not like the one I used to know French.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Okay, maybe that one's not the one we're listening to
around the Christmas tree either. Hey, let's take a listen
now to Elvis Presley's White Christmas.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
I dream of a Why.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Christmas, just like.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Where those tree to here.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Slaves and And see that's the thing about trying to
record a song that's just perfect. I mean, these are
great people, you know, Bob Marley, Elvis Presley. I'm not
sure about bad religion, but these are some of the greats.
And when you try to add your own twist to
something that's just straight and perfect, sometimes you just have
(06:09):
to leave things alone. It's like some movies you shouldn't
do a remake of. You just should leave them alone.
That's why our favor will always be Bings, because it's
just it's sung straight as an arrow. Bing gets out
of the way, gets out of the way of the words,
and just sings it. Fellow composer Jerome Kern once set
(06:31):
of Irving Berlin and We're going to get to that
in a bit. Bing Crosby's version, Irving has no place
in American music. He is American music. And a similar
thing can be said about White Christmas. Christmas and this
version of Bing Crosby's classic.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
About twenty five years ago, mister Irving Berlin strung together
at a touch of words and music that it becomes
sort of a special sound of Christmas to a lot
of people.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I may, I like, you're talking about white Christmas, are you?
Speaker 5 (07:03):
Well? We were just wondering, since there's so many wonderful
voices on the show, we thought it would be fun
to take a vote and see who would sing it. Nope,
as I was saying, mister Berlin wrote this song twenty
five years ago, and.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Through that, like Christmas, not a.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
Chance, seems to be an excess of zeal here this evening,
I applawed zeal.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
But after all, there are certain.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Things I think. Forget it, Bob.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Hit it, Nick.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Ream of a war Christmas, just like the walls still know.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Where the trees.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And by the way, a little side note, White Christmas
won Irving Berlin the Academy Award for Best Original Song
in nineteen forty two. Irving Berlin actually presented himself with
the original song Oscar at the fifteenth Oscar Ceremonies on
March fourth, nineteen forty three. When he opened the envelope
(08:19):
and saw his name, you see he was the presenter.
Irving Berlin told the audience, I'm glad to present the award.
I've known him a long time. By the way, that
was the last time a presenter was actually in the
running for an award. Leave it to Irving Berlin to
write that kind of history. We will go out now
with Bing Crosby's very last recording of White Christmas. This
(08:42):
recording is from his last TV appearance on a Christmas
special filmed in London in September nineteen seventy seven. It
was on the same Christmas special that being performed The
Little Drummer Boy with David Bowie. Bing died of a
heart attack just a few weeks later. This special aired
on November thirtieth, nineteen seventy seven, shortly after his death.
(09:07):
As you can hear, Bing's voice never lost its richness.
Speaker 5 (09:16):
A.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Dreaming of a life Christmas just like the Waes.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
This is our American stories, the story of White Christmas
of Irving Berlin, and of course Bing Crosby. More after
these messages.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
And children listened to him. Slave Elzi listen
Host
Lee Habeeb
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