Songs from the Year 1931

Other Years:

1931

1932

1933

This page lists the top songs of 1931 in the source charts. The way that the various charts are combined to reach this final list is described on the in the site generation page.

Between 1920 and 1940 there are few available charts (at least that we can find). These results should be treated with some caution since, with few exceptions, they are based on fairly subjective charts and biased towards the USA.

The top five song artists of 1931 were:
1:Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	2:Bing Crosby	3:Duke Ellington	4:Guy Lombardo	5:Louis Armstrong

#	Artist	Song Title	Year	Chart Entries
1	Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	Minnie the Moocher	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (17 weeks), Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1931), RYM 1 of 1931, US BB 3 of 1931, POP 3 of 1931, Music Imprint 3 of 1930s, nuTsie 6 of 1930s, Brazil 32 of 1931, RIAA 82, Scrobulate 87 of swing, Acclaimed 649 (1931)
2	Duke Ellington	Mood Indigo	1931	Grammy Hall of Fame in 1975 (1931), US Billboard 3 - 1931 (10 weeks), RYM 3 of 1931, US BB 7 of 1931, POP 7 of 1931, nuTsie 11 of 1930s, Acclaimed 518 (1930), Song of 1930
3	Ted Lewis & his Orchestra	Just a Gigolo	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (8 weeks), US BB 1 of 1931, POP 1 of 1931, Brazil 41 of 1931
4	Isham Jones	Stardust	1931	US Billboard 1 - Sep 1930 (20 weeks), US BB 5 of 1931, POP 5 of 1931, Brazil 29 of 1932, RYM 47 of 1930
5	Bing Crosby	Out of Nowhere	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (8 weeks), US BB 13 of 1931, POP 13 of 1931, Europe 54 of the 1930s (1931), Brazil 57 of 1931
6	Guy Lombardo	Goodnight Sweetheart	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (11 weeks), US BB 4 of 1931, POP 4 of 1931, RYM 40 of 1931, nuTsie 84 of 1930s
7	The Mills Brothers	Tiger Rag	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (13 weeks), US BB 10 of 1931, POP 10 of 1931, Brazil 50 of 1932, nuTsie 76 of 1930s
8	Bing Crosby	At Your Command	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (9 weeks), US BB 17 of 1931, POP 17 of 1931, Europe 48 of the 1930s (1931)
9	Wayne King	Dream a Little Dream of Me	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (12 weeks), US BB 9 of 1931, POP 9 of 1931, RYM 14 of 1931
10	Louis Armstrong	Stardust	1931	Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009 (1931), US Billboard 16 - 1931 (2 weeks), RYM 16 of 1931, nuTsie 39 of 1930s
11	Wayne King	Goodnight Sweetheart	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (15 weeks), POP 4 of 1931, Brazil 41 of 1932
12	Bing Crosby	Just One More Chance	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (19 weeks), POP 15 of 1931, Europe 19 of the 1930s (1931)
13	Red Nichols	I Got Rhythm	1931	US BB 2 of 1931, POP 2 of 1931, US Billboard 5 - Dec 1930 (8 weeks)
14	Guy Lombardo	(There Ought to Be A) Moonlight Savings Time	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (8 weeks), US BB 14 of 1931, POP 14 of 1931
15	Fred Waring & the Pennsylvanians	I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In a Five & Dime store)	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (6 weeks), US BB 16 of 1931, POP 16 of 1931
16	Guy Lombardo	By the River St Marie	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (11 weeks), US BB 18 of 1931, POP 18 of 1931
17	Kate Smith	When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (8 weeks), US BB 19 of 1931, POP 19 of 1931
18	Gus Arnheim & his Orchestra	Sweet & Lovely	1931	US Billboard 1 - 1931 (14 weeks), US BB 20 of 1931, POP 20 of 1931
19	Duke Ellington	Rockin' in Rhythm	1931	US BB 11 of 1931, POP 11 of 1931, RYM 15 of 1931, US Billboard 19 - 1931 (1 week), Song of 1931
20	Bing Crosby	Just a Gigolo	1931	Peel list 3 of 1931, US Billboard 12 - 1931 (2 weeks), nuTsie 65 of 1930s
21	Clyde McCoy & his Orchestra	Sugar Blues	1931	US Billboard 2 - 1931 (20 weeks), nuTsie 67 of 1930s, Brazil 78 of 1932
22	Louis Armstrong	Lazy River	1931	Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010 (1931), RYM 9 of 1931, Song of 1931
23	Orquestra Colbaz	Tico-Tico no Fuba	1931	Brazil 1 of 1931
24	Layton & Johnstone	Oh Donna Clara	1931	Peel list 1 of 1931
25	Ray Noble	Lady of Spain	1931	US Billboard 5 - 1931 (15 weeks), US BB 12 of 1931, POP 12 of 1931
