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A Century of American Songs
Part Two(1861 - 1961)
The classification of a song is a short piece having both words and music.Therefore, there are no instrumental works included on this list.
The categories include:
classical, folk, blues, jazz, pop (or easy listening), stage musicals, movie songs, country & western, rhythm & blues, and rock.
Naturally not all the great songs could be included. It is a matter of subjective opinion which song might be greater than another. There is no way to please everyone's musical tastes.
The survey is based on three criteria:
1. songs which are representative of a musical style.
2. songs evoking their historical period.
3.songs chosen because of their popularity
in sheet music or record sales.The list of 150 songs in Part Two is not based solely on surveys such as the Billboard charts, but the authoritative reference books by Joel Whitburn were used as sources and are indicated where appropriate.
This is a two part survey of 200 songs
(Part One = 50 songs/ Part Two =150 songs).For the first part, click on this link:
Essential American Songs (1759-1859)
Click on these links for each section:
I. The Civil War (1861-1865)
II. The Sentimental Age (1869-1889)IV. Rise of Tin Pan Alley (1900-1910)
V. Home Life and World War I (1911-1919)
VI. The Roaring Twenties (1920-1929)
VII. The Great Depression (1930-1938)
VIII. Radio, Movies and World War II (1939-1949)
IX. The Early Fifties (1950-1954)
X. Youth Market and The Cold War(1955-1961)
Essential American Recordings Survey
The year 2009 marks the the 250th anniversary of the
FIRST SONG WRITTEN BY AN AMERICAN.To honor this anniversary, a survey of recommended recordings has been compiled listing essential American music.
The recordings include a cross section of music, including 18th century psalm tunes, 19th century patriotic songs; 20th century classical, jazz, stage & screen, and popular songs.
To read this survey, go to:
If you know of a possible publisher
for an expanded book version of this survey,
write to:Essential American Recordings Survey
Do you have favorite songs and themes from the past?
Then consider joining this web group:
Membership is Free.
Take part in this year's annual web event known as
The Civil War
To
The Cold War
(1861 - 1961)Selected by Roger Hall, music preservationist
Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories, 1890 - 1954
$ = Top 100 Singles, 1955-1995 (3 or more weeks at No. 1) in
The Billboard Top 100 Singles, 1955-1995,
compiled by Joel Whitburn
Note: Songs are arranged by date, not by popularity or Billboard listing, and emphasis is given to songs written before 1950 due to their historical significance.
w = words/lyrics
m = music
I. The Civil War
(1861 - 1865)
1. "John Brown (John Brown's Body") (1861) -
w: attributed to C.S. Hall/ m: unknown
2. "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1862) -
w: Julia Ward Howe/ m: attributed to William Steffe3. "The Vacant Chair" (1861) - w: H.J. Washburn/ m: George F. Root
4. "The Bonnie Blue Flag" (1861) - w: Harry McCarthy
5. "A Prayer for the Captive" (1862) - w & m: Cecilia DeVere
