Greatest Popular Songs of the 1940s
Criteria: These songs from the 1940s were chosen and ranked according to their initial and lasting popularity and also on their impact and influence on the course of musical history. At that time most songs were recorded by many different artists, so we have listed more than one version of each song on the majority of the entries. The most significant version of the song is the one by the first artist that is listed.
Popular Songs 1940s
1. White Christmas
Bing Crosby
2. The Christmas Song
Nat "King" Cole
3. God Bless The Child
Billie Holiday
4. Take The "A" Train
Duke Ellington
5. Star Dust
Artie Shaw
Bing Crosby
2. The Christmas Song
Nat "King" Cole
3. God Bless The Child
Billie Holiday
4. Take The "A" Train
Duke Ellington
5. Star Dust
Artie Shaw
6. Swinging On A Star
Bing Crosby
7. You Always Hurt The One You Love
Mills Brothers
8. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Andrews Sisters
9. Chattanooga Choo Choo
Glenn Miller (Tex Beneke & the Modernaires)
10. Paper Doll
Mills Brothers
11. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Gene Autry
12. Sentimental Journey
Les Brown (Doris Day)
13. I'll Be Seeing You
Bing Crosby / Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra)
14. I'll Never Smile Again
Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra)
15. Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)
Vaughn Monroe / Peggy Lee
16. Auld Lang Syne
Guy Lombardo
17. That's My Desire
Frankie Laine / Sammy Kaye
18. Don't Fence Me In
Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters / Roy Rogers / Gene Autry
19. Jingle, Jangle, Jingle
Kay Kyser / Gene Autry
20. Tuxedo Junction
Glenn Miller
21. Nature Boy
Nat "King" Cole / Frank Sinatra / Sarah Vaughan
22. Brazil
Xavier Cugat / Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell)
23. Green Eyes
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell)
24. Frenesi
Artie Shaw
25. Till The End Of Time
Perry Como / Les Brown / Dick Haymes
26. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
Billie Holiday / Sarah Vaughan
27. Moonlight Cocktail
Glenn Miller
28. Stormy Weather
Lena Horne
29. This Land Is Your Land
Woody Guthrie
30. You Are My Sunshine
Jimmie Davis
31. That Lucky Old Sun
Frankie Laine / Vaughn Monroe
32. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
Nat "King" Cole / Eddy Howard / Dinah Shore
33. (I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo
Glenn Miller (Marion Hutton & the Modernaires)
34. Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree
Glenn Miller / Andrews Sisters
35. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
Johnny Mercer / Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
36. Maria Elena
Jimmy Dorsey / Wayne King
37. A String Of Pearls
Glenn Miller
38. The Gypsy
Ink Spots / Dinah Shore / Sammy Kaye (Mary Marlow)
39. Manana (Is Soon Enough For Me)
Peggy Lee
40. Near You
Francis Craig / Andrews Sisters / Larry Green / Alvino Rey
41. Amapola
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell)
42. Peg O' My Heart
Harmonicats / Buddy Clark / Three Suns
43. Pennsylvania 6-5000
Glenn Miller
44. Pistol Packin' Mama
Al Dexter / Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
45. You'll Never Know
Dick Haymes / Frank Sinatra
46. To Each His Own
Eddy Howard / Ink Spots / Freddy Martin / Modernaires
47. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire
Ink Spots / Hoarce Heidt / Tommy Tucker
48. Cool Water
Sons Of The Pioneers
49. As Time Goes By
Dooley Wilson
50. Opus No. 1
Tommy Dorsey
51. Rum And Coca-Cola
Andrews Sisters
52. The Breeze And I
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly)
53. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, And Me)
Ink Spots / Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra)
54. I've Heard That Song Before
Harry James (Helen Forrest)
55. Baby It's Cold Outside
Johnny Mercer & Margaret Whiting / Dinah Shore & Buddy Clark
56. Tangerine
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell)
57. Buttons And Bows
Dinah Shore / Dinning Sisters
58. Besame Mucho
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen)
59. 'Round Midnight
Thelonius Monk
60. I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
Harry James (Dick Haymes) / Ink Spots
61. Cruising Down The River
Blue Barron / Russ Morgan / Jack Smith (Clark Sisters)
62. (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover
Vera Lynn / Kay Kyser / Glenn Miller
63. Anniversary Song
Al Jolson / Dinah Shore / Guy Lombardo / Tex Beneke
64. A Night In Tunisia
Dizzy Gillespie
65. I Can Dream, Can't I
Andrews Sisters
66. In The Blue Of The Evening
Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra)
67. Prisoner Of Love
Perry Como / Billy Eckstine / Ink Spots
68. Sleepy Lagoon
Harry James
69. Blues In The Night
Woody Herman / Jimmie Lunceford / Dinah Shore
70. A Tree In The Meadow
Margaret Whiting
71. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Ink Spots / Duke Ellington / Glen Gray
72. Daddy
Sammy Kaye
73. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Vaughn Monroe
74. Oh! What It Seemed To Be
Frankie Carle / Frank Sinatra / Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
75. Imagination
Glenn Miller / Tommy Dorsey / Ella Fitzgerald
76. There! I've Said It Again
Vaughn Monroe / Jimmy Dorsey (Teddy Walters)
77. Comin' In On A Wing And A Prayer
Song Spinners / Willie Kelly
78. Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
Tex Williams
79. The Old Lamp-Lighter
Sammy Kaye / Kay Kyser
80. When You Wish Upon A Star
Cliff Edwards / Glenn Miller / Guy Lombardo
81. Open The Door, Richard
Count Basie / Three Flames / Dusty Fletcher
82. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)
Louis Jordan / Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
83. Shoo-Shoo Baby
Andrews Sisters / Ella Mae Morse
84. Linda
Ray Noble (Buddy Clark) / Charlie Spivak
85. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
Ella Fitzgerald & the Ink Spots
86. Jukebox Saturday Night
Glenn Miller (Marion Hutton, Tex Beneke & the Modernaires)
87. Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
Red Foley
88. Some Enchanted Evening
Perry Como / Bing Crosby / Jo Stafford / Frank Sinatra
89. Rag Mop
Ames Brothers / Johnnie Lee Wills
90. On The Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe
Johnny Mercer / Bing Crosby
91. Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition!
Kay Kyser / Merry Macs
92. I'll Walk Alone
Dinah Shore / Martha Tilton / Mary Martin
93. Ballerina
Vaughn Monroe / Buddy Clark / Bing Crosby
94. I'm looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover
Art Mooney / Russ Morgan / Alvino Rey
95. Jersey Bounce
Benny Goodman / Jimmy Dorsey
96. Mule Train
Frankie Laine / Tennessee Ernie Ford / Bing Crosby / Vaughn Monroe
97. G.I. Jive
Louis Jordan / Johnny Mercer
98. You Call Everybody Darlin'
Al Trace / Andrews Sisters / Anne Vincent
99. Maybe
Ink Spots
100. Der Fuehrer's Face
Spike Jones (Carl Grayson & Willie Spicer)
Bing Crosby
7. You Always Hurt The One You Love
Mills Brothers
8. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Andrews Sisters
9. Chattanooga Choo Choo
Glenn Miller (Tex Beneke & the Modernaires)
10. Paper Doll
Mills Brothers
11. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Gene Autry
12. Sentimental Journey
Les Brown (Doris Day)
13. I'll Be Seeing You
Bing Crosby / Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra)
14. I'll Never Smile Again
Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra)
15. Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)
Vaughn Monroe / Peggy Lee
16. Auld Lang Syne
Guy Lombardo
17. That's My Desire
Frankie Laine / Sammy Kaye
18. Don't Fence Me In
Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters / Roy Rogers / Gene Autry
19. Jingle, Jangle, Jingle
Kay Kyser / Gene Autry
20. Tuxedo Junction
Glenn Miller
21. Nature Boy
Nat "King" Cole / Frank Sinatra / Sarah Vaughan
22. Brazil
Xavier Cugat / Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell)
23. Green Eyes
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell)
24. Frenesi
Artie Shaw
25. Till The End Of Time
Perry Como / Les Brown / Dick Haymes
26. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
Billie Holiday / Sarah Vaughan
27. Moonlight Cocktail
Glenn Miller
28. Stormy Weather
Lena Horne
29. This Land Is Your Land
Woody Guthrie
30. You Are My Sunshine
Jimmie Davis
31. That Lucky Old Sun
Frankie Laine / Vaughn Monroe
32. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
Nat "King" Cole / Eddy Howard / Dinah Shore
33. (I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo
Glenn Miller (Marion Hutton & the Modernaires)
34. Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree
Glenn Miller / Andrews Sisters
35. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
Johnny Mercer / Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
