I'll Be Home for Christmas

"I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed to be home at Christmas time, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" has since gone on to become a Christmas standard.[1][2]

For other uses, see I'll Be Home for Christmas (disambiguation).
The original 1943 release by Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra on Decca, 18570A

Theme

The song is sung from the point of view of a soldier stationed overseas during World War II, writing a letter to his family. In the message, he tells the family he will be coming home and to prepare the holiday for him, and requests snow, mistletoe, and presents on the tree. The song ends on a melancholy note, with the soldier saying, "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams".[3][2] The flip side of the original recording (Decca 18570B) was "Danny Boy" [4]

The song was written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent. Songwriter and later producer and manager for The Platters, Buck Ram, who said he previously wrote a poem and song with the same title, was credited as a co-writer of the song following a lawsuit brought by Ram's publisher, Mills Music.[5] Bing Crosby's original 1943 release of the song on Decca Records listed only Walter Kent and Kim Gannon as the songwriters on the record label. Later pressings added the name of Buck Ram to the songwriting credit.

Bing Crosby recording

On October 1, 1943, Crosby recorded the song under the title "I'll Be Home for Christmas (If Only in My Dreams)", with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra for Decca Records;[6] it was released as a 78 rpm single, Decca 18570A, Matrix #L3203, and reissued in 1946 as Decca 23779. Within a month of release, the song charted for 11 weeks, with a peak at number three. The next year, the song reached number 16 on the charts.[7]

The U.S. War Department also released Bing Crosby's performance of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from the December 7, 1944, Kraft Music Hall[8] broadcast with the Henderson Choir, J.S.T., on V-Disc, as U.S. Army V-Disc No. 441-B and U.S. Navy V-Disc No. 221B, Matrix #VP1253-D5TC206.[9] The song from the broadcast has appeared in many Bing Crosby compilations.

The song touched the hearts of Americans, soldiers and civilians alike, in the midst of World War II, and it earned Crosby his fifth gold record. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" became the most requested song at Christmas U.S.O. shows.[2] The GI magazine Yank said Crosby "accomplished more for military morale than anyone else of that era".[1]

1945 V-Disc release by the U.S. Army of "White Christmas" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Bing Crosby as No. 441B

Despite the song's popularity with Americans at the front and at home, in the UK the BBC banned the song from broadcast, as the Corporation's management felt the lyrics might lower morale among British troops.[10][2]

Seventy-seven years after its original release, Bing Crosby's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (at number 50 on the chart dated January 2, 2021).[11]

Charts
Chart (1943–2021) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 50
US Best Sellers in Stores (Billboard)[13] 3
US Hot 100 Recurrents (Billboard)[14] 13
US Streaming Songs (Billboard)[15] 30
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)[16] 28
US Rolling Stone Top 100[17] 23

Notable history and cover versions

Singer Johnny Mathis covered the song on his Merry Christmas album in 1958, which was the #2 Christmas album of 1963 and 1964 as there were no Christmas album rankings prior to 1963. In December 1965, astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, while on Gemini 7, requested "I'll Be Home for Christmas" be played for them by the NASA ground crew.[18] Since the incarnation of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, cover versions by American singers Kelly Clarkson and Josh Groban are the only versions of the song to enter the chart.

References
  1.  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: "I'll be home for Christmas [Song Collection]".
  2. "Society What's the best Christmas song?". Maclean's. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  3. Collins, Ace (2010-05-04). Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas. ISBN 9780310873877. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  4. http://www.discogs.com/Bing-Crosby-With-John-Scott-Trotter-And-His-Orchestra-Ill-Be-Home-For-Christmas-If-Only-In-My-Dreams/master/858710#images/9742434
  5. "The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs". InterfaithFamily.com.
  6. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 109. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  8. Pairpoint, Lionel. "And Here's Bing!". BING magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  9. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  10. Rodriguez McRobbie, Linda (18 April 2013). "11 Reasons the BBC Has Banned Hit Songs". Mental Floss. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  11. "The Hot 100: The week of January 2, 2021". billboard.com. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  12. "Bing Crosby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  13. "Song Collection: I'll Be Home for Christmas". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  14. "Bing Crosby Chart History (Hot 100 Recurrents)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  15. "Bing Crosby Chart History (Streaming Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  16. "Bing Crosby Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  17. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  18. congress, library of. "I'll Be Home for Christmas". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  19. "Kelly Clarkson: I'll Be Home for Christmas" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  20. "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  21. "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  22. "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  23. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  24. "Portuguesecharts.com – Michael Bublé – I'll Be Home for Christmas". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  25. "Michael Buble Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  26. "Michael Buble Chart History (Jazz Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  27. "Brian McKnight Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  28. "Pentatonix Chart History (Holiday Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  29. "Seth MacFarlane Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  30. "Josh Groban Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  31. "Josh Groban Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  32. "Josh Groban Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  33. "Josh Groban Chart History (Christian AC Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  34. "Reba McEntire Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  35. "Rascal Flatts Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  36. "Sara Evans Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  37. "Elvis Presley Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2019.

Sources
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