27 versions of ‘White Christmas’ ranked, from Lady Gaga to Taylor Swift
From Sabrina Carpenter to Lady Gaga, pretty much every pop girly has released a cover of Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’. (Getty/Netflix/Canva)
From Sabrina Carpenter to Lady Gaga, pretty much every pop girly has released a cover of Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas'. (Getty/Netflix/Canva)
Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” isn’t usually one of the few festive smashes vying for Christmas number one every single year. Not because it’s not any good, but probably because there are more than 500 versions that the world can choose to stream instead.
It’s no wonder. Written by Irving Berlin, “White Christmas” is the song that topped the US charts for three consecutive years (1942, 1943, and 1944), won an Oscar, and became the best-selling (physical) single of all time – globally.
Oh, and it also had some hand in commercialising Christmas to the extent it is today, after the song’s wild success proved that there was such a thing as a secular festive market. Looking for someone to blame for the fact that angels no longer top Christmas trees, and Labubus do? Blame Bing Crosby. Sort of.
There are too many versions to rank them all, so some we’ve had to give some a miss – Dean Martin! Andy Williams! Erasure! Doris Day! Boney M! CeeLo Green! Flaming Lips! Kidz Bop! Backstreet Boys! Cody Simpson! Cliff Richard! – but here are 27 versions of “White Christmas” ranked.
(Oh, and if you enjoy this list, check out our 35 covers of Wham!’s “Last Christmas” and 30 covers of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” ranked, too.)
27. One Republic (2018)
Opening with Ryan Tedder’s signature drone and some mildly creepy Christmas chimes, and climaxing with explosive, crunchy drum claps, One Republic’s “White Christmas” has all the manufactured melodrama of an X Factor winners’ performance. Unlike one of those though, this is unlikely to result in a Christmas number one.
26. George Ezra (2017)
George Ezra’s “White Christmas” slots in nicely with the rest of his discography to date: pleasant, sure, inoffensive, yeah, but not exactly exciting. This dainty, smooth jazz version was recorded live, so has that cozy, by-the-country-pub-fire feel that is integral to Christmastime, but no one in this country pub is stopping their conversations to sing along.
25. Leona Lewis (2013)
A decidedly dull version here from usual powerhouse Leona Lewis which, in trying overly hard to stand out via excessive vocal acrobatics, manages to sound a little bland and schlocky. Not to worry though, those “One More Sleep” royalties will fund her mince pie intake for the rest of her life.
24. Meghan Trainor & Seth MacFarlane (2020)
It’s like the Michael Bublè and Shania Twain version (coming up soon), but inverted and ordered from Temu. Despite her doo-wop origins, Meghan Trainor’s bubblegum vocals don’t particularly match the classic vocal jazz honed by musician and part-time Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, and the overall flavour is a little off. Like a Christmas dinner doused in custard.
23. Glee Cast (2012)
A cover version of a cover version, Glee’s Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel take on Michael Bublé and Shania Twain’s “White Christmas’. It traverses doo-wop and big band with aggressive commitment, before getting a little winceworthy in the middle when Kurt comes in for his verse. All the testosterone in his body drains away as he reaches for Shania’s high notes, with limited success.
22. Vera Lynn (1976)
Now, I respect that our Vera was adored for her traditional Blitz ballads, and known for being of a certain era (she was the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’ of the war-torn 1940s). But her “White Christmas” cover landed in 1976, the era of ABBA, Blondie, and Olivia Newton-John. So why does it sound like it’s playing through a 19th century gramophone? I’m not suggesting Vera should’ve tried hyperpop, but is it a little trite? Can I call a late, wartime hero trite? Probably not. So I won’t.
Note: I found a version which is a little less radio-in-the-bunker, which is better. Not EDM or Garage, but better.
21. Idina Menzel (2014)
If you whack this on on 24 December, it will finally finish somewhere in mid February. Despite scarcely being four minutes long, it unfortunately feels like it’s playing forever, Idina Menzel’s typically soaring vocals feeling a little sluggish. Even the saxophone just drags on a bit. It’s probably got something to do with the last minute and a half, which constitutes Menzel trilling the hook over and over and over. It’s very pretty, but chop chop, I’ve got roasties in the oven.
20. Destiny’s Child (2001)
The fifth best Destiny’s Child song featuring the word “Christmas”, which says all that needs to be said. Let’s share a moment of appreciation for the harmonies, though.
19. Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (1984)
From Dolly Parton’s oft forgotten holiday duet record with Kenny Rogers, this “White Christmas” would be quite the snoozefest if it weren’t for Parton’s pillowy, girlish vocals. She omits the southern twang that shapes her most popular hits, and the song, while a fairly run-of-the-mill cover, has all the Yuletide warmth of Crosby’s.
18. Jessie J (2018)
Jessie J isn’t exactly known for being an unshowy musical presence – she has about as much subtlety as a Christmas turkey stuffed with explosives – so it’s no surprise that her “White Christmas” comes chocked full of vocal warbles, vibrato, and an ad-lib or six. “I’m dreaming of! Yes, I’m dreaming of! A White Christmas,” she trills. Despite the extra bells, whistles, tinsel and baubles, this version is somehow still too languorous to get into. She sounds gorgeous, though.
17. The Supremes (1965)
The Supremes’ version is like a massage delivered by a masseuse in a Santa hat: relaxing, comforting, sensual but glittering with holiday nostalgia. Will I fall asleep during it? Most likely.
16. Taylor Swift (2008)
This is back-to-basics Taylor Swift, all banjo twangs and lyrics curled with that faux Southern drawl that coloured her early repertoire. It’s bright-eyed and sonically pretty, but adds nothing to the Swiftian folklore that has enabled her rise to global domination. There’s a reason why she has since created her own festive track – 2019’s “Christmas Tree Farm” – and hasn’t released an official cover version since her acoustic version of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” in 2018. She’s just better with a pen in hand.
15. Say Now (2025)
It’s hard not to be sceptical of this version, the only version on this list released this year. A relatively new girl group dropping a cover of the world’s best-selling single of all time? Come on, festive cash-grab! Realistically though, this R&B version is actually just an audible billboard promoting Say Now as the modern girl group with the best harmonies. Because these harmonies? Absolute gold. And frankincense, and myrrh.
14. Bing Crosby & V of BTS (2024)
Not to be confused with the Bing Cosby, Danny Kaye, Peggy Lee, and Trudy Stevens version, the Bing Crosby and Michael Bublé version, or the Michael Bublé and Shania Twain version. This version, with BTS band member V, was released in collaboration with Crosby’s estate, with the video acting as a tribute to V’s late dog Yeontan, who died last December. The video is undeniably sweet, and V’s vocal is a rich, velvety accompaniment to Crosby’s. If you’re not a BTS fan though, you’d probably just stick the original on wouldn’t you? (Or not: it’s got more than 70 million Spotify streams…)
13. Elvis Presley (1957)
Have I placed Girls Aloud’s version of “White Christmas” higher than Elvis Presley’s? Yes. Yes I have. That’s not to say the King of Rock and Roll’s version is bad, far from it. Presley makes the song his own with his signature rich and throaty warble, but the vocal trapezing is somewhat distracting, and the production a little snoozy. I don’t dislike it as much as the song’s original composer Irving Berlin did though; upon its release, he was so outraged at what he called a “profane parody of his cherished yuletide standard” that he attempted to get it banned from radio. Bah Humbug.
12. Girls Aloud (2005)
Vocally, Girls Aloud’s version chugs along with all five members sounding comically disinterested. It’s understandable; if I were a five-piece pop band who’d released “Sound of the Underground”, making a record of Christmas slop would bore me to tears, too. That said, I’m a sucker for the very noughties synths and bassline that flicker and climb throughout. It’s an oddly enchanting listen.
11. Bing Crosby & Michael Bublé (2012)
Ten years before the avatars of all four ABBA members were created and then instantly locked in a makeshift building in Stratford, Michael Bublé used similar CGI to force his way into a conversation between Bing Crosby and his wife, Kathryn. For his 2012 TV special Home for the Holidays, Bublé replaced Kathryn in a skit from Crosby’s own holiday special, The Sounds of Christmas in 1971, purporting to show Crosby refusing – and then relenting – to sing “White Christmas” with Bublé. It’s hard not to be cynical about the croon-off, considering it came about one year after Bublé’s hugely successful Christmas album was first thrust upon the world, and was no doubt concocted as an infallible, profit-driving follow-up. Still, it sounds like Christmas, and that’s all that matters. Right?
