The best-selling vinyl single in the world
The history of the vinyl record is fascinating. It might be one of the only forms of entertainment that has changed in meaning and use without changing in look or production. What used to be one of the only ways that people could listen to the music they loved is now a decoration, a physical representation of something available digitally, and a means by which people can support artists they like.
Whatever the reason people buy vinyl, there is no doubt that many of them have been sold. Many back when they were the primary source of music, and many now, when having them can mean various things, but that doesn’t stop people buying.
Certain records seem to frequent any collector’s shelves; there isn’t necessarily any rhyme or reason why people have them; people buy a record player, and these LPs suddenly appear. Standard vinyls include the likes of King Crimsons In The Court Of The Crimson King, Tyler The Creator’s Flower Boy and Sex Pistols’ Never Mind The Bollocks. All good albums, all undoubtedly very popular, but none of them come close to the most owned vinyl in the world.
To find that out, a journey must be taken to a time before the vinyl was an option but a necessity. The song that sold connected people worldwide due to its calming nature and because it celebrates a holiday that billions of people everywhere do. What better way to unify than music? And what better time to unify than Christmas?
‘White Christmas’ was originally written by Irving Berlin and reminisced about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. The track was written for a musical movie Berlin made at the time, which starred Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby. Crosby sang on the track, now considered a classic and a must-have on every Christmas playlist.
It provides the listener with an element of escapism, but when listened to around Christmas time, it can also be the perfect backdrop for what is already a lovely setting. The song did incredibly well, winning the Academy Award for ‘Best Original Song’. It also prompted several artists to cover it, but Crosby’s rendition remains the most popular.
Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ is the best-selling vinyl record of all time. It has sold approximately 50 million copies worldwide. The closest single to beating that record is Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’, the Princess Diana tribute, which sold 33 million copies.
‘White Christmas’ being the most popular vinyl ever reflects a few things. It reflects people loving Christmas and wanting to celebrate, a need for escapism, and a time when vinyl was an absolute necessity. Despite LPs being in fashion now, it is unlikely, bordering on impossible, that any album will ever come close to breaking the record set by Crosby.
