Photo: Getty Images
The holidays are upon us, and there is no better way to get into the spirit of the season than by listening to the most popular Christmas song of all time.
This particular hit has sold more copies than any other song in history and was written just two weeks after Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, per Country Living.
The writer (not to be confused with the artist), Irving Berlin's son passed away on Christmas Day years prior, and many believe the lyrics to portray melancholy undertones of the tragic event. The track laid the groundwork for beloved 1942 film Holiday Inn, and went on to win an Academy Award that same year.
So, what exactly is the best-selling Christmas song of all time?
According to a list compiled by Newsweek, the most popular Christmas song ever made is Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," officially released in 1942. The hit was the title track of Crosby's White Christmas musical, and quickly became a favorite of members of the United States Armed Forces. Crosby once revealed in an interview that he attempted to cut the song from his radio show because he thought it would make troops stationed overseas sad, but they couldn't get enough of it.
"I hesitated about doing it because invariably it caused such a nostalgic yearning among the men, that it made them sad. Heaven knows, I didn't come that far to make them sad. For this reason, several times I tried to cut it out of the show, but these guys just hollered for it."
Other songs that topped the list include Crosby's "Silent Night," Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," Gene Autry's "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer," and Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to round out the top 5.
Here's what Newsweek had to say about the best-selling Christmas song ever recorded:
"The Guinness Book of Records has named "White Christmas" as not only the best-selling Christmas song of all time, but also the best-selling single generally of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold."
Check out Newsweek's full report to see if your favorite Christmas song made the list!