POP/ROCK - Dec. 25, 1987
What’s the best-selling pop song of all time? “Rock Around the Clock� Close (that’s No. 2). But--a Christmas surprise!--No. 1 is Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,†recordings of which have sold more than 170 million copies (in North America alone) to date--more than six times as many as “Rock Around the Clock.†Berlin, now 99, who has written more than 1,000 songs, wrote “White Christmas†for the 1942 movie “Holiday Inn,†which starred Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Crosby sang it in the movie and recorded it as a single. It has also sold 5,868,204 copies in sheet music form.
Due to the holiday season, there will be no Billboard magazine video or album charts this week or next.
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
