I'll Be Home for Christmas - A Christmas Music Countdown
“Christmas Eve will find me
Where the lovelight gleams
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams.”
On Dec. 18, 1965, Gemini VII’s crew of Frank F. Borman, II and James A. Lovell, Jr., returned to earth after having spent 13 days in space for a total of 206 orbits. They were joined on orbit by the Gemini-6A flight which performed the first rendezvous maneuver of a manned spacecraft. While still in space, NASA communication personnel asked if they wanted any particular music piped up to them. The crew requested Bing Crosby's recording of “I'll Be Home for Christmas.”
“I'll Be Home for Christmas" was written by Buck Ram, Kim Gannon and Walter Kent.
According to Wikipedia, in 1943, this song joined “White Christmas” to become one of America's most popular Christmas songs. The recording by Bing Crosby shot to the top ten of the record charts that year and became a holiday musical tradition in the United States. The idea of being home for Christmas originated in World War I when soldiers at first thought that the war would be quick and they would return by Christmastime. This inevitably did not happen, hence the line "if only in my dreams".
A song titled “I'll Be Home for Christmas” was first copyrighted on Aug. 24, 1943, by Kent (music) and James “Kim” Gannon (lyrics). The two revised and re-copyrighted their song on Sept. 27, 1943, and it was this version that was made famous by Crosby. The label on Crosby's recording credits “I'll Be Home for Christmas” to Kent, Gannon, and Ram. Later recordings usually credit only Kent and Gannon. The discrepancy arose from the fact that on December 21, 1942 Buck Ram copyrighted a song titled "I'll Be Home for Christmas (Tho' Just in Memory)"—that song bore little or no resemblance, other than its title, to the Crosby recording.
According to Ram, who was primarily a lyricist, he had written the lyrics as a 16-year-old, homesick college student. Prior to his publisher’s planned release, he had discussed the song with two acquaintances in a bar. He left a copy with them, but never spoke to them about it again. Both he and his publisher were shocked when the song was released by a competing publishing house. Per news articles of the day, Ram's publisher, who had been holding the song back a year because they were coming out with “White Christmas,” sued Gannon and Kent's publisher and prevailed in court.
On Oct. 4, 1943, Crosby recorded “I'll Be Home for Christmas” with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra. Within about a month of Kent and Gannon's copyright, the song hit the music charts and remained there for eleven weeks, peaking at number three. The following year, the song reached number 19 on the charts. It touched a tender place in the hearts of Americans, both soldiers and civilians, who were then in the depths 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 in both Europe and the Pacific and Yank, the G.I. magazine, said Crosby accomplished more for military morale than anyone else of that era.
“I'll Be Home for Christmas” was recorded by Perry Como (1946), Frank Sinatra (1957) and countless other artists, including Elvis Presley. And the team of Kent and Gannon continued to write songs, although none attained the popularity of “I'll Be Home for Christmas.” Kent also composed the hit song, “(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover,” with the lyricist Nat Burton. Buck Ram is one of the top five songwriters of BMI's first 50 years. His hits include: “Only You,” “The Great Pretender,” “The Magic Touch,” “Twilight Time,” and “Remember When.”
The Nephew will be coming home for Christmas from college on Dec. 22nd. Last year, he spent Christmas in London. I think he’ll be very happy to be spending it back home here with his family – his father, his grandparents, and his aunt and uncles.
This song ranks among my sentimental favorites, along with “White Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” There are many military members serving away from home, overseas, as well as business people who must travel during the holidays. Particularly for the military members, all our wishes are with you this Christmas and all through the year.
Where the lovelight gleams
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams.”
On Dec. 18, 1965, Gemini VII’s crew of Frank F. Borman, II and James A. Lovell, Jr., returned to earth after having spent 13 days in space for a total of 206 orbits. They were joined on orbit by the Gemini-6A flight which performed the first rendezvous maneuver of a manned spacecraft. While still in space, NASA communication personnel asked if they wanted any particular music piped up to them. The crew requested Bing Crosby's recording of “I'll Be Home for Christmas.”
“I'll Be Home for Christmas" was written by Buck Ram, Kim Gannon and Walter Kent.
According to Wikipedia, in 1943, this song joined “White Christmas” to become one of America's most popular Christmas songs. The recording by Bing Crosby shot to the top ten of the record charts that year and became a holiday musical tradition in the United States. The idea of being home for Christmas originated in World War I when soldiers at first thought that the war would be quick and they would return by Christmastime. This inevitably did not happen, hence the line "if only in my dreams".
A song titled “I'll Be Home for Christmas” was first copyrighted on Aug. 24, 1943, by Kent (music) and James “Kim” Gannon (lyrics). The two revised and re-copyrighted their song on Sept. 27, 1943, and it was this version that was made famous by Crosby. The label on Crosby's recording credits “I'll Be Home for Christmas” to Kent, Gannon, and Ram. Later recordings usually credit only Kent and Gannon. The discrepancy arose from the fact that on December 21, 1942 Buck Ram copyrighted a song titled "I'll Be Home for Christmas (Tho' Just in Memory)"—that song bore little or no resemblance, other than its title, to the Crosby recording.
According to Ram, who was primarily a lyricist, he had written the lyrics as a 16-year-old, homesick college student. Prior to his publisher’s planned release, he had discussed the song with two acquaintances in a bar. He left a copy with them, but never spoke to them about it again. Both he and his publisher were shocked when the song was released by a competing publishing house. Per news articles of the day, Ram's publisher, who had been holding the song back a year because they were coming out with “White Christmas,” sued Gannon and Kent's publisher and prevailed in court.
On Oct. 4, 1943, Crosby recorded “I'll Be Home for Christmas” with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra. Within about a month of Kent and Gannon's copyright, the song hit the music charts and remained there for eleven weeks, peaking at number three. The following year, the song reached number 19 on the charts. It touched a tender place in the hearts of Americans, both soldiers and civilians, who were then in the depths 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 in both Europe and the Pacific and Yank, the G.I. magazine, said Crosby accomplished more for military morale than anyone else of that era.
“I'll Be Home for Christmas” was recorded by Perry Como (1946), Frank Sinatra (1957) and countless other artists, including Elvis Presley. And the team of Kent and Gannon continued to write songs, although none attained the popularity of “I'll Be Home for Christmas.” Kent also composed the hit song, “(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover,” with the lyricist Nat Burton. Buck Ram is one of the top five songwriters of BMI's first 50 years. His hits include: “Only You,” “The Great Pretender,” “The Magic Touch,” “Twilight Time,” and “Remember When.”
The Nephew will be coming home for Christmas from college on Dec. 22nd. Last year, he spent Christmas in London. I think he’ll be very happy to be spending it back home here with his family – his father, his grandparents, and his aunt and uncles.
This song ranks among my sentimental favorites, along with “White Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” There are many military members serving away from home, overseas, as well as business people who must travel during the holidays. Particularly for the military members, all our wishes are with you this Christmas and all through the year.
posted by Belle | 4:40 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home