US & UK hit charts

Top Songs of the 1940s Greatest Hits and Chart Singles

1930s <-

1940

-> 1950s

Top songs: #1: White Christmas by Bing Crosby - #2: Pistol Packin' Mama by Al Dexter - #3: There Are Such Things by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra - #4: The Gypsy by The Ink Spots - #5: I Had the Craziest Dream by Harry James and His Orchestra

10/1942

White Christmas
Bing Crosby

421 pts

R&B

Academy Award for Best Original Song 1942
[Decca 23778]
written by Irving Berlin

08/1943

Pistol Packin' Mama
Al Dexter

415 pts

ctry

R&B

as Al Dexter and His Troopers
[Okeh 6708]
written by Al Dexter

11/1942

There Are Such Things
Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

415 pts

R&B

vocals by Frank Sinatra & The Pied Pipers
[Victor 27974]
written by Stanley Adams, Abel Baer & George W. Meyer

05/1946

The Gypsy
The Ink Spots

407 pts

R&B

written by Billy Reid

12/1942

I Had the Craziest Dream
Harry James and His Orchestra

405 pts

R&B

vocals by Helen Forrest
[Columbia 36659]
written by Harry Warren & Mack Gordon

04/1948

Nature Boy
Nat King Cole

405 pts

R&B

as King Cole
[Capitol 15054]
written by Eden Ahbez

09/1949

Slipping Around
Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely

401 pts

ctry

written by Floyd Tillman

12/1949

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Gene Autry

399 pts

ctry

as Gene Autry & The Pinafores
Christmas
[Columbia 38610]
written by Johnny Marks

11/1944

Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald

398 pts

R&B

written by Doris Fisher & Allan Roberts

#10

05/1944

G.I. Jive
Louis Jordan

398 pts

R&B

as Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
[Decca 8659]
written by Johnny Mercer

#11

01/1945

Rum and Coca-Cola
The Andrews Sisters

397 pts

R&B

[Decca 18636]
written by Lord Invader & Lionel Belasco

#12

01/1943

I've Heard That Song Before
Harry James and His Orchestra

397 pts

R&B

[Columbia 36668]
written by Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn

#13

07/1943

You'll Never Know
Dick Haymes

397 pts

R&B

[Decca 18556]
written by Harry Warren, Mack Gordon & Dorothy Fern Norris

#14

04/1949

Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)
Vaughn Monroe

396 pts

ctry

written by Stan Jones

#15

02/1947

Open the Door, Richard!
Count Basie

396 pts

R&B

[novelty]
[RCA Victor 2127]
written by Bob Russell

#16

01/1945

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
Johnny Mercer

395 pts

R&B

[Capitol 180]
written by Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer

#17

07/1947

Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
Tex Williams

395 pts

ctry

[Capitol Americana 40001]
written by Merle Travis & Tex Williams

#18

11/1946

(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
The King Cole Trio

394 pts

R&B

[Capitol 304]
written by William Best & Deek Watson

#19

08/1946

To Each His Own
The Ink Spots

393 pts

R&B

written by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans

#20

11/1944

I'm Making Believe
The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald

392 pts

R&B

B side to Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
written by James V. Monaco & Mack Gordon

#21

08/1943

Paper Doll
The Mills Brothers

392 pts

R&B

written by Johnny S. Black

#22

02/1947

Open the Door, Richard
The Three Flames

391 pts

R&B

[novelty]
[Columbia 37268]
written by Bob Russell

#23

06/1947

Temptation (Tim-Tayshun)
Red Ingle and the Natural Seven

389 pts

ctry

featuring Jo Stafford on vocals
written by Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown

#24

1941

Chattanooga Choo Choo
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

385 pts

[Bluebird 11230]
written by Harry Warren & Mack Gordon

#25

08/1943

Sunday, Monday or Always
Bing Crosby

384 pts

R&B

[Decca 18561]
written by Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke

#26

06/1944

You Always Hurt the One You Love
The Mills Brothers

382 pts

R&B

B side to Till Then
written by Allan Roberts & Doris Fisher

#27

08/1941

Piano Concerto in B Flat
Freddy Martin and His Orchestra

381 pts

written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

#28

1941

You and I
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

381 pts

[Bluebird 11215]
written by Meredith Willson

#29

05/1941

Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

381 pts

vocals by Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell
written by Adolfo Utrera, Nilo Menéndez, Eddie Rivera & Eddie Woods