(Shaker Pacifist Hymn)6. "Go Down, Moses" (c. 1862) - Afro-American Spiritual
7. "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1862) - w & m: George F. Root
8. "Lorena" (1862) - w: Henry D. Webster. m: Joseph P. Webster
9. "Willie Has Gone to the War" (1863) - w & m: Stephen C. Foster
10. "Weeping Sad and Lonely ( When This Cruel War is Over)" --
w: Charles C. Sawyer/ m: Henry Tucker11. "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (1863) -
w & m: Patrick S. Gilmore12. "Tenting On The Old Camp Ground" (1864) -
w & m: Walter Kittredge
II. The Sentimental Age
(1869-1889)
13. "Hymn of Peace" (1869) - w: Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes/
m: Matthias Keller (written for National Peace Jubilee in Boston)14. "Home on the Range" (1873) -
w: Dr. Brewster M. Higley/ m: Daniel E. Kelley15. "Grandfather's Clock" (1876) - w & m: Henry Clay Work
16. "Oh, Promise Me!" (1889) -
w: Clement Scott/m: Reginald De Koven
17. "After the Ball" (1892) - w & m: Charles K. Harris
18. +"The Sidewalks of New York" (1894) - w & m: James W. Blake and Charles B. Lawlor
19. "Waltz" (1894) - w & m: Charles Ives
20. "We Gather Together" (aka: Prayer of Thanksgiving) (1894) -
translated and arranged by Dr. Theodore Baker21. "America the Beautiful" (1895) - w: Katharine Lee Bates/
m: Samuel A. Ward, 188222. +"The Band Played On" (1895) - w: John F. Palmer/
m: Charles B. Ward23. +"On the Banks of the Wabash" (1897) - w & m: Paul Dreiser
24. "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" (1898)
25. "Hello, Ma Baby" (1899) -
w & m: Joseph E. Howard & Ida Emerson
IV. Rise of Tin Pan Alley
(1900-1910)
26. "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (1900) - w: James W. Johnson/
m: J. Rosamond Johnson27. +"Sweet Adeline" (1903) -
w: Richard H. Gerard/ m: Harry Armstrong28. "Toyland" (1903) - words: Glen McDonough/
music: Victor Herbert29. "Give My Regards To Broadway" (1904) -
w & m: George M. Cohan30. +"Meet Me in St. Louis" (1904) - w: Arthur B. Sterling/
m: Kerry Mills31. "I Love You Truly" (1906) - w & m: Carrie Jacobs-Bond
32. +"You're a Grand Old Flag" (1906) -
w & m: George M. Cohan33. +"My Gal Sal"(1907) - w & m: Paul Dresser
34. +"School Days" (1907) - w: Will D. Cobb/
m: Gus Edwards35. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (1908) - words: Jack Norworth/
m: Albert Von Tilzer36. +"By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (1909) -
w: Edward Madden/ m: Gus Edwards37. +"Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" (1909) - w: Stanley Murphy/
m: Percy Wenrich38. "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" (1910) - w: Rida Johnson Young/
m: Victor Herbert39. "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" (1910) - w & m: Beth Slater Whitson and Leo Friedman
40. "Some Of These Days (1910) - w & m: Shelton Brooks
(theme song of singer, Sophie Tucker)
IV. Home Life
and
World War I
(1911-1919)
41. +"Alexander's Ragtime Band" (1911) - w & m: Irving Berlin
42. "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" (1911) - w: A. Seymour Brown/
m: Nat A. Ayer43. "My Melancholy Baby" (1912) - w: George A. Norton/
m: Ernie Burnett44. +"On Moonlight Bay" (1912) - w: Edward Madden/
