List of Billboard number-one singles of the 1940s
This article is about the US number-one songs chart held during the 1940s.
| Billboard Hot 100 & Best Sellers in Stores number-one singles by decade | |
|---|---|
| Before August 1958 | |
| After August 1958 | |
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Billboard number-one singles chart (which preceded the Billboard Hot 100 chart), which was updated weekly by the Billboard magazine, was the main singles chart of the American music industry since 1940 and until the Billboard Hot 100 chart was established in 1958.
Before the Billboard Hot 100 chart was established in August 1958, which was based on a formula combining sales data of commercially available singles and airplay on American radio stations, the Billboard used to publish several song popularity charts weekly. Throughout most of the 1940s the magazine published the following three charts:
- Best Selling Singles – ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country.
- Most Played Juke Box Records (debuted January 1944) – ranked the most played songs in jukeboxes across the United States.
- Most Played by Jockeys (debuted February 1945) – ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys and radio stations.
The list below includes the Best Selling Singles chart only.
Number ones
- Key
- ♪ – Number-one single of the year
| Contents |
|---|
Bing Crosby had the highest number of hits at the top of the Billboard number-one singles chart during the 1940s (9 songs). In addition, Crosby remained the longest at the top of the Billboard number-one singles chart during the 1940s (55 weeks).
Jimmy Dorsey remained at the top of the Billboard number-one singles chart for 32 weeks.
Glenn Miller remained at the top of the Billboard number-one singles chart for 31 weeks.
| Reached number one |
Artist(s) | Single | Record label | Weeks at number one |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | |||||
| July 27, 1940 | Tommy Dorsey | "I'll Never Smile Again" | Victor | 12 | [1] |
| October 19, 1940 | Bing Crosby | "Only Forever" | Decca | 9 | [1] |
| December 21, 1940 | Artie Shaw | "Frenesi" | Victor | 12 | [1] |
| 1941 | |||||
| March 15, 1941 | Glenn Miller | "Song of the Volga Boatmen" | Bluebird | 1 | [1] |
| March 22, 1941 | Artie Shaw | "Frenesi" | Victor | 1 | [1] |
| March 29, 1941 | Jimmy Dorsey | "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" | Decca | 10 | [1] |
| June 7, 1941 | Jimmy Dorsey | "My Sister and I" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| June 14, 1941 | Jimmy Dorsey | "Maria Elena" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| June 21, 1941 | Sammy Kaye | "Daddy" | Victor | 1 | [1] |
| June 28, 1941 | Jimmy Dorsey | "My Sister and I" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| July 5, 1941 | Jimmy Dorsey | "Maria Elena" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| July 12, 1941 | Sammy Kaye | "Daddy" | Victor | 7 | [1] |
| August 30, 1941 | Jimmy Dorsey | "Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)" | Decca | 4 | [1] |
| September 27, 1941 | Jimmy Dorsey | "Blue Champagne" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| October 4, 1941 | Freddy Martin | "Piano Concerto in B Flat" | Bluebird | 8 | [1] |
| November 29, 1941 | Glenn Miller | "Chattanooga Choo Choo" | Bluebird | 3 | [1] |
| December 20, 1941 | Glenn Miller | "Elmer's Tune" | Bluebird | 1 | [1] |
| December 27, 1941 | Glenn Miller | "Chattanooga Choo Choo" | Bluebird | 6 | [1] |
| 1942 | |||||
| February 7, 1942 | Glenn Miller | "A String of Pearls" | Bluebird | 1 | [1] |
| February 14, 1942 | Woody Herman | "Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me)" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| February 21, 1942 | Glenn Miller | "A String of Pearls" | Bluebird | 1 | [1] |
| February 28, 1942 | Glenn Miller | "Moonlight Cocktail" | Bluebird | 10 | [1] |
| May 9, 1942 | Jimmy Dorsey | "Tangerine" | Decca | 6 | [1] |
| June 20, 1942 | Harry James | "Sleepy Lagoon" | 4 | [1] | |
| July 18, 1942 | Kay Kyser | "Jingle Jangle Jingle" | Columbia | 8 | [1] |
| September 12, 1942 | Glenn Miller | "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" | Victor | 7 | [1] |
| October 31, 1942 | Bing Crosby | "White Christmas" | Decca | 11 | [1] |
| 1943 | |||||
| January 16, 1943 | Tommy Dorsey | "There Are Such Things" | Victor | 4 | [1] |
| February 13, 1943 | Harry James | "I Had The Craziest Dream" | Columbia | 2 | [1] |
| February 27, 1943 | Tommy Dorsey | "There Are Such Things" | Victor | 1 | [1] |
| March 6, 1943 | Harry James | "I've Heard That Song Before" | Columbia | 12 | [1] |
| May 29, 1943 | Glenn Miller | "That Old Black Magic" | Victor | 1 | [1] |
| June 5, 1943 | Harry James | "I've Heard That Song Before" | Columbia | 1 | [1] |
| June 12, 1943 | Benny Goodman | "Taking A Chance On Love" | Columbia | 3 | [1] |
| July 3, 1943 | The Song Spinners | "Comin' In On A Wing And A Prayer" | Decca | 3 | [1] |
| July 24, 1943 | Dick Haymes | "You'll Never Know" | Decca | 4 | [1] |
| August 21, 1943 | Tommy Dorsey | "In the Blue of Evening" | Victor | 3 | [1] |
| September 11, 1943 | Bing Crosby | "Sunday, Monday Or Always" | Decca | 7 | [1] |
| October 30, 1943 | Al Dexter | "Pistol Packin' Mama" | Okeh | 1 | [1] |
| November 6, 1943 | Mills Brothers | "Paper Doll" | Decca | 12 | [1] |
| 1944 | |||||
| January 29, 1944 | Glen Gray | "My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?)" | Decca | 5 | [1] |
| March 4, 1944 | Jimmy Dorsey | "Besame Mucho (Kiss Me Much)" | Decca | 7 | [1] |
| April 22, 1944 | Guy Lombardo | "It's Love-Love-Love" | Decca | 2 | [1] |
| May 6, 1944 | Bing Crosby | "I Love You" | Decca | 5 | [1] |
| June 10, 1944 | Harry James | "I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" | Columbia | 3 | [1] |
| July 1, 1944 | Bing Crosby | "I'll Be Seeing You" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| July 8, 1944 | Harry James | "I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" | Columbia | 1 | [1] |
| July 15, 1944 | Bing Crosby | "I'll Be Seeing You" | Decca | 3 | [1] |
| August 5, 1944 | Bing Crosby | "Swinging On A Star" | Decca | 9 | [1] |
| October 7, 1944 | Mills Brothers | "You Always Hurt The One You Love" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| October 14, 1944 | Dinah Shore | "I'll Walk Alone" | Victor | 1 | [1] |
| October 21, 1944 | Mills Brothers | "You Always Hurt The One You Love" | Decca | 2 | [1] |
| November 4, 1944 | Dinah Shore | "I'll Walk Alone" | Victor | 3 | [1] |
| November 25, 1944 | Mills Brothers | "You Always Hurt The One You Love" | Decca | 2 | [1] |
| December 9, 1944 | The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald | "I'm Making Believe" | Decca | 2 | [1] |
| December 23, 1944 | Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters | "Don't Fence Me In" | Decca | 8 | [1] |
| 1945 | |||||