#30

05/1941

Maria Elena
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

381 pts

vocals by Bob Eberly
written by Lorenzo Barcelata & Bob Russell

#31

06/1941

Daddy
Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye

381 pts

written by Bobby Troup

#32

08/1941

Blue Champagne
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

380 pts

vocals by Bob Eberly
written by Grady Watts & Frank Ryerson

#33

03/1941

Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

380 pts

vocals by Bob Eberly
written by Joseph LaCalle & Albert Gamse

#34

05/1941

My Sister and I
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

380 pts

vocals by Bob Eberly
written by Hy Zaret, Joan Whitney & Alex Kramer

#35

1941

Elmer's Tune
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

380 pts

[Bluebird 11274]
written by Elmer Albrecht, Sammy Gallop & Dick Jurgens

#36

1941

Song of the Volga Boatmen
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

379 pts

[Bluebird 11029]
written by traditional & Mily Balakirev

#37

1942

Moonlight Cocktail
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

376 pts

[Bluebird 11401]
written by Kim Gannon & Lucky Roberts

#38

1942

(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

375 pts

[Victor 27934]
written by Mack Gordon & Harry Warren

#39

11/1943

My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?)
Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra

374 pts

R&B

vocals by Eugenie Baird
[Decca 18567]
written by Harry Warren & Mack Gordon

#40

07/1944

Is You Is or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)
Louis Jordan

374 pts

ctry

R&B

as Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
[Decca 8659]
written by Louis Jordan & Billy Austin

#41

1940

Tuxedo Junction
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

374 pts

[Bluebird 10612]
written by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson & Julian Dash

#42

1940

The Woodpecker Song
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

372 pts

[Bluebird 10598]
written by Eldo Di Lazzaro & Harold Adamson

#43

11/1944

Don't Fence Me In
Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters

372 pts

R&B

[Decca 23364]
written by Cole Porter & Robert Fletcher

#44

11/1943

Pistol Packin' Mama
Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters

372 pts

ctry

R&B

[Decca 23277]
written by Al Dexter

#45

04/1942

Sleepy Lagoon
Harry James and His Orchestra

372 pts

written by Eric Coates & Jack Lawrence

#46

04/1942

Tangerine
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

371 pts

vocals by Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell
written by Victor Schertzinger & Johnny Mercer

#47

1942

A String of Pearls
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

371 pts

[Bluebird 11382]
written by Jerry Gray

#48

07/1942

Jingle Jangle Jingle
Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

371 pts

vocals by Harry Babbitt
written by Frank Loesser & Joseph J. Lilley

#49

1940

When You Wish upon a Star
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

371 pts

[Bluebird 10570]
written by Ned Washington & Leigh Harline

#50

01/1942

Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me)
Woody Herman and His Orchestra

371 pts

written by Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer

#51

1942

Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone else but Me)
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

371 pts

[Bluebird 11474]
written by Charlie Tobias, Lew Brown & Sam Stept

#52

1940

Careless
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

371 pts

[Bluebird 10520]
written by Lew Quadling, Eddy Howard & Dick Jurgens

#53

08/1940

Frenesi
Artie Shaw and His Orchestra

371 pts

written by Alberto Dominguez

#54

08/1944

I'll Walk Alone
Dinah Shore

370 pts

R&B

[Victor 1586]
written by Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn

#55

07/1940

I'll Never Smile Again
Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

370 pts

vocals by Frank Sinatra
written by Ruth Lowe

#56

09/1940

Only Forever
Bing Crosby

370 pts

[Decca 3300]
written by James V. Monaco & Johnny Burke

#57

07/1940

Sierra Sue
Bing Crosby

369 pts

[Decca 3133]
written by Joseph Buell Carey

#58

06/1940

Make-Believe Island
Mitchell Ayres and His Fashions in Music

369 pts

written by Will Grosz, Nick Kenny & Charles Kenny

#59

07/1940

The Breeze and I
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

369 pts

vocals by Bob Eberly
written by Ernesto Lecuona & Al Stillman

#60

1940

Imagination
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

369 pts

[Bluebird 10622]
written by Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke

#61

07/1940

Where Was I?
Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra

369 pts

written by Al Dubin & W. Franke Harling

#62

1940

Blueberry Hill
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

369 pts

[Bluebird 10768]
written by Vincent Rose, Al Lewis & Larry Stock

#63

07/1943

In the Blue of Evening
Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

368 pts

R&B

vocals by Frank Sinatra
[Victor 201530]
written by Thomas Montgomery Adair & Alfonso D'Artega

#64

1940

Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

368 pts

[Bluebird 10728]
written by Rube Bloom & Johnny Mercer

#65

05/1943

Taking a Chance on Love
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra

368 pts

R&B

vocals by Helen Forrest
written by Vernon Duke, John Latouche & Ted Fetter

#66

06/1948

Twelfth Street Rag
Pee Wee Hunt and His Orchestra

368 pts

hit for Earl Fuller in 1917
[Capitol 15105]
written by Euday L. Bowman

#67

09/1948

Buttons and Bows
Dinah Shore

364 pts

dinah shore & her happy valley boys
[Columbia 38284]
written by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans

#68

06/1948

You Call Everybody Darlin'
Al Trace and His Orchestra

364 pts

as Al Trace & his new orchestra
written by Sam Martin [country songwriter], Ben Trace & Clem Watts

#69

05/1948

Love Somebody
Doris Day and Buddy Clark

364 pts

written by Joan Whitney & Alex Kramer

#70

04/1948

You Can't Be True, Dear
Ken Griffin

364 pts

as Ken Griffin at the Organ
vocals by Jerry Wayne (added later)
written by Hans Otten, Gerhard Ebeler & Hal Cotten

#71

01/1948

Now Is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)
Bing Crosby

364 pts

written by Clement Scott, Maewa Kaihau & Dorothy Stewart

#72

07/1948

A Tree in the Meadow
Margaret Whiting

364 pts

[Capitol 15122]
written by Billy Reid

#73

01/1948

Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)
Peggy Lee

364 pts

written by Peggy Lee & Dave Barbour

#74

11/1948

A Little Bird Told Me
Evelyn Knight

364 pts

written by Harvey O. Brooks

#75

12/1948

Powder Your Face with Sunshine (Smile! Smile! Smile!)
Evelyn Knight

364 pts

written by Carmen Lombardo & Stanley Rochinski

#76

06/1949

You're Breaking My Heart
Vic Damone

363 pts

[Mercury 5271]
written by Pat Genaro, Sunny Skylar & Ruggero Leoncavallo

#77

04/1949

Some Enchanted Evening
Perry Como

363 pts

[RCA 47-2896]
written by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II

#78

03/1949

Forever and Ever
Russ Morgan

363 pts

[Decca 24569]
written by Franz Winkler & Malia Rosa

#79

01/1948

I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover
Art Mooney

363 pts

written by Harry M. Woods & Mort Dixon

#80

09/1949

I Can Dream, Can't I
The Andrews Sisters

363 pts

hit for Tommy Dorsey in 1938
[Decca 24705]
written by Sammy Fain & Irving Kahal

#81

11/1948

My Darling, My Darling
Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae

363 pts

written by Frank Loesser

#82

12/1948

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
Les Brown and His Orchestra

363 pts

hit for Ray Noble in 1937
written by Irving Berlin

#83

03/1945

There! I've Said It Again
Vaughn Monroe

363 pts

written by Redd Evans & David Mann

#84

06/1948

Woody Woodpecker
Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

363 pts

vocals by Gloria Wood
written by George Tibbles & Ramey Idriss

#85

08/1949

That Lucky Old Sun
Frankie Laine

363 pts

[Mercury 5316]
written by Beasley Smith & Haven Gillespie

#86

02/1949

Cruising Down the River
Russ Morgan

363 pts

[Decca 24568]
written by Eily Beadell & Nell Tollerton

#87

03/1945

Sentimental Journey
Les Brown and His Orchestra

363 pts

written by Les Brown, Ben Homer & Bud Green

#88

01/1949

Cruising Down the River
Blue Barron and His Orchestra

363 pts

written by Eily Beadell & Nell Tollerton

#89

08/1949

Someday
Vaughn Monroe

363 pts

written by Jimmie Hodges

#90

11/1948

All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)
Spike Jones and His City Slickers

362 pts

vocals by George Rock
written by Donald Yetter Gardner

#91

04/1949

A-You're Adorable
Perry Como

362 pts

written by Sid Lippman, Buddy Kaye & Fred Wise

#92

11/1945

I Can't Begin to Tell You
Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro

362 pts

written by James V. Monaco & Mack Gordon

#93

12/1945

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief
Betty Hutton

362 pts

written by Hoagy Carmichael & Paul Francis Webster

#94

11/1949

Mule Train
Frankie Laine

362 pts

as Frankie Laine & The Muleskinners
[Mercury 5345]
written by Johnny Lange, Hy Heath & Fred Glickman

#95

08/1945

Till the End of Time
Perry Como

362 pts

[Victor 1709]
written by Ted Mossman & Buddy Kaye

#96

07/1945

On the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe
Johnny Mercer

362 pts

written by Harry Warren & Johnny Mercer

#97

01/1945

I'm Beginning to See the Light
Harry James and His Orchestra

362 pts

vocals by Kitty Kallen
written by Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges & Harry James

#98

02/1945

Candy
Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford

362 pts

written by Alex Kramer, Mack David & Joan Whitney

#99

03/1945

Dream
The Pied Pipers

362 pts

[Capitol 15246]
written by Johnny Mercer

#100

10/1945

It's Been a Long, Long Time
Harry James and His Orchestra

362 pts

vocals by Kitty Kallen
written by Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn

US charts info based on Billboard (www.billboard.com) charts • UK charts info based on The Official UK Charts Company's charts

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