Table of Contents
Unlike the decades before, solo artists dominated pop music worldwide in the 1940s. The big bands could no longer pay the music clubs because of the lousy economy. After World War II, big bands were gradually replaced by male and female singers.
Pop music in the 40s included swing and jazz.
The most famous singers of the 1940s were Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, who rose to become the best-selling male pop artists of the decade. In addition to music, they were also regularly featured in the significant media of film and radio.
Other important representatives of ’40s music included Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Nat “King” Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ink Spots.
The top 100 songs of the Forties were chosen for their initial and enduring popularity and their impact and influence on the course of music history. Many of the following songs were recorded by more than one artist. We have chosen to perform the most significant version of the song with the associated artist.
Trivia: The song “White Christmas” by U.S. singer and actor Bing Crosby is the best-selling song of all time. The Christmas Carol Has been sold over 50 million times according to the Guinness Book of Records.
(At the end of the article, we have created a Spotify playlist for you with all songs listed here.)
The 100 most successful songs of the 1940s:
Each song is linked to the corresponding music video via the title.
| №: | Listen: | Performer: | Year: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | White Christmas | Bing Crosby | 1947 | |
| 2. | Besame Mucho | Jimmy Dorsey | 1944 | |
| 3. | Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall | Ella Fitzgerald & the Ink Spots | 1944 | |
| 4. | Amapola | Jimmy Dorsey | 1941 | |
| 5. | On The Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe | Johnny Mercer | 1944 | |
| 6. | Comin’ In On A Wing And A Prayer | Song Spinners | 1943 | |
| 7. | Rag Mop | Ames Brothers | 1949 | |
| 8. | The Christmas Song | Nat “King” Cole | 1946 | |
| 9. | Shoo-Shoo Baby | Andrews Sisters | 1943 | |
| 10. | Lovesick Blues | Hank Williams | 1949 | |
| 11. | There! I’ve Said It Again | Vaughn Monroe | 1945 | |
| 12. | God Bless The Child | Billie Holiday | 1941 | |
| 13. | Sleepy Lagoon | Harry James | 1940 | |
| 14. | Stormy Weather | Lena Horne | 1943 | |
| 15. | Peg O’ My Heart | Harmonicats | 1947 | |
| 16. | ‘Round Midnight | Thelonious Monk | 1944 | |
| 17. | Don’t Fence Me In | Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters | 1944 | |
| 18. | The Breeze And I | Jimmy Dorsey (Bob Eberly) | 1940 | |
| 19. | Walking the Floor Over You | Ernest Tubb | 1941 | |
| 20. | Slippin’ Around | Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely | 1949 | |
| 21. | Take The “A” Train | Duke Ellington | 1941 | |
| 22. | Cruising Down The River | Blue Barron | 1949 | |
| 23. | This Land Is Your Land | Woody Guthrie | 1940 | |
| 24. | I’ve Heard That Song Before | Harry James | 1942 | |
| 25. | Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me) | Woody Herman | 1942 | |
| 26. | Jingle, Jangle, Jingle | Kay Kyser | 1942 | |
| 27. | Rum And Coca-Cola | Andrews Sisters | 1944 | |
| 28. | My Sister and I | Jimmy Dorsey | 1941 | |
| 29. | As Time Goes By | Dooley Wilson | 1942 | |
| 30. | Tuxedo Junction | Glenn Miller | 1940 | |
| 31. | I’ll Get By (As Long As I Have You) | Harry James | 1941 | |
| 32. | You Are My Sunshine | Jimmie Davis | 1940 | |
| 33. | Green Eyes | Jimmy Dorsey | 1941 | |
| 34. | We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, And Me) | Ink Spots | 1940 | |
| 35. | Star Dust | Artie Shaw | 1940 | |
| 36. | Pistol Packin’ Mama | Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters | 1943 | |
| 37. | Bouquet of Roses | Eddy Arnold | 1948 | |
