American Songbook
#9 "White Christmas"	Lyrics&Melody : Irving Berlin 1940

Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" in 1940 as satire of rich people (Snow Birds) sitting around a spa in Phoenix, AZ complaining that they missed the traditional snowy Christmas season up north. However, he saw the potential of the song as he honed it down and actually took the satirical parts out. Bing Crosby introduced the song to a wider audience in his film "Holiday Inn". However, when the song hit the Armed forces Network and really took off in 1942 and thru the war years. In 1954 the song became the title song for the movie, "White Christmas" with Bing Croby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. The song, "White Christmas", is one of the top selling popular songs in American history (100 million+) and the #1 Christmas song. Everyone, in all genres,  has covered this song.

Irving Berlin (1888-1989) really had an earlier career. He was born Israel Isidore Beilin in today's Belarus, Russia and came to America via Ellis Island in 1893. When his father died he was in dire poverty and had to find jobs in the streets selling newspapers and busking. As a singing waiter he was asked to compose a song and found he could get money doing that. He had to teach himself piano.