36. Maria Elena
Jimmy Dorsey / Wayne King
37. A String Of Pearls
Glenn Miller
38. The Gypsy
Ink Spots / Dinah Shore / Sammy Kaye (Mary Marlow)
39. Manana (Is Soon Enough For Me)
Peggy Lee
40. Near You
Francis Craig / Andrews Sisters / Larry Green / Alvino Rey
41. Amapola
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell)
42. Peg O' My Heart
Harmonicats / Buddy Clark / Three Suns
43. Pennsylvania 6-5000
Glenn Miller
44. Pistol Packin' Mama
Al Dexter / Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
45. You'll Never Know
Dick Haymes / Frank Sinatra
46. To Each His Own
Eddy Howard / Ink Spots / Freddy Martin / Modernaires
47. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire
Ink Spots / Hoarce Heidt / Tommy Tucker
48. Cool Water
Sons Of The Pioneers
49. As Time Goes By
Dooley Wilson
50. Opus No. 1
Tommy Dorsey
51. Rum And Coca-Cola
Andrews Sisters
52. The Breeze And I
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly)
53. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, And Me)
Ink Spots / Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra)
54. I've Heard That Song Before
Harry James (Helen Forrest)
55. Baby It's Cold Outside
Johnny Mercer & Margaret Whiting / Dinah Shore & Buddy Clark
56. Tangerine
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell)
57. Buttons And Bows
Dinah Shore / Dinning Sisters
58. Besame Mucho
Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen)
59. 'Round Midnight
Thelonius Monk
60. I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
Harry James (Dick Haymes) / Ink Spots
61. Cruising Down The River
Blue Barron / Russ Morgan / Jack Smith (Clark Sisters)
62. (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover
Vera Lynn / Kay Kyser / Glenn Miller
63. Anniversary Song
Al Jolson / Dinah Shore / Guy Lombardo / Tex Beneke
64. A Night In Tunisia
Dizzy Gillespie
65. I Can Dream, Can't I
Andrews Sisters
66. In The Blue Of The Evening
Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra)
67. Prisoner Of Love
Perry Como / Billy Eckstine / Ink Spots
68. Sleepy Lagoon
Harry James
69. Blues In The Night
Woody Herman / Jimmie Lunceford / Dinah Shore
70. A Tree In The Meadow
Margaret Whiting
71. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Ink Spots / Duke Ellington / Glen Gray
72. Daddy
Sammy Kaye
73. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Vaughn Monroe
74. Oh! What It Seemed To Be
Frankie Carle / Frank Sinatra / Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
75. Imagination
Glenn Miller / Tommy Dorsey / Ella Fitzgerald
76. There! I've Said It Again
Vaughn Monroe / Jimmy Dorsey (Teddy Walters)
77. Comin' In On A Wing And A Prayer
Song Spinners / Willie Kelly
78. Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
Tex Williams
79. The Old Lamp-Lighter
Sammy Kaye / Kay Kyser
80. When You Wish Upon A Star
Cliff Edwards / Glenn Miller / Guy Lombardo
81. Open The Door, Richard
Count Basie / Three Flames / Dusty Fletcher
82. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)
Louis Jordan / Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
83. Shoo-Shoo Baby
Andrews Sisters / Ella Mae Morse
84. Linda
Ray Noble (Buddy Clark) / Charlie Spivak
85. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
Ella Fitzgerald & the Ink Spots
86. Jukebox Saturday Night
Glenn Miller (Marion Hutton, Tex Beneke & the Modernaires)
87. Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
Red Foley
88. Some Enchanted Evening
Perry Como / Bing Crosby / Jo Stafford / Frank Sinatra
89. Rag Mop
Ames Brothers / Johnnie Lee Wills
90. On The Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe
Johnny Mercer / Bing Crosby
91. Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition!
Kay Kyser / Merry Macs
92. I'll Walk Alone
Dinah Shore / Martha Tilton / Mary Martin
93. Ballerina
Vaughn Monroe / Buddy Clark / Bing Crosby
94. I'm looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover
Art Mooney / Russ Morgan / Alvino Rey
95. Jersey Bounce
Benny Goodman / Jimmy Dorsey
96. Mule Train
Frankie Laine / Tennessee Ernie Ford / Bing Crosby / Vaughn Monroe
97. G.I. Jive
Louis Jordan / Johnny Mercer
98. You Call Everybody Darlin'
Al Trace / Andrews Sisters / Anne Vincent
99. Maybe
Ink Spots
100. Der Fuehrer's Face
Spike Jones (Carl Grayson & Willie Spicer)
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Edited By: Bruce
Last Updated: 2009-12-21
Last Updated: 2009-12-21