| February 17, 1945 | The Andrews Sisters | "Rum and Coca-Cola" | Decca | 7 | [1] |
| April 7, 1945 | Les Brown & Doris Day | "My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time" | Columbia | 7 | [1] |
| May 26, 1945 | Les Brown & Doris Day | "Sentimental Journey" | Columbia | 9 | [1] |
| July 28, 1945 | Johnny Mercer | "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" | 7 | [1] | |
| September 15, 1945 | Perry Como | "Till The End Of Time" | Victor | 9 | [1] |
| November 17, 1945 | Sammy Kaye | "Chickery Chick" | Victor | 1 | [1] |
| November 24, 1945 | Harry James | "It's Been A Long, Long Time" | Columbia | 2 | [1] |
| December 8, 1945 | Bing Crosby and The Les Paul Trio | "It's Been A Long, Long Time" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| December 15, 1945 | Sammy Kaye | "Chickery Chick" | Victor | 1 | [1] |
| December 22, 1945 | Harry James | "It's Been A Long, Long Time" | Columbia | 1 | [1] |
| December 29, 1945 | Sammy Kaye | "Chickery Chick" | Victor | 1 | [1] |
| 1946 | |||||
| January 5, 1946 | Freddy Martin | "Symphony" | Victor | 2 | [1] |
| January 19, 1946 | Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro | "I Can't Begin To Tell You" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| January 26, 1946 | Vaughn Monroe | "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" | Victor | 5 | [1] |
| March 2, 1946 | Betty Hutton | "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" | Capitol | 1 | [1] |
| March 9, 1946 | Johnny Mercer | "Personality" | Capitol | 1 | [1] |
| March 16, 1946 | Frankie Carle | "Oh! What it Seemed to Be" | Columbia | 6 | [1] |
| April 27, 1946 | Sammy Kaye | "I'm A Big Girl Now" | RCA Victor | 1 | [1] |
| May 4, 1946 | Perry Como | "Prisoner of Love"♪ | RCA Victor | 3 | [1] |
| May 25, 1946 | The Ink Spots | "The Gypsy" | Decca | 10 | [1] |
| August 3, 1946 | Perry Como | "Surrender" | RCA Victor | 1 | [1] |
| August 10, 1946 | Eddy Howard | "To Each His Own" | Majestic | 3 | [1] |
| August 31, 1946 | Freddy Martin | "To Each His Own" | RCA Victor | 2 | [1] |
| September 14, 1946 | Frank Sinatra | "Five Minutes More" | Columbia | 1 | [1] |
| September 21, 1946 | The Ink Spots | "To Each His Own" | Decca | 1 | [1] |
| September 28, 1946 | Frank Sinatra | "Five Minutes More" | Columbia | 1 | [1] |
| October 5, 1946 | Eddy Howard | "To Each His Own" | Majestic | 2 | [1] |
| October 19, 1946 | Frankie Carle | "Rumors Are Flying" | Columbia | 8 | [1] |
| December 14, 1946 | Kay Kyser | "Ole Buttermilk Sky" | Columbia | 2 | [1] |
| December 28, 1946 | Sammy Kaye | "The Old Lamp-Lighter" | RCA Victor | 7 | [1] |
| 1947 | |||||
| February 15, 1947 | The King Cole Trio | "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" | Capitol | 1 | [1] |
| February 22, 1947 | Count Basie | "Open The Door, Richard!" | RCA Victor | 1 | [1] |
| March 1, 1947 | Freddy Martin | "Managua, Nicaragua" | RCA Victor | 2 | [1] |
| March 15, 1947 | Ted Weems | "Heartaches" | RCA Victor | 12 | [1] |
| June 7, 1947 | Art Lund | "Mam'selle" | MGM | 2 | [1] |
| June 21, 1947 | The Harmonicats | "Peg O' My Heart" | Vitacoustic | 1 | [1] |
| June 28, 1947 | Perry Como | "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep)" | RCA Victor | 3 | [1] |
| July 19, 1947 | The Harmonicats | "Peg O' My Heart" | Vitacoustic | 3 | [1] |
| August 9, 1947 | Tex Williams | "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" | Capitol | 6 | [1] |
| September 20, 1947 | Francis Craig | "Near You"♪ | Bullet | 12 | [1] |
