I was listening to the radio today while I was driving home and the guy was talking about Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. He called himself a "Frankie fan" and that's all good and fine, but since it is almost the end of December, I'm more inclined to be thinking about the music of Bing Crosby.
Let's jump in the time machine for a minute and go back to the days when movies were in black and white because there wasn't another option rather than for artistic reasons. Hollywood saw the potential to take the Christmas holiday and turn it into a money-making opportunity. All it would take is a few good movies that would set the standard, and draw audiences into the holiday. Another big part of the old black-and-white movies, was music. The musical movie was an idea that got overused at times, but that was how the era worked. There were plenty of Christmas movies: "A Miracle on 34th Street," "It's a Wonderful Life," and a little movie called "White Christmas."
"White Christmas" wasn't the first Christmas movie, and it wasn't the first time Bing Crosby had sung the title song in a movie. (It was fist sung in "Holiday Inn," starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.) Nevertheless, "White Christmas" became one of the main songs of the holiday even in parts of the country that seldom see any snow. We can look to other popular songs of the holiday, but it is this song and others sung by Bing Crosby that really speak to the holiday.
There are plenty of Christmas songs, and just about everyone tries their voice at them at some point, but Bing Crosby is the man that makes it really happen. You may disagree, but that's how I feel about it. Feel free to share your opinion below.
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