White Christmas: The Story of a Song

Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote. Irving Berlin, 1942A biography of the single most important record in the history of popular musicA vividly written narrative about the world's best-loved popular song, White Christmas provides both the story behind the making of Irving Berlin's most memorable tune and a rich cultural history of the America that embraced it.When Irving Berlin first conceived the song «White Christmas», he envisioned it as «a throwaway» – a satirical novelty number for a vaudeville-style stage review. By the time Bing Crosby introduced the song to the world in the winter of 1942, it was a yuletide ballad that…