Movie Music: Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1954)

For nearly seventy years, the actual motion picture soundtrack for the wonderful Christmas movie White Christmas (1954 -- my review here) was unavailable.  They never released it when the movie was made because Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney sang for competing recording companies and were contractually forbidden from singing together on an album.  They could sing together in a film, but not on a recorded album.  Because contracts are fun like that.  So, when the studio did release an album of music from the film, they had Peggy Lee sing all of Rosemary Clooney's songs instead.

However!!!

Just this year, the real movie score was FINALLY released on CD!!!

I bought my copy from Amazon, but it is probably available from other sellers too.  I have listened to my copy over and over... though I haven't managed to listen to the second CD yet, which has the soundtrack for Holiday Inn (1942).

Today, I'm going to share my favorite songs from this movie.  The best versions I could find on YouTube are actually clips from the film, so that's what I'm sharing here.

"Sisters" is super fun to sing.  I don't have any actual sisters, just one brother, but I have four sisters-in-law who are all very dear to me, and so I sing this in their honor sometimes.  I do have two daughters, though, and they find this song super fun.  From observing them, I've come to understand this song even better -- how you can love and be protective of a sister, but also compete with her.

Cowboy likes to sing "Snow" to me whenever I get super excited because it is snowing, it's going to snow, or there's even the slightest chance that we might get snow.  And I'm completely fine with that, because I absolutely love snow!  The harmonizing in this song is spectacular.  Wow, such perfect blending.

My mom used to sing "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" once in a while, and I always think of her when I hear this song.  It's so tender and sweet and full of the appreciation of ordinary life.  I've sung it as a lullaby to my kids once in a while.

Obviously, the big star of the show is the song "White Christmas."  The ending of the film is such a beautiful, spectacular, heart-warming celebration of Christmas and dreams coming true.  I adore it.

Merry Christmas to all!  Happy listening :-)