100 Greatest Songs From 1948

Criteria: These songs from 1948 were chosen and ranked based on their initial & lasting popularity, and on their impact on the overall scope of musical history.

Note: Yearly song lists go by earliest 'release date' (Single, Album, or Country of first release). Not necessarily the year a song peaked in the U.S. charts.

1. Good Rockin' Tonight
Wynonie Harris
2. It's Too Soon To Know
Orioles
3. Boogie Chillen'
John Lee Hooker
4. Nature Boy
King Cole Trio
5. Tomorrow Night
Lonnie Johnson
6. Chicken Shack Boogie
Amos Milburn
7. A Little Bird Told Me
Evelyn Knight / Paula Watson
8. Manteca
Dizzy Gillespie
9. Honky Tonkin'
Hank Williams
10. Sweet Georgia Brown
Brother Bones
11. Fine Brown Frame
Nellie Lutcher
12. Run Joe
Louis Jordan
13. I Can't Be Satisfied
Muddy Waters
14. Long Gone
Sonny Thompson
15. The Deacon's Hop
Big Jay McNeely
16. Tennessee Saturday Night
Red Foley
17. My Happiness
Ella Fitzgerald
18. White Christmas
Ravens
19. Ain't Nobody's Business
Jimmy Witherspoon
20. Long About Midnight
Roy Brown
21. Bewildered
Amos Milburn / Red Miller Trio
22. I Can't Go On Without You
Bull Moose Jackson
23. My Heart Belongs To You
Arbee Stidham
24. Messin' Around
Memphis Slim
25. How High The Moon
Ella Fitzgerald
26. (I Feel Like) Going Home
Muddy Waters
27. Corn Bread
Hal Singer
28. I Saw The Light
Hank Williams
29. Blues After Hours
Pee Wee Crayton
30. We're Gonna Rock
Wild Bill Moore
31. Up Above My Head
Sister Rosetta Tharpe & Marie Knight
32. Three O'Clock Blues
Lowell Fulson
33. Hop, Skip, And Jump
Roy Milton
34. Lollipop Mama
Wynonie Harris
35. Fore Day In The Morning
Roy Brown
36. Reet Petite and Gone
Louis Jordan
37. Am I Asking Too Much
Dinah Washington
38. Bouquet of Roses
Eddy Arnold
39. Everything I Do Is Wrong
Roy Milton
40. Milky White Way
Trumpeteers
41. Pettin' And Pokin'
Louis Jordan
42. Dog House Boogie
Hawkshaw Hawkins
43. I Want A Bowlegged Woman
Bull Moose Jackson
44. My Fault
Brownie McGhee
45. X-Temperaneous Boogie
Camille Howard
46. Better Cut That Out
Sonny Boy Williamson
47. West Side Baby
T-Bone Walker / Dinah Washington
48. Pot Likker
Todd Rhodes
49. Dripper's Blues
Joe Liggins
50. Blue Moon
Billy Eckstine

51. Buttons And Bows
Dinah Shore
52. Texarkana Baby
Eddy Arnold
53. That's You Last Boogie
Johnny Otis (Joe Swift)
54. Send for Me If You Need Me
Ravens
55. I'm a Long Gone Daddy
Hank Williams
56. Elevator Boogie
Mabel Scott
57. Groovy Movie Blues
Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (Charles Brown)
58. The Darktown Strutter's Ball
Joe Liggins
59. Texas Hop
Pee Wee Crayton
60. So Tired
Kay Starr
61. Rainy Weather Blues
Roy Brown
62. Don't Fall In Love With Me
Ivory Joe Hunter
63. Everybody's Gonna Have a Wonderful Time Up There
Homeland Harmony Quartet
64. Time Out For Tears
Savannah Churchill & The Four Tunes
65. What Could I Do?
Mahalia Jackson / Marie Knight
66. I'll Always Be In Love With You
X-Rays
67. Keep a Dollar in Your Pocket
Roy Milton
68. Pleasing You (As Long As I Live)
Lonnie Johnson
69. Rockin' Boogie
Joe Lutcher
70. Go Long
Dixieaires
71. Long Tall Mama
Smokey Hogg
72. Recess In Heaven
Buddy Harper (Dan Grissom)
73. More Thank You Know
Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (Charles Brown)
74. The Twister
Paul Williams
75. Freedom Train Blues
Lil Son Jackson
76. Late Freight
Sonny Thompson & Eddie Chamblee
77. The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)
Nellie Lutcher
78. All My Love Belongs To You
Bull Moose Jackson
79. Jack And Jill Boogie
Wayne Raney
80. I'm Waiting For Your Call
T-Bone Walker
81. The Blues Come Around
Hank Williams
82. Silent Night
Ravens
83. Precious Memories
Sister Rosetta Tharpe & Mary Knight
84. Hip Shakin' Mama
Chubby Newsome
85. I'm A Good Man But A Poor Man
Cecil Gant
86. Roll 'Em
Joe Liggins
87. Little Boy
Rev. Kelsey's Congregation
88. D'Natural Blues
Lucky Millinder
89. The Dicky-Bird Song
Freddy Martin
90. Robbie Doby Boogie
Brownie McGhee
91. Tear Drop Blues
Jimmy Liggins
92. What Did He Say
Charioteers
93. Love Me Tonight
Bull Moose Jackson
94. Trees
Al Hibbler
95. Out Of The Blue
Hadda Brooks
96. Katie Mae
Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup
97. Who, Me?
Tex Williams
98. Rock Bottom
Gene Phillips
99. (It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas
Orioles
100. Sabre Dance Boogie
Freddy Martin / Woody Herman
20 more worth mentioning.
101. What Have I Done ?
Hadda Brooks
102. Hole In The Wall Tonight
Albinia Jones
103. William Tell Overture
Spike Jones
104. It Took A Long, Long Time
Amos Milburn
105. Beef Stew
Hal Singer
106. Together
Ravens
107. Mardi Gras Boogie
Joe Turner
108. Far Cry
Buddy Johnson
109. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus
Mabel Scott
110. Gloria
Mills Brothers
111. Get Your Self Another Fool
Charles Brown
112. California Hop
Big Jay McNeely
113. Barbados
Charlie Parker
114. Two Years Of Torture
Percy Mayfield
115. Tell Me So
Savannah Churchill & The Four Tunes
116. Temptation
Earl Bostic
117. What Is This Thing Called Love?
Les Paul
118. Don't Burn the Candle At Both Ends
Louis Jordan
119. Ooh! Look-a-There, Ain't She Pretty?
Charioteers
120. Tennessee Waltz
Pee Wee King
DigitalDreamDoor Editor Picks for 1948
An unheralded great record from 1948
Adam's choice:
* Drop Dead
Tex Williams
Bruce's choice:
* The House I Live In (acapella)
Ravens
Lew's choice:
* Four Brothers
Woody Herman
    1947   |   1949
Nellie Lutcher John Lee Hooker
Red Foley Roy Brown

Last Updated: 2009-06-12