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Bing Crosby recorded the biggest-selling single of all time, \u2018White Christmas\u2019, on 29th May, 1942. The session took just 18 minutes, and the song was not considered the standout from the album: everyone thought the Valentine\u2019s-themed ballad \u2018Be Careful, It's My Heart\u2019 had a better chance of chart success.\nThe songwriter, Irving Berlin, was perhaps not an obvious person to pen the quintessential American Christmas song, given that he was a Russian-born Jew, who had never celebrated the holiday until his arrival in the United States. But the record\u2019s airplay on US Army overseas radio stations during World War II struck a chord with homesick soldiers, and helped embed the tune deeply into the American psyche.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal why the version you\u2019re almost certainly thinking of is NOT the version with which Bing initally topped the charts; unpick the confusing Russian Doll stack of genres into which the song has been repurposed; and explain why Berlin\u2019s Oscar win became a pivotal moment in the Academy Awards ceremony\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018'White Christmas' at 75: A Snapshot of the Most Successful Song In Music History\u2019 (Billboard, 2017): https://www.billboard.com/culture/lifestyle/white-christmas-bing-crosby-history-8071111/#!\n\u2022 \u2018Is White Christmas the Best Popular Song Ever Written?\u2019 (Smithsonian Magazine, 2012): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/is-white-christmas-the-best-popular-song-ever-written-165989545/\n\u2022 \u2018Holiday Inn | Bing Crosby Sings "White Christmas"\u2019 (Universal Pictures, 1942): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gbGlm8Y\nLove the show? Support us!\xa0\nJoin\xa0 \U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY\u2026\xa0\n\u2026 Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.\xa0\nJoin now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show \u2764\ufe0f\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices