I am finally putting a stop to the series on Dreams and Dreaming by bringing together the best versions of “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’. This will serve as a marker for the start of a new series on Christmas Albums. So, let’s dream together for the last time.
“White Christmas” is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. The song was written by Berlin for the musical film Holiday Inn, released in 1942. The composition won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 15th Academy Awards. Since its release, “White Christmas” has been covered by multiple artists, with the version sung by Bing Crosby being the world’s best selling single (in terms of sales of physical media) with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide. When the figures for other versions of the song are added to Crosby’s, sales of the song exceed 100 million.
“White Christmas” (1956) spins the romantic and humorous tale of Bob Wallace and Phil Davis (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye), two Army buddies who became a top-notch musical comedy team after the war and are now the toast of Broadway. While on the road in Florida, the stars become involved with twe aspiring singers, the sister act of Betty and Judy (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen). Despite some romantic complications between the couples, everything ends on a happy note when Christmas Eve brings rave reviews for the show and much-needed snowfall!
The Drifters (1956) The Drifters easily have one of the most dynamic covers of “White Christmas.” The group brings some soulful charm to their doo-wop version, and turn it into a fun piece that makes for a great holiday listen. The unique ending the group slips in at the end also helps this one stand out from the rest.
Lady Gaga (2011) In 2011, Lady Gaga had a Thanksgiving special on ABC where she performed hits from Born This Way, as well as a handful of Christmas songs. Her jazzy live cover highlighted Gaga’s incredible vocal capabilities. Furthermore, she added an extra verse that blended effortlessly with the original lyrics.
Eric Clapton (2018) “Happy Xmas” is Clapton’s 24th studio album and his first since 2016. It mixes instantly recognizable holiday classics with lesser-known unique titles. “I had in my head that these holiday songs could be done with a slight blues tinge, and I started to figure out how to play the blues lines in between the vocals,” said Clapton, who co-produced “Happy Xmas” with longtime music producer Simon Climie.
Morgan James (2021) provides us with one of the most recent covers of this song. It is a track taken from her latest album ‘A Very Magnetic Christmas’. James takes the song and adds a full band arrangment which brings out the jazz at the heart of the piece.
Gilbert O’Sullivan (1974) Just to finish on a slightly controversial note Gilbert O’ Sullivan produced this song for Christmas 1974. Offical titled “Christmas Song” it reached No. 12 in the UK and No. 5 in Ireland. I have included it here because it contains a clever take on the original song.
