Songs Bing Crosby recorded multiple times

This is a list of Bing Crosby songs he recorded twice or more during his career, excluding all of the 1954 re-recordings for Bing: A Musical Autobiography.

Christmas songs

Silent Night

Bing's holiday recordings began in 1935, when it was suggested that he record Silent Night and Adeste Fideles for the St. Columban Foreign Missionary Society. In a magazine article, Crosby gave the background to this.

"Late that year (1934), a missionary priest, Father Richard Ranaghan, came into the office of Crosby Enterprises. A member of the St. Columban Missionary Fathers, he had just come from their mission in China with a film showing the work done there. He planned to travel over the United States, showing the film in parish auditoriums to raise funds, and wanted to borrow some sound equipment to record a narration. No problem to this, and in the ensuing discussion, my brother Larry came up with an idea. “Bing,” he suggested, “why don’t you sing a couple ·of songs for the narration sound track?” Who suggested “Silent Night” and “Adeste Fideles” I do not know, only I do know it was not I. Very possibly it was the good padre himself. In any event, the whole incident was just that casual. No special vocal arrangements were worked out, no particular method of styling devised. I just sang the way I sang other songs. That the hymns were a far cry from the romantic ballads and popular tunes I was accustomed to singing and that they might possibly have called for a different approach never occurred to us. The sound track turned out pretty well, and Father was enthusiastic. Then Larry hit upon another bright idea—that we cut some records of “Silent Night” and “Adeste Fideles” from the sound track for Father to take along with him. He figured that some members of the audience might buy them and thus add to the fund. The records sold well, and both sides were played over the radio in several of the towns where the film was shown. Record shops began to get inquiries. Decca, learning of these requests, suggested I cut a master record of the two hymns for them. I sang the songs in exactly the same way, but with fuller orchestral backing. The record had all immediate sale. Letters began to come in, both congratulatory and critical. Not to my knowledge, however, were there ever any complaints from religious groups or from the clergy of any denomination. Most of the protests came from music teachers and music critics. They said that neither my voice nor my styling was suited to such spiritual songs. In answering the letters, I told the simple truth—that I had intended no sacrilege by singing in my usual ballad manner. I added that the record’s sale must have brought those two beautiful songs closer to many people who had not known them too well before. The explanation evidently satisfied the critics, for all but one wrote back friendly and understanding notes…"[1]

Bing arranged for the profits from the record to be donated to charity.[2][3]

White Christmas

White Christmas by far is Bing's biggest hit and the entire world's, since it has sold over 50 million copies;[7] No song has ever come close to matching it. There are two versions of this song that were recorded in the studio and many outside of that used for TV and radio.

Popular songs

Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral

Star Dust

Star Dust (sometimes spelled Stardust) is a song about love. It has over 1,500 recordings and is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century. Bing Crosby made two main recordings during his career.[13]

Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)

Coming into radio during the early 1930s, Crosby felt he needed a theme song. He co-wrote Where the Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day and performed it as the theme for many of his radio show series. He made several recordings in the studio to be public releases with different record labels.

Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams

Shortly after leaving Paul Whiteman's band, The Rhythm Boys broke up because Crosby was beginning to be featured more and more on his own.[17] Bing recorded Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams with Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra.

References

  1. ↑ "Good Housekeeping". Good Housekeeping. 1956.
  2. ↑ http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/History/other_holiday_songs.htm
  3. 1 2 Voice of Christmas CD inner liner notes
  4. ↑ http://www.78discography.com./Dec500.htm
  5. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 105. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  6. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 111. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  7. ↑ http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/59721-best-selling-single
  8. ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". A Bing Crosby Discography. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19631127&id=UX8eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RMoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4787,5053414&hl=en
  10. ↑ http://www.stevenlewis.info/crosby/ThatsAnIrishLullaby.html
  11. 1 2 http://www.78discography.com./Dec18500.htm
  12. ↑ Reynolds, Fred. The Crosby Collection 1926-1977 (Part Three: 1942-1950 ed.). John Joyce. pp. 73–74.
  13. ↑ Stardust (song)
  14. ↑ http://www.78discography.com./BRN6000.htm
  15. ↑ http://www.78discography.com./Dec25000.htm
  16. ↑ http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Crosby/crosby1bDecca.html
  17. ↑ Bing Crosby Rediscovered. PBS 2014.
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