m: Percy Weinrich45. "Danny Boy" (1913) - w & m: Frederick Edward Weatherly
46. "You Made Me Love You" (1913) - w: Joseph McCarthy/
m: James V. Monaco47. "Play A Simple Melody" (1914) - w & m: Irving Berlin
48. "St. Louis Blues" (1914) - w & m: W.C. Handy
49. "They Didn't Believe Me" (1914) - w: Michael E. Rourke/
m: Jerome Kern50. +"Over There" (1917) - w & m: George M. Cohan
51. "K-K-K-Katy" (1918) - w & m: Geoffrey O'Hara
52. "The Lament of Ian the Proud" (1918) - w: Fiona MacLeod/
m: Charles Tomlinson Griffes53. +"Rock-a-Bye Your Baby" (1918) - w: Sam Lewis & Joe Young/
m: Jean Schwartz54. "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody" (1919) - w & m: Irving Berlin
55. +"Swanee" (1919) - w: Irving Caesar/ m: George Gershwin
VI. The Roaring Twenties
(1920-1929)
56. +"Whispering" (1920) - w & m: John Schonberger,
Richard Coburn, Vincent Rose57. +"April Showers" (1921) - w: Buddy De Sylva/ m: Louis Silvers
58. +"Three O'Clock In The Morning (1921) - w: Theodora Morse/
m: Julian Robledo59. "Goin' Home" (1922) - w & m: Williams Arms Fisher
60. "Charleston" (1923) - w: Cecil Mack/ m: James P. Johnson
61. "Tea For Two" (1924) - w: Irving Caesar/ m: Vincent Youmans
62. "Fascinating Rhythm" (1924) - w: Ira Gershwin/
m: George Gershwin63. "Manhattan" (1925) - w: Lorenz Hart/ m: Richard Rodgers
64. "Someone to Watch Over Me" (1926) - w: Ira Gershwin/
m: George Gershwin65. +"My Blue Heaven" (1927) - w: George Whiting/
m: Walter Donaldson66. "Ol' Man River" (1927) - w: Oscar Hammerstein II/
m: Jerome Kern67. "I Can't Give You Anything But Love"(1928) -
w: Dorothy Fields/ m: Jimmy McHugh68. +"Sonny Boy" (1928) - w & m: Al Jolson, B.G. DeSylva,
Lew Brown, Ray Henderson69. +"Star Dust" (1929) - w: Mitchell Parrish/ m: Hoagy Carmichael
70. "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1929) - w: Andy Razaf/ m: Fats Waller
71. "You Were Meant For Me" (1929) - w: Arthur Freed/m: Nacio Herb Brown
72. "Happy Days Are Here Again" (1929) - w: Jack Yellen/
m: Milton Ager
VII. The Great Depression
(1930-1938)
73. "Body and Soul" (1930) - w: Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour/ m: Johnny Green
74. "I Got Rhythm" (1930) - w: Ira Gershwin/ m: George Gershwin
75. +"As Time Goes By" (1931) - w & m: Herman Hupfeld
76. "Mood Indigo" (1931) - w & m: Edward "Duke" Ellington and Irving Mills
77. "Brother Can You Spare A Dime?" (1932) - w: E.Y. Harburg/
m: Jay Gorney78. +"The Last Round-Up" (1933) - w & m: Billy Hill
79. +"Night and Day" (1932) - w & m: Cole Porter
80. +"The Song Is You" (1932) - w: Oscar Hammerstein II/
m: Jerome Kern81. +"Forty-Second Street" (1933) - w: Al Dubin/ m: Harry Warren
82. "Sophisticated Lady" (1933) - w: Mitchell Parrish, Irving Mills/
m: Duke Ellington83. +"Stormy Weather" (1933) - w: Ted Koehler/ m: Harold Arlen
84. "Anything Goes" (1934) - w & m: Cole Porter
85. +"Blue Moon" (1934) - w: Lorenz Hart/ m: Richard Rodgers
86. "Solitude" (1934) - w: Eddie DeLange, Irving Mills/
m: Duke Ellington87. "Begin the Beguine" (1935) - w & m: Cole Porter
88. +"Cheek to Cheek" (1935) - w & m: Irving Berlin
89. "I've Got You Under My Skin" (1935) - w & m: Cole Porter
90. "Lullaby of Broadway" (1935) - w: Al Dubin/ m: Harry Warren
