"I'll Be Home for Christmas"
The original 1943 release by Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra on Decca, 18570A
Single by Bing Crosby
B-sideDanny Boy[1]
PublishedSeptember 27, 1943 (1943-09-27) by Charles Warren, Hollywood[2]
ReleasedOctober 26, 1943 (1943-10-26)
RecordedOctober 1, 1943 (1943-10-01)[3]
StudioDecca Recording Studio, Los Angeles, California[4]
Length2:58
LabelDecca 18570[3]
Composer(s)Walter Kent
Lyricist(s)Kim Gannon, Buck Ram
Bing Crosby singles chronology
"Pistol Packin' Mama"
(1943)		 "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
(1943)		 "I Love You / I'll Be Seeing You"
(1944)

"I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed to be home at Christmas time, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" has since gone on to become a Christmas standard.[5][6]

Theme

The song is sung from the point of view of a soldier stationed overseas during World War II, writing a letter to his family. In the message, he tells his family he will be coming home and to prepare the holiday for him, and requests snow, mistletoe, and presents "on" the tree. The song ends on a melancholy note, with the soldier saying, "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams".[7][6] The flip side of the original recording (Decca 18570B) was "Danny Boy."[1]

The song was written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent. Songwriter Buck Ram, known for his hits including "Only You", "The Great Pretender", "Twilight Time", and "The Magic Touch", wrote the original lyrics in 1922, while a student at the University of Illinois, as a poem for his mother. Kent and Gannon were acquaintances, and the three discussed the song during a chance meeting in a bar in 1941. A songwriter, producer and manager for groups that included The Platters, The Penguins, and The Flares, Ram was credited as a co-writer as a result of a lawsuit brought by his publisher, Mills Music.[8] Bing Crosby's original 1943 release of the song on Decca Records listed only Walter Kent and Kim Gannon as the songwriters on the record label. Later pressings added the name of Buck Ram to the songwriting credit.

Bing Crosby recording

On October 1, 1943, Crosby recorded the song under the title "I'll Be Home for Christmas (If Only in My Dreams)", with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra for Decca Records;[3] it was released as a 78 rpm single, Decca 18570A, Matrix #L3203, and reissued in 1946 as Decca 23779. Within a month of release, the song charted for 11 weeks, with a peak at number three. The next year, the song reached number 16 on the charts.[9]

The U.S. War Department also released Bing Crosby's performance of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from the December 7, 1944, Kraft Music Hall[10] broadcast with the Henderson Choir, J.S.T., on V-Disc, as U.S. Army V-Disc No. 441-B and U.S. Navy V-Disc No. 221B, Matrix #VP1253-D5TC206.[11] The song from the broadcast has appeared in many Bing Crosby compilations.

In the midst of World War II, the song touched the hearts of Americans, both soldiers and civilians, and it earned Crosby his fifth gold record. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" became the most requested song at Christmas U.S.O. shows.[6] The GI magazine Yank said Crosby "accomplished more for military morale than anyone else of that era".[5]

1945 V-Disc release by the U.S. Army of "White Christmas" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Bing Crosby as No. 441B

Despite the song's popularity with Americans at the front and at home, in the UK, the BBC banned the song from broadcast, as the Corporation's management felt the lyrics might lower morale among British troops.[12][6]

Seventy-seven years after its original release, Bing Crosby's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (at number 50 on the chart dated January 2, 2021).[13]

Charts

Chart (1943–2021) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 50
US Best Sellers in Stores (Billboard)[15] 3
US Hot 100 Recurrents (Billboard)[16] 13
US Streaming Songs (Billboard)[17] 30
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)[18] 28
US Rolling Stone Top 100[19] 23

Notable history and cover versions

Elvis Presley recorded the song in September 1957, and was featured on the LP Elvis' Christmas Album.

Singer Johnny Mathis also covered the song on his Merry Christmas album in 1958, which was the #2 Christmas album of 1963 and 1964 as there were no Christmas album rankings prior to 1963. In December 1965, astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, while on Gemini 7, requested "I'll Be Home for Christmas" be played for them by the NASA ground crew.[20] Since the incarnation of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, cover versions by Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello and American singers Kelly Clarkson and Josh Groban are the only versions of the song to enter the chart.

Certifications and sales

Michael Bublé

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Decca 18570 (10-in. double-faced) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1943). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1943 1 Music New Series Vol 38 Pt 3. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  3. 1 2 3 "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Decca matrix L 3203. I'll be home for Christmas / Bing Crosby - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from I'll be home for Christmas [Song Collection]. Library of Congress.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Society What's the best Christmas song?". Maclean's. December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  7. ↑ Collins, Ace (May 4, 2010). Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas. ISBN 9780310873877. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  8. ↑ "The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs". InterfaithFamily.com. December 28, 2012.
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 109. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  10. ↑ Pairpoint, Lionel. "And Here's Bing!". BING magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  11. ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  12. ↑ Rodriguez McRobbie, Linda (April 18, 2013). "11 Reasons the BBC Has Banned Hit Songs". Mental Floss. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ "The Hot 100: The week of January 2, 2021". billboard.com. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Bing Crosby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Song Collection: I'll Be Home for Christmas". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Bing Crosby Chart History (Hot 100 Recurrents)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Bing Crosby Chart History (Streaming Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Bing Crosby Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. December 24, 2020. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  20. ↑ "I'll Be Home for Christmas". The Library of Congress. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson: I'll Be Home for Christmas" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  25. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 3 January 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1661. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 3, 2022. p. 4.
  26. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Michael Bublé – I'll Be Home for Christmas" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Michael Bublé – I'll Be Home for Christmas". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Michael Bublé – I'll Be Home for Christmas". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Michael Buble Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Michael Buble Chart History (Jazz Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Brian McKnight Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  33. ↑ "Pentatonix Chart History (Holiday Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Seth MacFarlane Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Josh Groban Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  36. ↑ "Josh Groban Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Josh Groban Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Josh Groban Chart History (Christian AC Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  39. ↑ "Reba McEntire Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Rascal Flatts Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Sara Evans Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Elvis Presley Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  43. ↑ "Camila Cabello Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  44. ↑ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 52" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  45. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  46. ↑ "Camila Cabello Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  47. ↑ "Camila Cabello Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  48. ↑ "British single certifications – Michael Buble – I'll Be Home for Christmas". British Phonographic Industry.

Sources

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