Bing Crosby’s ‘Ultimate Christmas’ Puts The Star Back On The Charts
It’s Crosby’s first record to enter the Top 10 since 1960.
For the first time since 1960, the iconic Bing Crosby is back in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. The new Crosby compilation record Ultimate Christmas climbed from number 18 to number 9 as the holiday season kicks into gear.
Ultimate Christmas initially released on August 23rd of this year. It features 28 of Crosby’s holiday classics, including “White Christmas,” “Mele Kalikimaka,” “Silent Night,” “Little Drummer Boy,” and “Do You Hear What I Hear?” The album is available as a CD as well as a 2LP set.
Crosby last held a spot in the top 10 in 1960, when his classic 1945 album Merry Christmas also sat at number 9.
The crooner ultimately recorded over 70 Christmas songs during his career, but “White Christmas” has remained the most impactful. It’s considered the best-selling single of all time, thanks to an excess of 50 million physical copies sold worldwide. The song, written by Irving Berlin, was first performed by Crosby on Christmas of 1941 on his radio show. Berlin has said it’s “not only the best song I ever wrote, it’s the best song anybody ever wrote.”
“White Christmas” was officially released as part of the soundtrack to the film Holiday Inn, which ultimately won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Over a decade later, Crosby recorded a new version of the song for the film sharing its name, 1954’s White Christmas. This year, a new version of the song was released as a duet with V of BTS.
Crosby’s version of “Little Drummer Boy” also holds a special place in pop culture thanks to the duet performed with David Bowie on 1977’s A Merrie Olde Christmas television special; one of Crosby’s last recordings before his death the same year. “They sat at the piano and David was a little nervous,” Bing’s daughter Mary Crosby recalled. “Dad realized David was this amazing musician, and David realized Dad was an amazing musician. You could see them both collectively relax and then magic was made.”