| December 13, 1947 | Vaughn Monroe | "Ballerina" | RCA Victor | 10 | [1] |
| 1948 | |||||
| February 21, 1948 | Art Mooney | "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" | MGM | 3 | [1] |
| March 13, 1948 | Peggy Lee | "Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)" | Capitol | 9 | [1] |
| May 15, 1948 | Nat King Cole | "Nature Boy" | Capitol | 7 | [1] |
| July 3, 1948 | Kay Kyser | "Woody Wood-Pecker" | Columbia | 6 | [1] |
| August 14, 1948 | Al Trace | "You Call Everybody Darlin'" | Regent | 2 | [1] |
| August 28, 1948 | Pee Wee Hunt | "Twelfth Street Rag" | Capitol | 6 | [1] |
| October 9, 1948 | Margaret Whiting | "A Tree In The Meadow" | Capitol | 2 | [1] |
| October 23, 1948 | Pee Wee Hunt | "Twelfth Street Rag"♪ | Capitol | 2 | [1] |
| November 6, 1948 | Dinah Shore | "Buttons And Bows" | Columbia | 9 | [1] |
| 1949 | |||||
| January 8, 1949 | Spike Jones | "All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)" | RCA Victor | 1 | [1] |
| January 15, 1949 | Dinah Shore | "Buttons and Bows" | Columbia | 1 | [1] |
| January 22, 1949 | Evelyn Knight | "A Little Bird Told Me" | Decca | 7 | [1] |
| March 12, 1949 | Blue Barron | "Cruising Down the River" | MGM | 2 | [1] |
| March 26, 1949 | Russ Morgan | "Cruising Down the River" | Decca | 7 | [1] |
| May 14, 1949 | Vaughn Monroe | "Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)"♪ | RCA Victor | 11 | [1] |
| July 30, 1949 | Perry Como | "Some Enchanted Evening" | RCA Victor | 5 | [1] |
| September 3, 1949 | Vic Damone | "You're Breaking My Heart" | Mercury | 4 | [1] |
| October 1, 1949 | Frankie Laine | "That Lucky Old Sun" | Mercury | 8 | [1] |
| November 26, 1949 | Frankie Laine | "Mule Train" | Mercury | 6 | [1] |
Statistics by decade
By artist
The following artists achieved three or more number-one hits from 1940–1949. A number of artists had number-one singles on their own as well as part of a collaboration.
| Artist | Number-one hits |
|---|---|
| Bing Crosby | 9 |
| Jimmy Dorsey | 7 |
| Glenn Miller | 7 |
| Harry James | 5 |
| Perry Como | 5 |
| Sammy Kaye | 4 |
| Freddy Martin | 4 |
| Vaughn Monroe | 3 |
| Tommy Dorsey | 3 |
| Ink Spots | 3 |
Artists by total number of weeks at number-one
The following artists were featured in top of the chart for the highest total number of weeks during 1940–1949.
| Artist | Weeks at number-one |
|---|---|
| Bing Crosby | 55 |
| Jimmy Dorsey | 32 |
| Glenn Miller | 31 |
| Harry James and Vaughn Monroe | 26 |
| Perry Como | 21 |
| Tommy Dorsey | 20 |
| Sammy Kaye | 19 |
| Mills Brothers | 17 |
Songs by total number of weeks at number-one
The following songs were featured in top of the chart for the highest total number of weeks during 1940–1949.
| Weeks at number one |
Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | "Frenesi" | Artie Shaw |
| 13 | "I've Heard That Song Before" | Harry James |
| 12 | "Heartaches" | Ted Weems |
| 12 | "Near You" | Francis Craig |
| 12 | "Paper Doll" | Mills Brothers |
| 12 | "I'll Never Smile Again" | Tommy Dorsey |
| 11 | "Riders In The Sky" | Vaughn Monroe |
| 11 | "White Christmas" | Bing Crosby |
| 10 | "Amapola" | Jimmy Dorsey |
| 10 | "Moonlight Cocktail" | Glenn Miller |
| 10 | "The Gypsy" | The Ink Spots |
| 10 | "Ballerina" | Vaughn Monroe |
References
- "US Number One Songs - 2017". Bob Borst's Home of Pop Culture. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
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