White Christmas

Bing Crosby's recording of White Christmas is widely listed as the best-selling single ever, at an estimated 50 million copies.

Early sales were not tracked precisely.

Context

Irving Berlin wrote White Christmas, and Crosby first performed it in the 1942 film Holiday Inn. The recording was made for Decca in 1942 and became a seasonal hit that returned to the charts again in following years. Because the original master wore out from heavy use, Crosby re-recorded it in 1947, and that is the version commonly heard today.

The 50 million total is an estimate and is usually quoted for sales of the single in physical formats across many years. Record sales in the 1940s were not tracked by modern systems, and different recordings of the song by other artists may be counted separately or together depending on the source. For that reason, it is best treated as an approximate figure, not an audited one.

The song's success was tied to the Second World War, when its nostalgic theme of home resonated with American soldiers and families. The Library of Congress added the recording to the National Recording Registry in 2002, recognising its cultural importance.

Cover versions by many other singers have added to the song's overall reach, and the tune is among the most recorded in the English language. When people discuss best-selling singles, the usual caveat is that these early totals come from industry estimates and company records, so the number is a round estimate and not a precise count.