I'll Be Home For Christmas (If Only In My Dreams)
Year: 1943
Written By: Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, Buck Ram
No
song strikes home quite as fast as I'll be home for Christmas
especially during wartime. The idea of being home for Christmas has
kept many of our brave soldiers going for centuries through every
war we have seen. When a song came out that pretty much addressed
that very thing it's no wonder that it not only hit the charts but
the nation straight in the heart as well.
I'll
be home for Christmas was written by Buck Ram, Kim Gannon, and
Walter Kent. Although there is some controversy, as to whom the
original writer of the song was. It was written in 1943 and quickly
joined White Christmas as one of the most loved songs in America.
Once again, Bing Crosby had made his mark on the holiday season.
Copywrited on August 24, 1943 and then re-copywrited
again on September 27, 1943 the song was an instant
success.
Just
as he had made White Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
before that into hits Bing Crosby recorded I'll be home for
Christmas on October 4, 1943 and within a month it had hit the
charts staying for eleven weeks and tipping out at number
three.
I'll
be home for Christmas is not just your average Christmas carol
though. Its words are in the hearts of civilians and our brave
soldiers alike during the holiday season. The idea of I'll be home
for Christmas originated in World War One when troops thought the
war would have a quick end and they would be home in plenty of
time. Sadly, that did not happen but that is what prompted the line
if only in my dreams in the Christmas classic. I'll be home for
Christmas was the most requested song during World War Two and has
been a favorite with the troops during six wars.
Although Bing Crosby made the song famous, there have
been a few others who have put their mark on the Christmas classic.
Some of the most popular have been Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Amy
Grant, Anne Murray, Toby Keith, Vince Gill, Whitney Houston, and
the King of rock and roll Elvis Presley.
No
matter who is doing the singing this is a wonderful and heartfelt
Christmas song. In today's time of war, I know the song is a great
comfort during the Christmas season to the troops that can't be at
home and the families who love them.