White Christmas: The Story of an American Song

by Jody Rosen

When Irving Berlin first conceived the song "White Christmas," he envisioned it as a "throwaway" -- a satirical novelty number for a vaudeville-style stage revue. By the time Bing Crosby introduced the tune in the winter of 1942, it had evolved into something far the stately yuletide ballad that would become the world's all-time top-selling and most widely recorded song. In this vividly written narrative, Jody Rosen provides both the fascinating story behind the making of America's favorite Christmas carol and a cultural history of the nation that embraced it. Berlin, the Russian-Jewish immigrant who became his adopted country's greatest pop troubadour, had written his magnum opus -- what one commentator has called a "holiday Moby-Dick" -- a timeless song that resonates with some of the deepest themes in American yearning for a mythic New England past, belief in the magic of the "merry and bright" Christmas season, longing for the havens of home and hearth. Today, the song endures not just as an icon of the national Christmas celebration but as the artistic and commercial peak of the golden age of popular song, a symbol of the values and strivings of the World War II generation, and of the saga of Jewish-American assimilation. With insight and wit, Rosen probes the song's musical roots, uncovering its surprising connections to the tradition of blackface minstrelsy and exploring its unique place in popular culture through six decades of recordings by everyone from Bing Crosby to Elvis Presley to *NSYNC. White Christmas chronicles the song's legacy from jaunty ragtime-era Tin Pan Alley to the elegant world of midcentury Broadway and Hollywood, from the hardscrabble streets where Irving Berlin was reared to the battlefields of World War II where American GIs made "White Christmas" their wartime anthem, and from the Victorian American past that the song evokes to the twenty-first-century present where Berlin's masterpiece lives on as a kind of secular hymn.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Christmas, History, Holiday

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2003

About the author

Jody Rosen is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. His work has appeared in Slate, New York, The New Yorker, and many other publications. He lives in Brooklyn with his family.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was enjoying this book until the very end when the author called White Christmas (the movie) tacky. How dare you call the Clooney/Crosby/Vera-Ellen/Kaye brilliance tacky.

You are lucky you got two stars.
(Imagine Rosemary Clooney's judgey face from You've Done Me Wrong here.)

[Mary Anne Kucserik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, who knew? This is a fascinating biography of Irving Berlin, the immigrant experience, music of Tin Pan Alley, all as the backdrop of one of our most beloved Christmas songs.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the multiple versions Irving Berlin told of this song’s birth, his long-time assistant insisted the song was born on January 8, 1940. The song apparently stemmed from an all-night songwriting session, and those close to Berlin say all-night songwriting sessions were common for the man who once claimed the statistic of writing a song a day. According to Rosen, Berlin wrote thousands of songs and published 812. Of that number, 451 ultimately became hits. It’s possible that the inspiration for parts of the song came from a house in which he spent the Christmas of 1940 with his family in the Catskills in New York.

This is a fascinating little book about the birth and history of “White Christmas.” You’ll read about Berlin’s concern that the song wasn’t important and its conflicts with his feelings that it was the best song he ever wrote.

Crosby recorded the 78 RPM version of the song on May 8, 1942. It differs somewhat from the one most of us think of when we hear the song. The master became so worn that Crosby had to rerecord the song a few years later. If you want to hear what that 78-RPM version sounded like, visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixgTV...
and notice the subtle difference and those not so subtle between the original and the one with which we’re most familiar.

There’s a chapter here that looks at the influence of Jewish writers and singers of Christmas music that fascinated me.

You’ll also read about the various versions of the song and how those versions evolved as music changed. But mostly, you’ll read in wonder about the rocketing sales of the song to military personnel overseas during the war. The military folks started buying the record in the fall of 1942 weeks before Christmas, and it is their sales that helped springboard the song into a hit.

[Meagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first, I loved the book. The first few pages were chock full of interesting facts. But this author begins to repeat himself over and over. Pretentiously, too. He literally says the same sentences over and over and over in the book; but with tiny differences. THEN, he has the nerve to call some of the greatest Christmas classics 'garish' (a word, he used three times in the span of a few pages), 'corny', and makes the reader feel contempt for him for having this superior view of Christmas.
He even calls the movie White Christmas tacky and corny, and believes there are no other good songs from that film, and the song and dance numbers were awful. One would think that the reader actually likes the movie, White Christmas, to be able to pick up this book and read the history of the song. *scratches head quizzically*
If you want to make reading this fun, I suggest playing a drinking game. Everytime he writes 'Tin Pan Alley'-drink. Everytime he describes in one sentence the thoughts White Christmas evokes- drink. Everytime he mocks one of your favorite Christmas carols, songs, classics, or anything for children- drink. Everytime you see the same adjectives used multiple times in the same chapter- drink. Anytime he repeats the same fact- drink. Maybe, you will have a better time reading this than I did.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a carefully researched and well written book which looks at this beloved Christmas classic from many perspectives. I can't say that I learned much about Berlin that I didn't already know, but that's only because i have read zillions of books and heard many programs about musical theater over the years. Rosens comments are often quite interesting because she is not especially passionate about Berlin, though she appreciates much of his work. One minor coment annoyed me, but not for the reason you might think: she says that "White Christmas" was covered by many artists who are "overly emotive," ′I think that's the phrase she used," and Streisand is one of the artists she places in that category. Streisand has been my very favorite singer since I first heard her when I was in the fifth grade, but I understand why some folks find many of her performances to be "over the top." However, if Rosen took the time to actually listen to Barbra's rendition of Berlin's masterpiece, there is no way she would have applied that adjective. All that aside, if you have even a passing interest in the song, in the impact it had on music, commerce, morale during World War II, or Berlin, you won't want to miss this one.

[Ralphz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read about an iconic Christmas song.

But it was about a lot more than that.

It’s about Irving Berlin, a Siberian Jewish expatriate who embraced America and became one of its musical champions

It’s about Bing Crosby, who became a Christmas icon himself, with his masculine, deep voice tenderly interpreting songs in a new way.

It’s about Tin Pan Alley, the song factory that created the popular music of the early century.

It’s about the Jewish songwriters, producers and directors who took over American entertainment, from Hollywood to Broadway, and made us look at the nation in a different, more optimistic way.

It’s about World War II, and thousands of men away from home and missing the country they were fighting for, finding some solace in one of the saddest holiday songs ever.

This book is nearly perfect, tapering off at the end as it tells how the songwriters of the age looked down on the new music – rock ‘n’ roll – and failed to adapt. It’s a sad end to a largely uplifting book.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

White Christmas is a brisk and fascinating tour through several charming, pivotal decades in American cultural, social, and political history, tethered to the birth and development of one of the greatest songs ever written. Rosen explores the milieu of the music industry, the American Jewish community, Hollywood, and other slices of early twentieth-century life with energy, detail, and an eye for a good story. He seems to have a bit of a Christmas axe to grind by the end, and he commits the cardinal sin of uttering a cross word about White Christmas the movie, but if you can look past that, you’ll learn a lot. If you love Christmas or the Great American Songbook, check this one out.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book that was really hidden in the library bookshelves, I wouldn’t think it would be close to 5 stars for me. It’s about 200 pages focused simply on the song “White Christmas,” so I get that some people found this boring. But I really enjoyed it as a seasonal read and someone who likes old Hollywood type stories. I learned a great deal about Irving Berlin (Israel Baline) and enjoyed hearing how a poor Jewish immigrant from Russia came to be such a famous composer. I didn’t realize all the songs he wrote and it was great to get more background on one of his most famous songs.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There really isn't enough story in my mind to warrant this book. If the author said certain things once they were repeated many times. There were parts that I did like reading but they were few and far between. When the author wrote of the movie White Christmas I was surprised by how she didn't like the movie. This is a never miss for me every year. And it was a huge selling movie of the day. The very reasons she disliked it is exactly why I love it. That made me suspicious of the rest of the book.

[Ladonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unless you’re a melophile who really enjoys old music I don’t suggest this book. It was really kind of boring for me. Being a Generation Xer, it addressed songs I’ve never heard of by writers and performers I was unfamiliar with, so I struggled with the book holding my attention. The best part of the book was on pages 162 and 163 where it talked about how our modern Christmas that we know came to be. Other than those two pages I would encourage you to pass on this book.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some interesting tidbits and pieces of background information about the song in this, but most of the time the author goes into details that only tangentially relate to the song. Plus, he does so with a lot of name-dropping and jargon, which feels like him wanting to show off his knowledge but not caring enough to actually craft the book in a way to make the reader care for it.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned to play White Christmas on the piano using sheet music which contained the opening verse, and always wondered why I almost never heard the opening verse in recorded versions - only in Mel Torme's version. AHA! That fun fact alone made this book very enjoyable, and a fun read during the Christmas season.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of this books, but parts were a really slow read. It was interesting to read the story behind "White Christmas" and the man who wrote it, Irving Berlin. Also a nice bit about Bing Crosby, who originally sang it.

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a little while to get to information about the song (about half way through,) but once there, I learned some interesting things, not only about the song, but also about Irving Berlin and the music business in the United States.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating! This is, of course, the story of the song White Christmas, but is also a quasi-biography of Irving Berlin and an exploration of how Christmas music came to prominence. It packs a lot of information into just around 200 pages - I learned so much!

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

well written

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Enjoyable, quick, American pop culture history read. Perfectly appropriate for the upcoming festive season.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Music journalist, Jody Rosen, does a great job of presenting the story of the world's most popular song--White Christmas. (Although momentarily deposed as the biggest selling song of all time by Elton John's Goodbye England's Rose, the seasonal recurrance of White Christmas still makes it the world's most popular song.)

He gives us the history of the song's composer, Irving Berlin, and the things leading up to the song, and even Berlin's composing style and habits. (Berlin was a famous insomniac who did much of his composing in the wee hours of the morning.) The Berlin family gave Rosen unprecedented access to many of the composer's private papers, including journals and letters.

Rosen also clears up a story that has been going around for years, saying that Berlin had little faith in the song. The fact is that when Berlin--who couldn't read music--was ready to play it for his musical secretary, and have it put to paper, he showed up at the office at ten a.m. instead of his usual 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., and announced to the staff, "Not only have I written the best song I've ever written, but I've just written the best song ever written." Berlin's worries about the song were when film critics ignored the song when it appeared in the film Holiday Inn, with Bing Crosby. But the public came to his rescue and turned it into a bona-fide hit.

A thoroughly researched, excellent book about a song that has been sung by everyone from the death metal band Helloween, to the Mormon Tabernacle choir.

[Brad Lucht · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting story of the song. I enjoyed learning more of Berlin's history that about the song itself. Here are a few highlights:

Berlin wrote thousands of songs, publishing 812; 451 became hits.

Berlin wrote "God Bless America" as a peace song on an ocean liner as he returned to New York from London in 1938. Most of the melody came from a piece he wrote for a WWI musical in 1917. Of all the tunes that he wrote, "God Bless America" was Berlin's favorite song. He donated all proceeds to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.

Berlin came into his office on an early Monday morning, January 8, 1940. "I want you to take down a song I wrote over the weekend", Berlin said. "Not only is it the best song *I* ever wrote, it's the best song *anybody* every wrote".

Berlin used the song as the tentpole to develop a motion picture called "Holiday Inn". He refused to sign a contract until Bing Crosby was signed on to star in and sing Berlin's songs, including "White Christmas".

Bing Crosby recorded "White Christmas" in two takes; it took 18 minutes of studio recording time. He then left for the golf course .

