Bing Crosby's family launch campaign to get ‘White Christmas’ to number one

15 October 2019, 11:47 | Updated: 16 January 2024, 11:37

Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ resurfaces every year and is the world’s best-selling single - but has never reached number one in the UK charts.

The track’s sales have reached in excess of 50 million copies worldwide and, more recently, achieved over 1.8 billion streams.

Not only that, Bing’s song receives an average of 18 million streams on December 25 alone every year, 77 years since its original release.

Bing At Christmas - The Brand New Album - Order Now

‘White Christmas’ is also the most-recorded song of all time, but has never been number one in the UK.

This year, the Crosby family wants to change that and, in Bing's memory, are releasing a newly-orchestrated version in a bid to top the charts.

Originally written by Irving Berlin, it was first performed by Bing on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall on Christmas Day, 1941.

It was later recorded and released on on July 30, 1942, with the late star's family and record label Decca preparing to release a new album of his music entitled Bing At Christmas for this festive season.

It will see Bing’s original vocals set to newly-recorded orchestral arrangements, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

The singer's widow Kathryn explained: “Hearing Bing’s voice with these completely new, beautifully recorded, orchestral accompaniments makes it seem as though he’s back after all these years. It’s magic.”

Bing is the most recorded performer in history and in the US, Bing scored 41 number one records.

His recordings reached the charts 396 times - more than Frank Sinatra at 209 and Elvis Presley with 149.

Bing At Christmas also features arrangements of ‘Winter Wonderland’, ‘It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas’, ‘The Christmas Song’ and ‘Little Drummer Boy’, on which David Bowie joins in a duet recorded in September 1977, just a month before Bing died.

Bing At Christmas will be released on November 22.

Bing At Christmas tracklisting:
1. ‘It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas’
2. ‘Sleigh Ride’
3. ‘Let it Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!’
4. ‘White Christmas’ (Featuring Pentatonix)
5. ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’
6. ‘Jingle Bells’ (Featuring The Puppini Sisters)
7. ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’
8. ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’
9. ‘The Christmas Song’
10. ‘Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy’ (Featuring David Bowie)
11. ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ (Featuring The Puppini Sisters)
12. ‘Winter Wonderland’
13. ‘The Christmas Song’ (Featuring The Tenors)
14. ‘White Christmas’