"YOU DO" 1947 TOP 10 (from the movie "MOTHER WORE TIGHTS"/This is one of those songs Doris SHOULD have recorded; Her version is the song is the best! Check the others out on "Same Song/Different Version" page)
"FEUDIN' AND FIGHTIN', 1947 Believe it or not, this song Topped the Hit Parade in #1 Slot. The version by Doris from back then, is another example of how well she handles a novelty tune, as always.
THIS VIDEO PICTURE BELOW COMES COURTESY OF DAN C. IN THE UK, WHO FOUND IT BURIED SOMEWHERE IN THE YOUTUBE FILES. THANKS, DAN...IT'S A TREASURE FROM THE DORIS DAY "BEST FRIENDS" SHOW WHEN HER GUEST WAS LES BROWN. UNFORTUNATELY, YOUTUBE HAS REMOVED THE VIDEO ITSELF, BUT WE RETAIN THE PICTURE WHERE DORIS IS SINGING "SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY" ONCE AGAIN IN 1985.
(at the moment, the full youtube is now back...so enjoy!)
"IT DON'T MEAN A THING, IF IT AIN'T GOT THAT SWING......" (CLICK)
THE BIG BAND BEAT EARLY TO MID 1940'S
TOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA (FRANK SINATRA ON VOCAL) AND HUNDREDS OF SCREAMING BOBBYSOXERS (CLICK)
1939-1940 GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA "IN THE MOOD" (THE MOST POPULAR INSTRUMENTAL RECORD OF ALL TIME)
Glenn Miller, in a relatively short career, had more gold records that any other orchestra leader in the history of charted music.
HOWEVER...THE LONGEST BIG BAND RUN IN HISTORY WAS NOT GLENN MILLER; In 1932, a band was begun by Les Brown. From then, till his death in 2001, Les led his Band of Renown. In person, In live concert, on radio, on tv, in films...the title was well-deserved. Today, the band plays on, helmed by his son, Les Brown Jr. The biggest year for Les and the Orchestra was 1945. That was the year of two GIANTS; the biggest Big Band songs of all time, "SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY" and "MY DREAMS ARE GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME". Both featured the world's most popular female band singer, Doris Day. While those tunes are well known, some others by Les and Doris were also very popular. Here are a few:
"IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING" FROM THE MOVIE, "STATE FAIR"
"I DREAM OF YOU"
"THAT'S FOR ME" from "STATE FAIR"
"I'M MAKING BELIEVE"
IN THE NEXT VIDEO, FAMOUS SINGER AL MARTINO OFFERS A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO THE BIG BANDS OF THE 30'S AND 40'S:
HOWEVER, IN THE EARLY 1940'S, BEFORE HIS DEATH, GLENN MILLER SOLD MORE RECORDS THAN ANY OTHER ARTIST OF HIS TIME AND OFTEN HAD 8 OR 10 HITS IN THE TOP TEN
"JUKEBOX SATURDAY NIGHT" 1940'S VERSION
ONE ICON; ONE BEGINNER AND CERTAINLY A TRULY SPECIAL EARLY TV TREAT!!!!!!! (CLICK)
THE FIFTIES HAD SOME GREAT SONGS AND ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS...
For those who like the vocal groups of the 50's and 60's, here is a rare appearance by THE AMES BROTHERS and THE MCGUIRE SISTERS singing "Side By Side" (The Kay Starr Hit)
NEIL SEDAKA'S HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL:
AND NOW, EVERYBODY....WHY DON'T WE ALL GET "LOST IN THE 50'S TONIGHT" RONNIE MILSAP
IN THE EARLY 1950'S, SEVERAL SINGERS BECAME FAMOUS BY USING A BIG ORCHESTRA BACKING TO SONGS THAT WERE KNOWN AS PRODUCTION NUMBERS. THEY HAD BIG INTRO'S AND BUILT TO A BIG FINISH. HERE ARE JUST A FEW: (CLICK TITLE)
MOVIES HAD A LOT OF "CUTE" SONGS. DO YOU REMEMBER???????????
DEBBIE REYNOLDS AND CARLETON CARPENTER IN "TWO WEEKS WITH LOVE"
#3 1951 "ABBA DABBA HONEYMOON"
FROM "MY DREAM IS Y0URS"(1949) DORIS DAY SINGS "TIC TIC TIC" (THE GEIGER COUNTER SONG)
MOVIES HAD SOME BEAUTIFUL SONGS, TOO...LIKE THIS ONE:
RITA HAYWORTH AND GENE KELLY IN "COVER GIRL" THE SONG, "LONG AGO AND FAR AWAY" 1944
"WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE" FRANK SINATRA/CELESTE HOLM from "HIGH SOCIETY"
"ZING A LITTLE ZONG" 1952 OSCAR NOMINATED BING CROSBY & JANE WYMAN from the film, "JUST FOR YOU"
1948 "A DATE WITH JUDY" JANE POWELL AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR, SINGING ON SCREEN... "IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL DAY" (one of only 2x Taylor sang in the movies)
HERE IS THE OTHER TIME.....