In 1952, 10 years after White Christmas was published, Berlin was still receiving $300K in sheet music residuals alone.

[Kellye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim many years ago and read it straight through--twice. It's a great book! I can't even estimate how many times I've paraphrased this book-not just at the holidays-and shared fun trivia and profound history with friends and family. The story of this one song goes back to how the recording business grew out of the sheet-music business, what the heck is a Tin Pan Alley and how it still shapes what the music business is, and why all the good Christmas songs are written by Jews (seriously). From the dropped intro verse to the song that makes it desperately sad to the second master of the Bing Crosby recording that had to be made after the original was worn completely out in 5 years, you want to know the cool facts in this book.

Jody Rosen is an engaging writer who shares both his effervescent enthusiasm for the subject and his thorough research with the reader. This book reads more like one of those intense conversations you sometimes has with a friend who you unexpectedly realize is wild for the same offbeat topic you are (or didn't know you were).

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It makes sense that one of the most anti-family countries in the world would make this fantasy of hearth and home the most popular song of the 20th century. The chapter on the song as "war tonic" is especially good. (WW 1 songs were about fighting wars, WW 11 songs became reflections of the home they were fighting to save.) Rosen tells one story about a sergeant who wouldn't let his troops hum it in the foxholes because they might be all choked up with sentiment and thus softened up for Jerry.

Also awesome,Berlin himself called radio stations to try to get them to ban Elvis's version of "White Chirstmas." Anyway, a good pocket understanding of Tin Pan Alley and pre-rock racial exchange and assimilation -- he has a great quote from Phillip Roth about how "White Christmas" is a triumph for Jews because it turns the day celebrating the gentile savior into a holiday about snow.

[Ted Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "White Christmas, the Story of an American Song", Jody Rosen describes the making and success of America's favorite song while exploring the development of Pop music in the 20th Century and including the biography of Irving Berlin. Rosen includes a study of American society and ethnicity while presenting the transformation of American "Pop Music" from Tin Pan Alley, Ragtime, Musical Comedy, the Golden Age of Jazz, the American Songbook, to the present day. This copy lists a publication date of 2007, however I purchased a Trade Cloth copy of the new release in 2002 and have picked it up off and on yearly during the Holidays until finishing it this Christmas. "White Christmas" is more than a Christmas song. The documentary could be included in Music Education History classes; a delightful and informative read.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the song "White Christmas" certainly winds its way through the whole book, it is the framework on which a sparse biography of Berlin and a history of popular music in the first half of the 20th century are hung. Limiting my reading to the holiday season appropriate to the title, it took me three years to get through (and I started from scratch this year). Still, I enjoyed it more than I expected, learning some interesting trivia about the man and the period.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, I've read this book a couple times, the first time shortly after its publication. I find it a fascinating analysis of one of my favorite songs. I particularly enjoy the biographical background on Irving Berlin, and the bits about Bing Crosby, and how Berlin's song gained phenomomial popularity during WWII.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book really interested - naturally because of my love of Xmas music. What I most enjoyed though was the discussion of the evolution of music through the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Music lovers would also appreciate the discussion of this song in particular for its unusual musical arrangement.

[LeAnn Swieczkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this little book. It brings my mind back to earlier times and reminds me how the holiday has become a season. The book describes how we Americans evolved in out traditions, the music we listen to during this season and how one song, White Christmas, served generations of listens worldwide to bring calm and a fireside feeling to the holiday.

[Christian Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosen does a beautiful job telling the story of popular music in the earlier part of the 20th Century by way of Irving Berlin's career, and with particular focus on "White Christmas." If that doesn't sound interesting to you, it probably still would be. Rosen is an incredible writer.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF...So I made it about a quarter though this, which is honestly more than I thought I would read. It’s not bad, it’s just all about the song White Christmas. It is very well researched, it’s just not an engaging read for me.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A discussion of the roots and impact of the song 'White Christmas', scholarly, interesting, and beautifully written, a great book.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick read.