| 38. | Daddy | Sammy Kaye | 1941 | |
| 39. | Nature Boy | Nat “King” Cole | 1948 | |
| 40. | Baby It’s Cold Outside | Johnny Mercer & Margaret Whiting | 1944 | |
| 41. | Candy Kisses | George Morgan | 1948 | |
| 42. | Swinging On A Star | Bing Crosby | 1944 | |
| 43. | (There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover | Vera Lynn | 1942 | |
| 44. | Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) | Tex Williams | 1947 | |
| 45. | Frenesi | Artie Shaw | 1940 | |
| 46. | There Are Such Things | Tommy Dorsey | 1943 | |
| 47. | Smoke on the Water | Red Foley | 1944 | |
| 48. | Brazil | Xavier Cugat | 1942 | |
| 49. | Opus № 1 | Tommy Dorsey | 1944 | |
| 50. | Till The End Of Time | Perry Como | 1945 | |
| 51. | Cool Water | Sons Of The Pioneers | 1948 | |
| 52. | Tangerine | Jimmy Dorsey | 1941 | |
| 53. | That Lucky Old Sun | Frankie Laine | 1949 | |
| 54. | Anniversary Song | Al Jolson | 1942 | |
| 55. | You Always Hurt The One You Love | Mills Brothers | 1944 | |
| 56. | In The Blue Of The Evening | Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra) | 1943 | |
| 57. | Moonlight Cocktail | Glenn Miller | 1942 | |
| 58. | A Night In Tunisia | Dizzy Gillespie | 1942 | |
| 59. | Buttons And Bows | Dinah Shore | 1948 | |
| 60. | Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be) | Billie Holiday | 1941 | |
| 61. | New San Antonio Rose | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | 1940 | |
| 62. | Prisoner Of Love | Perry Como | 1946 | |
| 63. | (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons | Nat “King” Cole | 1945 | |
| 64. | I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire | Ink Spots | 1941 | |
| 65. | Paper Doll | Mills Brothers | 1942 | |
| 66. | Near You | Francis Craig | 1947 | |
| 67. | I Can Dream, Can’t I | Andrews Sisters | 1949 | |
| 68. | Sentimental Journey | Les Brown (Doris Day) | 1944 | |
| 69. | Blues In The Night | Woody Herman | 1941 | |
| 70. | A String Of Pearls | Glenn Miller | 1941 | |
| 71. | A Tree In The Meadow | Margaret Whiting | 1948 | |
| 72. | Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer | Gene Autry | 1940 | |
| 73. | To Each His Own | Eddy Howard | 1946 | |
| 74. | The Old Lamp-Lighter | Sammy Kaye | 1946 | |
| 75. | (I’ve Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo | Glenn Miller | 1942 | |
| 76. | Don’t Get Around Much Anymore | Ink Spots | 1948 | |
| 77. | Oh! What It Seemed To Be | Frankie Carle | 1945 | |
| 78. | I’ll Never Smile Again | Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra) | 1940 | |
| 79. | Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t (Ma’ Baby) | Louis Jordan | 1943 | |
| 80. | Pistol Packin’ Mama | Al Dexter | 1943 | |
| 81. | Linda | Ray Noble (Buddy Clark) | 1946 | |
| 82. | Auld Lang Syne | Guy Lombardo | 1946 | |
| 83. | Imagination | Glenn Miller | 1940 | |
| 84. | The Gypsy | Ink Spots | 1946 | |
| 85. | Daddy | Sammy Kaye | 1941 | |
| 86. | When You Wish Upon A Star | Cliff Edwards | 1940 | |
| 87. | Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive | Johnny Mercer | 1944 | |
| 88. | Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy | Red Foley | 1949 | |
| 89. | You’ll Never Know | Dick Haymes | 1943 | |
| 90. | Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition! | Kay Kyser | 1943 | |
| 91. | That’s My Desire | Frankie Laine | 1946 | |
| 92. | I’ll Walk Alone | Dinah Shore | 1944 | |
| 93. | Manana (Is Soon Enough For Me) | Peggy Lee | 1947 | |
| 94. | Ballerina | Vaughn Monroe | 1947 | |
| 95. | Maria Elena | Jimmy Dorsey | 1941 | |
| 96. | Mule Train | Frankie Laine | 1949 | |
| 97. | Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! | Vaughn Monroe | 1946 | |
| 98. | Some Enchanted Evening | Perry Como | 1949 | |
| 99. | Blue Moon of Kentucky | Bill Monroe | 1947 | |
| 100. | Open The Door, Richard | Count Basie | 1947 |