26	Ben Selvin	Smile Darn Ya Smile	1931	US BB 8 of 1931, POP 8 of 1931, US Billboard 14 - 1931 (2 weeks)
27	Fred Waring & the Pennsylvanians	Dancing in the Dark	1931	US Billboard 3 - 1931 (11 weeks), Brazil 18 of 1932
28	Bing Crosby	Dancing in the Dark	1931	US Billboard 3 - 1931 (6 weeks), Brazil 31 of 1932
29	Ethel Waters	I Got Rhythm	1931	POP 2 of 1931, US Billboard 17 - 1931 (1 week)
30	Russ Columbo	Goodnight Sweetheart	1931	US Billboard 3 - 1931 (5 weeks), Brazil 100 of 1932
31	Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	Doin' the Rhumba	1931	RYM 1 of 1931
32	Libby Holman	Love for Sale	1931	US Billboard 5 - 1931 (8 weeks), Brazil 98 of 1931
33	Francisco Alves & Mario Reis	Se Voce Jurar	1931	Brazil 2 of 1931
34	Al Bowlly	Goodnight Sweetheart	1931	Peel list 2 of 1931
35	Smith Ballew & his Orchestra	Time On My Hands (You In My Arms)	1931	US Billboard 6 - 1931 (6 weeks), Brazil 99 of 1932
36	Jacques Renard & his Orchestra	Cuban Love Song	1931	US Billboard 7 - 1931 (4 weeks), Brazil 67 of 1932
37	Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	St James Infirmary	1931	US Billboard 3 - 1931 (8 weeks), RYM 43 of 1931
38	Alfredo Brito & his Siboney Orchestra	Siboney	1931	Brazil 15 of 1932, US Billboard 17 - 1931 (2 weeks)
39	Wayne King	Wabash Moon	1931	US Billboard 4 - 1931 (11 weeks), RYM 14 of 1931
40	Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	Kickin' the Gong Around	1931	US Billboard 4 - 1931 (7 weeks), RYM 20 of 1931
41	Paul Whiteman	Cuban Love Song	1931	US Billboard 13 - 1931 (2 weeks), Brazil 90 of 1932
42	Duke Ellington	Limehouse Blues	1931	RYM 5 of 1931, US Billboard 13 - 1931 (3 weeks)
43	Louis Armstrong	(I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You	1931	RYM 6 of 1931, US Billboard 13 - 1931 (3 weeks)
44	Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	Tickeration	1931	US Billboard 8 - 1931 (4 weeks), RYM 23 of 1932
45	Gene Autry & Jimmy Long	That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine	1931	US Billboard 7 - 1935 (5 weeks), RYM 65 of 1931
46	Gastao Formenti	De Papo Pro Ar	1931	Brazil 3 of 1931
47	Ruth Etting	I'm Good for Nothing but Love	1931	US Billboard 7 - 1931 (6 weeks), RYM 85 of 1931
48	Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea	1931	US Billboard 15 - 1931 (3 weeks), RYM 20 of 1931
49	Duke Ellington	Creole Rhapsody (Parts 1 & 2)	1931	RYM 17 of 1931, US Billboard 18 - 1931 (2 weeks)
50	Duke Ellington	Blue Again	1931	US Billboard 12 - 1931 (2 weeks), RYM 48 of 1931
51	Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	Nobody's Sweetheart	1931	US Billboard 13 - 1931 (2 weeks), RYM 43 of 1931
52	Louis Armstrong	The Peanut Vendor	1931	US Billboard 15 - 1931 (2 weeks), RYM 33 of 1931
53	Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club Orchestra	Six or Seven Times	1931	US Billboard 14 - 1931 (2 weeks), RYM 40 of 1933
54	The Carter Family	Lonesome Valley	1931	US Billboard 15 - 1931 (2 weeks), RYM 92 of 1935
55	Ruth Etting	Goodnight Sweetheart	1931	US Billboard 17 - 1931 (2 weeks), RYM 84 of 1931
56	Noel Rosa	Com Que Roupa?	1931	Brazil 4 of 1931
57	Ruth Willis	Experience Blues	1931	Peel list 4 of 1931
58	Comedian Harmonists	Wenn der Wind weht uber das Meer	1931	RYM 2 of 1931
59	Ted Lewis & his Orchestra	Somebody Loves You	1931	US Billboard 2 - Apr 1931 (9 weeks)
60	Comedian Harmonists	Das ist die Liebe der Matrosen	1931	RYM 2 of 1931

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Previous Comments (newest first)

11 Nov 2012

I Don't Know why I Love You Like I do

wasn't "I Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do" a big hit in 1931 along with "Guilty" and Prisoner of Love?

Tommy

There is a song "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" by Wayne King that was number 2 in the US in 1931. Also two songs called "I Don't Know Why" were hits in 1931 one by Benny Krueger the other by Kate Smith (we guess they are both the same song). None make it to the year list.

We don't have a song called "I Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do" in our listings. Of course different versions would have had variations on the names.

"Guilty" was a hit in 1931 for Ruth Etting (peak 4), Wayne King (peak 11) and Russ Columbo (peak 13). None of them high enough to reach the year list.

"Prisoner of Love" was a hit in 1932 (and is listed there)

30 Dec 2010

Love it! :)