The song of the day for Thursday, December 22, 2022, the ninth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “White Christmas.”

About This Song

“White Christmas” was written in 1940 by Irving Berlin. It’s one of America’s most beloved Christmas songs. In the not-often heard verse of the song, we hear that

The sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway, there’s never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24th …

And indeed, Irving Berlin was in Los Angeles when he wrote “White Christmas,” expressing that longing for a traditional back-home Christmas. Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1942 and completely dominated the music charts for weeks. Crosby’s single “White Christmas” is the biggest-selling single record of all time, worldwide, at over 100 million copies.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “White Christmas” in May 1987 and was released that year on Bennett/Berlin. This song was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone.

“White Christmas,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

And here’s that Bing Crosby recording from 1942: