1948 Billboard Year End Chart

It's 1948, the year Gandhi was assassinated, Israel becomes a nation, and back in the U.S. Harry Truman defeated Thomas Dewey in the greatest election upset in American history, meanwhile Alfred Kinsey published his controversial study on human sexuality Sexual Behavior of the Human Male.  But on the popular music charts there is nary a note of sexuality to be seen, maybe in the song "You Call Everybody Darlin'."

Freddy Martin - The Dickey-Bird Song
This song has such a catchy melody, it just puts a smile on your face.  I could imagine this song in one of the Hollywood musicals that were so popular during this era. -edit indeed this song was from an MGM musical called "Three Daring Daughters"

Mel Blanc and the Sportsmen - Woody Woodpecker
When I was growing up I loved watching re-runs of Woody Woodpecker and who could forget the trademark laugh.  Although Kay Kyser scored a bigger hit with his version this is the version sung by the actual "voice" of Woody Woodpecker.

Spike Jones - William Tell Overture
This novelty version of the famous William Tell Overture starts out with the band playing on pots and pans as well as other unique percussion instruments.  However when it gets to the famous section most know as the Lone Ranger theme the narrator begins describing a horse race, with many humorous horse names and puns.

There seemed to be a lot of women in this year's chart, some of the highlights include:
Jo Stafford - Serenade of the Bells
Dinah Shore - Buttons & Bows
Doris Day - It's Magic
Peggy Lee - Mañana (Is Soon Enough For Me)

Nat King Cole - Nature Boy
I was first introduced to this song at the beginning of the film Moulin Rouge, where this song is the source for the theme of that movie: "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."  It's such an interesting song and so unlike anything else in Nat King Cole's repertoire.

Art Mooney - I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover
I love this song, I have ever since I was a kid, the play on words of looking over and overlooked, so simple.  On a side note I've been lucky enough to find a few four leaf clovers, because they are a genetic mutation if you find a patch that has one you'll find others in that same patch, here's a link to help you find your own.

Bing Crosby - Now Is The Hour (Māori Farewell Song)
This song has a very Polynesian feel to it which is probably why many assumed it was a traditional Māori song, however the Māori version was made after the English version had already been written.

Here's the whole chart in Spotify

1948 Billboard Year End Chart

39. Serenade Of The Bells » Jo Stafford

38. How Soon » Vaughn Monroe

37. I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover » Russ Morgan & Mill Herth

36. The Dicky-Bird Song » Freddy Martin

35. I'll Dance at Your Wedding » Ray Noble

33. Woody Woodpecker » Sportsmen & Mel Blanc

33. On a Slow Boat to China » Kay Kyser

31. Underneath The Arches » Primo Scala

31. St. Louis Blues March » Tex Beneke

30. Beg Your Pardon » Frankie Carle

29. Williams Tell Overture » Spike Jones

28. Until » Tommy Dorsey

27. Serenade Of The Bells » Sammy Kaye

26. Because » Perry Como

25. My Happiness » Ella Fitzgerald

23. Too Fat Polka » Arthur Godfrey

23. Baby Face » Art Mooney

22. Golden Earrings » Peggy Lee

21. Buttons & Bows » Dinah Shore

20. Toolie Oolie Doolie » The Andrews Sisters

19. You Can't Be True, Dear » Ken Griffin

18. Beg Your Pardon » Francis Craig

17. Now Is The Hour » Gracie Fields

16. Love Somebody » Doris Day & Buddy Clark

15. Woody Woodpecker » Kay Kyser

14. Nature Boy » The King Cole Trio

13. Ballerina » Vaughn Monroe

12. Maybe You'll Be There » Gordon Jenkins

11. It's Magic » Doris Day

10. I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover » Art Mooney

09. My Happiness » The Pied Pipers

08. You Call Everybody Darlin' » Al Trace

07. Little White Lies » Dick Haymes

06. You Can't Be True, Dear » Ken Griffin & Jerry Wayne

05. My Happiness » Jon & Sondra Steele

04. A Tree In The Meadow » Margaret Whiting

03. Now Is The Hour » Bing Crosby

02. Manana » Peggy Lee

01. Twelfth Street Rag » Pee Wee Hunt Chart courtesy of http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1948

1947 Billboard Year End Chart

1947 Billboard Year End Chart

It's 1947, year of the Black Dahlia murder, Jackie Robinson's first major league appearance, Chuck Yeager's historic flight and the Roswell incident.  On Earth and specifically in America nothing much has changed musically from the previous year, crooners are still crooning and there is nary a sign in the charts of the musical adventures that are headed down the line in a few short years.

So let's get on with it:


Bing Crosby – Whiffenpoof Song  The Whiffenpoof's are a singing troupe from Yale University, basically Yale's version of Glee's Warblers and this is their traditional closing number.  This song has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Count Basie, Perry Como, and the Statler Brothers, but it was a hit for Bing Crosby.

Bing Crosby – White Christmas Speaking of Bing Crosby what would the Christmas season be without Bing's rendition of White Christmas?  Now most people know this song was a hit in 1941 during the height of World War 2 as the American troops were first being deployed overseas and were about to face their first Christmas away from home.  Well that recording was so well received that the original master became ruined and so it needed to be refreshed.  Bing re-recorded the song in March of 1947 and it became a hit again, and this is the version that is most played now, not the 1941 version.

Guy Lombardo – Managua, Nicaragua

Eddy Howard – My Adobe Hacienda

Perry Como – Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go To Sleep)

For whatever reason during this period the American public seemed to be infatuated with foreign locales, especially Latin America.  Maybe it was daydreaming of travel to exotic locations, or the fantasy of just living a relaxing life on the beach, I don't know, but these three songs exemplify the love affair America was having with all points "South of the Border."

Hoagy Carmichael – Huggin' & Chalkin'

Arthur Godfrey – Too Fat Polka

Americans have long had an obesity problem, these songs just point it out in a "not so PC" kind of way.  "Huggin' and Chalkin'" describes one man's relationship to his girl and his fear of getting lost while hugging her so he has to leave himself a chalk trail to find his way back.  In fact, while he's exploring her he runs into another man, does this count as a threesome?

Tex Williams – Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) As a non-smoker myself I could really relate to the message of this song: No matter what is going on smokers will call a "Time Out" to have a smoke.  The singer is annoyed that it seems to be happening everywhere he goes, from a high-stake poker game, to a make-out session with his girl, even to the gates of Heaven.

Buddy Clark – Linda 17 years before The Beatles would land on the Billboard charts this song already has a Beatles' connection.  The writer of this song, Jack Lawrence, titled the song after his attorney's daughter, Linda Eastman, who would later become Mrs. Paul McCartney.

 The Harmonicats – Peg O´My Heart Finally I wanted to focus on this song which is an instrumental by an all-harmonica group which reached number 2 on the year end chart.  If that's not proof of what a simple time it was in America in 1947, nothing is.

Again, if you're enjoying this series be sure to subscribe and follow me on twitter

47. Ol' Buttermilk Sky » Kay Kyser 46. Golden Earrings » Peggy Lee 45. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons » Eddy Howard 44. Open The Door, Richard » Dusty Fletcher 43. How Soon » Vaughn Monroe 42. The Whiffenpoof Song » Bing Crosby 41. Anniversary Song » Tex Beneke & The Glenn Miller Orchestra 40. Managua, Nicaragua » Guy Lombardo

39. Linda » Charlie Spivak*

38. Feudin' And Fightin' » Dorothy Shay

37. You Do » Margaret Whiting

36. Peg O' My Heart » Art Lund

35. Open The Door, Richard » Count Basie

34. The Old Lamplighter » Kay Kyser

33. Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo) » Andrews Sisters & Danny Kaye

32. Across The Alley From The Alamo » Mills Brothers

31. White Christmas » Bing Crosby

30. Anniversary Song » Dinah Shore

29. Anniversary Song » Guy Lombardo

28. You Do » Vaughn Monroe

27. Mam'selle » Dick Haymes

26. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons » The Nat King Cole Trio

25. Ol' Buttermilk Sky » Hoagy Carmichael

24. Huggin' And Chalkin' » Hoagy Carmichael

22. My Adobe Hacienda » Eddy Howard

22. I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder » Eddy Howard

21. Too Fat Polka » Arthur Godfrey

20. How Soon » Jack Owens

19. When You Were Sweet Sixteen » Perry Como

18. The Old Lamplighter » Sammy Kaye

17. Near You » The Andrews Sisters

16. I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now » Ted Weems & Perry Como

15. Timtayshun » Red Ingle & Jo Stafford

14. Chi-Baba,   Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go To Sleep) » Perry Como

13. Managua, Nicaragua » Freddy Martin

12. Mam'selle » Art Lund

11. Ballerina » Vaughn Monroe

10. That's My Desire » Sammy Kaye

09. Near You » Larry Green

08. Anniversary Song » Al Jolson

07. Peg O' My Heart » The Three Suns

06. I Wish I Didn't Love You So » Vaughn Monroe

05. Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette » Tex Williams

04. Linda » Ray Noble & Buddy Clark

03. Heartaches » Ted Weems

02. Peg O' My Heart » The Harmonicats

01. Near You » Francis Craig *not available in Spotify Chart courtesy of http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1947

1946 Billboard Year End Chart

1946 Billboard Year End Chart


Because this is the first in the series I want to give a quick note on the Billboard Year End Charts.  These charts were based on the sales of "singles" either 78 rpm, or later on, 45 rpm records that contained one song on each side, with one song usually being the song that was supposed to get the focus called the "A side" and a throwaway song (but not always) called the "B side".  Until 1950 the Billboard Year End Chart was pretty sporadic as to how many songs were on the chart, then from 1950-1955 the chart was capped at 30 songs, from 1956-Present the Year End Chart has been 100 songs.  If you're at all curious how the lists are compiled here's a link to the Wikipedia article.  

Ok, now on to the chart for 1946, I'm not an expert in this era of music, but I know that this was still the era of the professional song writer, meaning someone who would sit in an office and write songs and then sell them to performers and the writer made money from the sale and royalties of the song.  In order to make more money many of these songs were sold to multiple performers which is why you'll see multiple versions of the same song on this chart, this will be the case for many of the charts we'll examine.

I want to focus on a few of the songs for various reasons:

Dusty Fletcher – Open The Door, Richard is a novelty song about a drunk man that can't get back into his apartment after a night on the town.  The 1940s had a lot of novelty songs that show up in the charts

Perry Como – (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba) Dig You Later this song was featured in the movie Doll Face and is interesting because Perry Como sings pretty nonchalantly about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a little shocking to hear now.

Dinah Shore – Doin' What Comes Natur'lly and Sammy Kaye – I'm A Big Girl Now were pretty dirty songs for the time and it's humorous to hear them now, "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" is from the musical Annie Get Your Gun and is all about people having sex, including an elderly man who dies while in the act. 

"I'm A Big Girl Now" is sung by a girl who has discovered her sexual side, after having recently gone through puberty, "I'm a little more padded/something new has been added", and she's ready to dump her childhood boyfriend and experiment with her new-found sexuality.

As is reflected in the charts this was the era of the crooner, both male and female, backed by a big band or small orchestra, you'll find early Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole, as well as Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore and Peggy Lee.  Another interesting phenomenon is that at times a song charted with both the vocal and instrumental versions.

Be sure to subscribe to the blog to keep up with further charts

40. Sioux City Sue » Bing Crosby

39. To Each His Own » Modernaires & Paula Kelly

38. Symphony » Jo Stafford

37. Dig You Later A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba » Perry Como

36. Rumors Are Flying » Andrews Sisters & Les Paul Trio

35. Oh? What It Seemed To Be » Dick Haymes & Helen Forrest

32. The Old Lamplighter » Kay Kyser

32. Oh! What It Seemed To Be » Charlie Spivak

32. Doin' What Comes Natur'lly » Freddy Martin

31. Symphony » Benny Goodman

30. You Won't Be Satisfied Until You Break My Heart » Les Brown

27. To Each His Own » Tony Martin

27. They Say It's Wonderful » Perry Como

27. Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop » Tex Beneke & The Glenn Miller Orchestra

26. Laughing On The Outside Crying On The Inside » Andy Russell

25. Five Minutes More » Tex Beneke & The Glenn Miller Orchestra

24. Laughing On The Outside Crying On The Inside » Dinah Shore

22. The Gypsy » Sammy Kaye

22. Doin' What Comes Natur'lly » Dinah Shore

21. Symphony » Bing Crosby

19. I Can't Begin To Tell You » Bing Crosby & Carmen Cavallaro

19 . I'm A Big Girl Now » Sammy Kaye

18. The Old Lamplighter » Sammy Kaye

17. Symphony » Freddy Martin

16. To Each His Own » The Ink Spots

15. Ol' Buttermilk Sky » Kay Kyser

14. To Each His Own » Freddy Martin

13. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow » Vaughn Monroe

12. Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief » Betty Hutton

11. Surrender » Perry Como

10. Oh! What It Seemed To Be » Frank Sinatra

09. The Gypsy » Dinah Shore

08. South America, Take It Away » Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters

07. Personality » Johnny Mercer

06. Oh! What It Seemed To Be » Frankie Carle

05. Rumors Are Flying » Frankie Carle

04. Five Minutes More » Frank Sinatra

03. The Gypsy » The Ink Spots

02. To Each His Own » Eddy Howard

01. Prisoner Of Love » Perry Como

Chart courtesy of http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1946

Introduction

In the past two years since beginning to use Spotify I've created a number of playlists and realized that others might like to easily find these playlists.  For the most part the playlists I will post here are based on "best of" lists or sales charts, or other miscellaneous sources (i.e. Just Dance, Rock Band, etc.) but I may also include personal mixes I've made throughout the years.

Here's a direct link to my Spotify profile