(Oscar-winning song from GOLD DIGGERS OF 1935)91. "Summertime" (1935) - w: DuBose Heyward/
m: George Gershwin (from opera, PORGY AND BESS)92. "I'm An Old Cow Hand (From The Rio Grande)(1936) -
w & m: Johnny Mercer93. +"Pennies From Heaven (1936) - w: Johnny Burke/
m: Arthur Johnston94. "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936) - w: Dorothy Fields/
m: Jerome Kern (Oscar-winning song from SWING TIME)95. +"Hooray For Hollywood" (1937) - w: Johnny Mercer/
m: Richard Whiting96: "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (1937) -
w: Ira Gershwin/ m: George Gershwin97. "Our Love is Here to Stay" (1938) - w: Ira Gershwin/
m: George Gershwin98. +"Sweet Leilani" (1938) - w & m: Harry Owens (Oscar-winning
song from WAIKIKI WEDDING)99. "God Bless America" (1938) - w & m: Irving Berlin
100. "Thanks For The Memory" (1938) - w: Leo Robin/
m: Ralph Rainger (Oscar-winning song from THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938, and later the theme song for Bob Hope)
VIII. Radio, Movies
and
World War II
(1939-1949)
101. "All the Things You Are" (1939) - w: Oscar Hammerstein II/
m: Jerome Kern102. "Over the Rainbow" (1939) - w: E.Y. Harburg/ m: Harold Arlen
103. +"Deep Purple (1939) - w: Mitchell Parrish/ m: Peter DeRose
104. "In The Mood" (1939) - w: Andy Razaf/ m: Joe Garland
105. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (1940) -
w: Lorenz Hart/ m: Richard Rodgers106. "When You Wish Upon a Star" (1940) - w: Ned Washington/
m: Leigh Harline107. "Blues in the Night" (1941) - w: Johnny Mercer/
m: Harold Arlen108. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Of Company B (1941) -
w & m: Don Raye and Hughie Prince109. +"Chattanooga Choo-Choo" (1941) - w: Mack Gordon/
m: Harry Warren110. "At Last" (1942) - w: Mack Gordon/m: Harry Warren
111. +"White Christmas" (1942) - w & m: Irving Berlin
112. +"Paper Doll" (1943) - w & m: Johnny S. Black
113. "People Will Say We're in Love'"(1943) - w: Oscar Hammerstein II/ m: Richard Rodgers
114. "Ac-cent-tchuate the Positive" (1944) - w: Johnny Mercer/
m: Harold Arlen115. "I'll Be Seeing You" (1944) - w: Irving Kahal/
m: Sammy Fain116. "Laura" (1945) - w: Johnny Mercer/m: David Raksin
117. "On The Atcheson, Topeka and Sante Fe" (1946) -
w: Johnny Mercer/ m: Harry Warren (Oscar-winning song from
THE HARVEY GIRLS)118. "Stella By Starlight" (1946) - w: Ned Washington/m: Victor Young
119. "There's No Business Like Show Business" (1946) - w & m: Irving Berlin
120. "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" (1946) - w: Ray Gilbert/
m: Allie Wrubel (Oscar-winning song from SONG OF THE SOUTH)121. +"Near You" (1947) - w: Kermit Goell/ m: Francis Craig
122. +"Ghost Riders in the Sky" (1949) - w & m: Stan Jones
123. +"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1949) -
w & m: Johnny Marks
IX. The Early Fifties
(1950-1954)
124. "Mona Lisa" (1950) - w: Ray Evans/ m: Jay Livingston
125. +"Goodnight, Irene" (1950) - w & m: Huddie Ledbetter & Alan Lomax
126. +"The Tennessee Waltz" (1950) - w & m: Redd Stewart
and Pee Wee King (official State of Tennessee song)127. +"Because Of You" (1940/ 1951) - w: Arthur Hamilton/
m: Dudley Wilkinson128. "Cold, Cold Heart" (1952) - w & m: Hank Williams Sr.
