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= I'll Be Home for Christmas =
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Introduction
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"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.
Theme
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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 his 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". The flip side of
the original recording (Decca 18570B) was "Danny Boy."
Writing and copyright
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The song was written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter
Kent. Songwriter Buck Ram, known for his hits including "Only You",
"The Great Pretender", "Twilight Time", and "The Magic Touch", wrote
the original lyrics in 1922, while a student at the University of
Illinois, as a poem for his mother. Kent and Gannon were
acquaintances, and the three discussed the song during a chance
meeting in a bar in 1941. A songwriter, producer and manager for
groups that included The Platters, The Penguins, and The Flares, Ram
was credited as a co-writer as a result of a lawsuit brought by his
publisher, Mills Music. 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
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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; 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.
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 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. The song from the broadcast has appeared in many Bing
Crosby compilations.
In the midst of World War II, the song touched the hearts of
Americans, both soldiers and civilians, 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. The GI magazine 'Yank' said Crosby
"accomplished more for military morale than anyone else of that era".
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.
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).
Charts
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Chart (1943-2021) Peak position
US Best Sellers in Stores ('Billboard') 3
US Hot 100 Recurrents ('Billboard') 13
US Streaming Songs ('Billboard') 30
US Holiday 100 ('Billboard') 28
US 'Rolling Stone' Top 100 23
Notable history and cover versions
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Elvis Presley recorded the song in September 1957, and was featured on
the LP 'Elvis' Christmas Album'.
Singer Johnny Mathis also covered the song on his 'Merry Christmas'
album in 1958, which was the No. 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. Since the incarnation of the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart in
1958, cover versions by Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello and
American singers Kelly Clarkson and Josh Groban are the only versions
of the song to enter the chart.
Kelly Clarkson version
Chart (2011-2019) Peak position
US Holiday 100 ('Billboard') 16
Michael Bublé version
Chart (2010-2022) Peak position
Australia (ARIA) 70
US Holiday 100 ('Billboard') 44
US Jazz Digital Songs ('Billboard') 9
Brian McKnight version
Chart (2008-2009) Peak position
Pentatonix version
Chart (2016) Peak position
US Holiday Digital Songs ('Billboard') 8
Seth MacFarlane version
Chart (2014-2015) Peak position
Josh Groban version
Chart (2007-2008) Peak position
US Christian AC ('Billboard') 44
Reba McEntire version
Chart (1998-1999) Peak position
Rascal Flatts version
Chart (2008) Peak position
Sara Evans version
Chart (2006-2007) Peak position
Elvis Presley and Carrie Underwood version
Chart (2008-2009) Peak position
Camila Cabello version
Chart (2021) Peak position
Italy (FIMI) 92
US Holiday 100 ('Billboard') 58
Tracklist
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# I’ll Be Home for Christmas (with Ali Brustofski & Danielle Lowe)
- 3:25
Sources
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*
* Call number: ML128 .N3 E9.
* Call number: ML156.4 .P6 W495 1994.
License
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License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I'll_Be_Home_for_Christmas