1977 FILM VERSION OF BROADWAY SHOW, "A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC" LIZ SINGS "SEND IN THE CLOWNS"
"STARLIFT" 1951 GORDON MACRAE AND DORIS DAY PLAY THEMSELVES IN THIS FILM ABOUT HOLLYWOOD'S EFFORTS TO ENTERTAIN THE TROOPS. THEY SING: "YOU'RE GONNA LOSE YOUR GAL"
The ingenuity of Les Paul and Mary Ford Mary's voice 26 times Les and his guitar with 26 tracks on "HOW HIGH THE MOON" 1951 GOLD RECORD
MORE OLDIES COLLECTIONS FROM THE 50'S AND 60'S
NOTHING LIKE GOOD OLD OLDIES....
ANDY WILLIAMS TV SPECIAL WITH JULIE ANDREWS AND THE OSMOND BROTHERS 11/30/64 (CLICK HERE)
IT'S ALWAYS TIME TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS
PERRY COMO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND 1984 GUEST STAR: ANN MARGARET (CLICK HERE)
BING CROSBY AND DAVID BOWIE ON 1977 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL "PEACE ON EARTH/DRUMMER BOY" DUET (CLICK HERE)
WERE YOU A FAN OF TV WESTERNS? CHECK OUT THIS REUNION: (CLICK HERE)
COMMERCIALS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF TV. REMEMBER THESE? (CLICK HERE)
WE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING FROM ONE OF OUR WEBSITE FRIENDS IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, AND WE WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH ALL OF YOU. MANY THANKS TO FRANK WARTHEN!
TALK ABOUT MEMORY LANE!!!!
The link below will take you to a video showing the very first public singing of "GOD BLESS AMERICA.” But before you watch, you should also know the story of the song. The time was 1940. America was still in a terrible economic depression. Hitler was taking over Europe and Americans were afraid we'd have to go to war. It was a time of hardship and worry for most Americans.
This was the era just before TV, when radio shows were HUGE, and American families sat around their radios in the evenings, listening to their favorite entertainers - and no entertainer of that era was bigger than Kate Smith. Kate was also large in size, and the popular phrase still used today is in deference to her, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings." Kate Smith might not have made it big in the age of TV, but with her voice coming over the radio, she was the biggest star of her time.
Kate was also very patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so depressed and afraid of what the next day would bring. She had hope for America, and faith in her fellow Americans. She wanted to do something to cheer them up, so she went to the famous American song-writer, Irving Berlin (also wrote "White Christmas") and asked him to write a song that would make Americans feel good again about their country. When she described what she was looking for, he said he had just the song for her. He went to his files and found a song that he had written, but never published, 22 years before - way back in 1917. He gave it to Kate Smith and she worked on it with her studio orchestra. She and Irving Berlin were not sure how the song would be received by the public, but both agreed they would not take any profits from "God Bless America "- any profits would go to the Boy Scouts of America. Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of dollars in royalties from this song.
This video starts out with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the orchestra and an audience. She introduces the new song for the very first time, and starts singing. After the first couple verses, with her voice in the background still singing, scenes are shown from the 1940 movie, "You're In The Army Now." At the 4:20 mark of the video you see a young actor in the movie, sitting in an office, reading a paper - it's Ronald Reagan. Frank Sinatra considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time, and said when he and a million other guys first heard her sing "God Bless America "on the radio, they all pretended to have "dust in their eyes" as they wiped away a tear or two.
To this day, "God Bless America" stirs our patriotic feelings and pride in our country. Back in 1940, when Kate Smith went looking for a song to raise the spirits of her fellow Americans, I doubt she realized just how successful the results would be - for her fellow Americans during those years of hardship and worry, and for many generations of Americans to follow. Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you will enjoy it and treasure it even more. God Bless America !
NOW HERE IS HOW "GOD BLESS AMERICA " SHOULD BE SUNG
KATE SMITH, WITH COMPLETE INTRODUCTION
From "COKE TIME WITH EDDIE FISHER" EARLY 50'S TV SHOW(CLICK)
An Original Crooner... RUDY VALLEE...."HEIGH HO, EVERYBODY"
If you were alive in 1957, and old enough to enjoy Rock and Roll, you will probably remember the group, "The Diamonds" who had just launched their super hit "Little Darlin' ". For you that are too young to remember - it was a time when the performers were happy, enjoying themselves, respecting their fans, dressed appropriately and their lyrics could be understood. They did not feel obligated to scream, eat the microphone, mumble inaudible lyrics or trash the set.
In 1957, The Diamonds had a hit with "Little Darlin". 47 years later, they were requested to perform at Atlantic City ... This link leads to both performances.
Watch the first one then scroll down for the new one 47 years later.
OVER AND OVER AGAIN.... THE MOST OFTEN RECORDED SONGS
HOW MANY OF THESE GREAT STANDARDS DO YOU KNOW? (NOTE: THE LIST STOPS IN 1954, THE APPROXIMATE DATE WHEN ROCK AND ROLL TOOK OVER. DO WE ASSUME THAT THOSE WHO COMPILE LISTS DO NOT CONSIDER THE SONGS WRITTEN AFTER THAT TO BE CATEGORIZED AS STANDARDS?) TRY THE RESEARCH: YOU WILL NOT FIND MANY SONGS LISTED AS STANDARDS BEYOND THAT. ONE EXCEPTION: FROM THE SIXTIES, "YESTERDAY", RECORDED BY HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS SINCE. HEREWITH IS ONE OF THE LISTS WE UNCOVERED. FOR ANOTHER ONE (AND ONE WE LIKE BETTER), CHECK OUR MUSIC! MUSIC! MUSIC! PAGE.
THE TOP 100 MOST RECORDED SONGS 1890-1954:
No. Song
1 White Christmas
2 St. Louis Blues
3 Star Dust
4 Body and Soul
5 Summertime
6 Swanee River
7 Tea for Two
8 Silent Night
9 All the Things You Are
10 Night and Day
11 Begin the Beguine
12 Danny Boy
13 Sweet Georgia Brown
14 The Man I Love
15 OVER THE RAINBOW
16 CARAVAN
17 YESTERDAYS
18. AFTER YOU'VE GONE
19 Ain't Misbehavin' 20 Lover, Come Back to Me 21 What is This Thing Called Love? 22 I Can't Get Started 23 Jingle Bells 24 I Can't Give You Anything But Love 25 My Old Kentucky Home 26 When the Saints Go Marching In 27 (tie) Tenderly/It's Magic 28 Blue Skies 29 September Song 30 My Blue Heaven 31 (tie) Sentimental Journey/ Always 32 Tiger Rag 33 What's New
34 Home, Sweet Home 35 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes 36 These Foolish Things
37 Ol' Man River 38 Limehouse Blues 39 Sheik of Araby 40 Embraceable You 41 My Funny Valentine 42 Stormy Weather 43 12th Street Rag 44 Blue Moon 45 The Battle Hymn of the Republic 46 My Melancholy Baby 47 I Got Rhythm 48 Honeysuckle Rose 49 Love's Old Sweet Song 50 The Stars and Stripes Forever 51 Where or When 52 Laura 53 Mood Indigo 54 The Christmas Song 55 Love for Sale 56 Georgia On My Mind 57 San Antonio Rose 58 How High the Moon 59 Someone to Watch Over Me 60 I Only Have Eyes for You 61 Sweet Sue, Just You 62 The Darktown Strutters' Ball 63 On the Sunny Side of the Street 64 Silver Threads Among the Gold 65 I'm in the Mood for Love 66 (tie) Deep Purple/ I'm Confessin'
67. Sometimes I'm Happy
68. I've Got You Under My Skin 69 The Star-Spangled Banner 70 Easy to Love 71 Avalon 72 Willow Weep for Me 73 Dinah 74 Moonglow 75 Auld Lang Syne 76 Carry Me Back to Old Virginny 77 Alexander's Ragtime Band 78 Santa Claus is Comin' to Town 79 Basin Street Blues 80 Sweet Lorraine 81 I'll Remember April 82 Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer 83 Solitude
84 Some of These Days 85 Stella by Starlight 86 Maple Leaf Rag 87 Lover 88 The Way You Look Tonight 89 Pennies from Heaven 90 Dancing in the Dark 91 Indiana/ Secret Love 92 April in Paris 93 As Time Goes By 94 Royal Garden Blues 95 The Very Thought of You 96 Lover Man 97 'Round Midnight 98 Perdido
99 All of Me 100 What's New
ANOTHER GOOD LIST COMES FROM NPR. THE MOST IMPORTANT MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS OF THE 20TH CENTURY.CLICK ON THIS LINK.