129. +"Cry" (1951) - w & m: Churchill Kohlman
130. "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin' (1952) -
w: Ned Washington/ m: Dimitri Tiomkin (Oscar-winning song
from HIGH NOON)131. +"You Belong to Me" (1952) - w & m: Pee Wee King,
Redd Stewart, Chilton Price132. "Secret Love" (1953) - w: Paul Francis Webster/ m: Sammy Fain (Oscar-winning song from CALAMITY JANE)
133. +"Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With You)" (1953) -
w & m: Larry Russell, Inez James, Buddy Pepper
134. "Earth Angel" (1954) - w & m: Curtis Williams135. "Three Coins in the Fountain" (1954) -
w: Sammy Cahn/ m: Jule Styne
X. Youth Market
and
The Cold War
(1955-1961)
136. $ "Rock Around the Clock" (1955) - w & m: Max Freedman and Jimmy DeKnight
137. $"Sincerely" (1955) - w & m: Harvey Fuqua & Alan Freed
138. $ "Don't Be Cruel" (1956) - w & m: Otis Blackwell (not co-written by Elvis Presley)
139. $ "Love Me Tender" (1956) - w & m: Ken Darby (adapted from the Civil War era song, "Aura Lee" - not co-written by Elvis Presley )
140. "On the Street Where You Live" (1956) - w: Alan Jay Lerner/
m: Frederick Loewe (from stage musical, MY FAIR LADY)141. "This Land is Your Land" (written in 1940 but published in 1956) - w & m: Woody Guthrie
142. "True Love" (1956) - w & m: Cole Porter
143. "All the Way" (1957) - w: Sammy Cahn/ m: James Van Heusen
(Oscar-winning song from THE JOKER IS WILD)144. $"Tammy" (1957) - w & m: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
145. "Maria" (1957) - w: Stephen Sondheim/ m: Leonard Bernstein
(from stage musical, WEST SIDE STORY)146. "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" (1959) - w: Oscar Hammerstein II/
m: Richard Rodgers (from stage musical, THE SOUND OF MUSIC)147. $"Mack The Knife" (1952/ 1959) - w: Bertolt Brecht (English translated: Marc Blitstein)/ m: Kurt Weill (from THREE PENNY OPERA) - Grammy Award as Record of the Year for Bobby Darin
148. "Small World" (1959) - w: Stephen Sondheim/ m: Jule Styne
(from stage musical, GYPSY)149. "It's Now Or Never" (1960) - w: Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold/m: based on "O Sole Mio" Italian song
150. $ "Moon River" (1961) - w: Johnny Mercer/ m: Henry Mancini
(Oscar-winning song from BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S)
Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories, 1890 - 1954
$ = Top 100 Singles, 1955-1995 (3 or more weeks at No. 1) in
The Billboard Top 100 Singles, 1955-1995,
compiled by Joel Whitburn
Songwriters with 2 or more songs on the list of 150 songs:
Harold Arlen = 4 [1933, 1939, 1941, 1945]
Irving Berlin = 6 [1911, 1914, 1919, 1938, 1942, 1946]Sammy Cahn = 2 [1954, 1957]
George M. Cohan = 3 [1904, 1906,1917]
Duke Ellington = 3 [1931, 1933, 1934]
Dorothy Fields = 2 [1928, 1936]George Gershwin = 7 [1919, 1924, 1926, 1930, 1935, 1937, 1938 ]
Ira Gershwin = 5 [1924, 1926, 1930, 1937, 1938 ]
Oscar Hammerstein II = 5 [1927, 1934, 1939, 1943, 1959]
E.Y. Harburg = 2 [1932, 1939]
Lorenz Hart = 3 [1925, 1934, 1941]
Victor Herbert = 2 [1903, 1910]
Jerome Kern = 4 [1927, 1934, 1936, 1939]
Jay Livingston & Ray Evans = 2 [1950, 1957]
Johnny Mercer = 6 [1936, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1961]
Mitchell Parrish = 3 [1929, 1933, 1939]
Cole Porter = 5 [1932, 1934, 1935 (2), 1956]
Richard Rodgers = 5 [1925, 1934, 1940, 1943, 1945]
George F. Root = 2 [1861, 1862]
Stephen Sondheim = 2 [1956, 1959]
Harry Warren = 5 [1933, 1935, 1941, 1942, 1946]
Ned Washington = 2 [1940, 1952]
All of the above songs are located in the archive of the
American Music Recordings Collection (AMRC)
Send your comments or questions to:
See also:
Essential American Songs (1759-1859)
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