10. Lady Gaga (2011)
The first inkling that the histrionic queen of goth-pop would one day release three (sort of) successful jazz albums came via her 2011 EP, A Very Gaga Holiday. Here, Gaga’s virtuosic skill is laid bare; gone are the scuzzy guitars and ‘80s synths of her album Born This Way – released six months before this EP – and in comes dinner jazz and classic crooning. Sure, it’s a little pretentious – she pauses halfway through to tell listeners she’s adding her own verse about a depressed snowman – but then it wouldn’t be Lady Gaga without a bit of pomposity.
9. Michael Bublé (2011)
The solo (and less popular, streaming-wise) version of Bublé’s Bing Crosby hit – the Bublé and Shania Twain version is still coming! – hooks the original up to the mains, and shocks it full of cheeky chappy pep. It’s slightly cloying in its festive spirit, but it’s also Bublé in suavest showman form, and that’s surely his career M.O.
8. Gwen Stefani (2017)
Last year, Gwen Stefani ditched her bolshie pop tunes in favour of what some have determined is “yacht rock”. Other such unsettling recent actions include promoting a Catholic ‘anti-abortion’ app, and praising an interview featuring right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson. We’d love to say that the signs of her neglecting her sparky pop girly persona were there, but they weren’t: even her cover of “White Christmas”, typically one of the more traditional in the festive banger catalogue, is an overly hammy, boisterous affair. She even opens by swapping the classic “doo-doos” for “zoo-zoos”, for no apparent reason. Our campy queen, what happened?
7. Frank Sinatra (1944)
Long before Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé co-opted the festive season to perennially boost their streams, Frank Sinatra was known as the voice of Christmas. His version of “White Christmas” shows why: his famed croon is gorgeously draped over delicate strings, jingle bells and sparkly piano strokes. Sure, the choir piping up about two minutes sounds a little haunting and ominous, but bar that, Sinatra’s cover is the perfect accompaniment to any Christmas movie scene feautring a child waking and squealing “Santa’s been!”
6. Kelly Clarkson (2013)
While Kelly Clarkson’s original Christmas number “Underneath The Tree” has all the fervent festivity of a child dosed up on a tub of Quality Street, her “White Christmas” cover is more grandad snoozing in the armchair with a belly full of potatoes and eggnog: so languid and peaceful, you have to check he’s still breathing. Sparse piano keys twinkle like Christmas lights around Clarkson’s sumptuous, silky vocals here. If Kelly Clarkson isn’t already widely recognised as one of the greatest singers of the 21st century, this is evidence that she should be.
5. The Drifters (1954)
I hate to say it, but this could be the version that most millennials and younger recognise as the “White Christmas”. It’s featured in holiday perennials including Home Alone and The Santa Clause, and somehow stamped its way into the (younger) public’s collective consciousness as the original version. It’s swaggy, funky, and a lot more fun, though it goes off the rails a little in that slightly manic second verse, which might’ve inspired Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”.
4. Michael Buble & Shania Twain (2011)
This is the Canadian holy trinity: Shania Twain! Michael Buble! Chilly weather! This two-hander switches out the nostalgic yearning of the original for breezy holiday chirp, with Buble and Twain adding the playful coquettishness of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – minus the questionable lyrics about false imprisonment.
3. Otis Redding (1968)
Released posthumously the year after his death aged 26 in a plane crash, Otis Redding’s version of “White Christmas” alone goes some way in cementing his status as the undisputed King of Soul. Redding breathes new life into Irving Berlin’s words with every gruff and raspy belt, the sax swirling around his vocals like snow on a breeze. It’s a smouldering, classic rendition. No wonder it was used in Love Actually.
2. Sabrina Carpenter (2023)
Sabrina Carpenter’s “White Christmas” is stylised in all lower case, with “Christmas” switched out for “Xmas”, in case you forgot that she is younger and cooler than Bing Crosby. It dropped months before her star exploded in 2024, but has all the hallmarks of what everyone would now recognise as a Sabrina Carpenter Christmas song: breathy, almost gasped falsetto; winking ad-libs; slinky production. Ending with a more showgirl rendition of the “Jingle Bells” chorus, it succeeds in being one of the most original versions – and not just because of the name change.
1. Bing Crosby (1942)
The song that literally launched 1000 covers isn’t the most exciting version, but it sure is the most timeless. It doesn’t have the jolly spirit of Bublé, the soul of Redding, or the Kurt Hummel of the Glee Cast version. But when it comes down to it, this is surely the version you’re putting on in the background as everyone chows down on brussels and cranberry sauce. Merry Christmas!
