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Songs from the Year 1936

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This page lists the top songs of 1936 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.

During this era music was dominated by a number of "Big Bands" and songs could be attributed to the band leader, the band name, the lead singer or a combination of the them. It is common, for example, to see the same song listed with three different artists. And, just to stop us from getting bored, the success of a song was tied to the sales of sheet music, so a popular song would often be perfomed by many different combinations of singers and bands and the contemporary charts would list the song, without clarifying whose version was the major hit. Where we have found such issues we have attempted to consolidate the entries using the most widely accepted value for the artist in each case.

The top ten song artists of 1936 were:

1:Benny Goodman3:Bing Crosby5:Fats Waller7:Hal Kemp9:Eddy Duchin
2:Fred Astaire4:Tommy Dorsey6:Jan Garber8:Billie Holiday10:Shep Fields & his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra
# Artist Song Title Year Chart Entries
1 Bing Crosby Pennies From Heaven 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (15 weeks), Your Hit Parade 1 of 1936, US invalid BB 1 of 1936, Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 (1936), POP 1 of 1936, Oscar in 1936 (film 'Pennies from Heaven') (Nominated), Australian Nostalgia 7 of 1930-1939, Music Imprint 8 of 1930s, nuTsie 23 of 1930s, Europe 32 of the 1930s (1936), RIAA 129, Acclaimed 1222 (1936), RYM 41 of 1936
2 Fred Astaire The Way You Look Tonight 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (17 weeks), Oscar in 1936 (film 'Swing Time'), Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 (1936), Your Hit Parade 2 of 1936, US invalid BB 2 of 1936, POP 2 of 1936, Brazil 26 of 1937, Australian Nostalgia 28 of 1930-1939, nuTsie 38 of 1930s, AFI 43, Europe 94 of the 1930s (1936), RYM 40 of 1936, Song of 1936
3 Leadbelly Goodnight, Irene 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 (1936), Library of Congress artifact added 2003 (1933), DDD 4 of 1943, Music Imprint 12 of 1930s, Australian Nostalgia 58 of 1930-1939, RIAA 163, Acclaimed 885 (1936), RYM 2 of 1943
4 Benny Goodman Goody Goody 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (13 weeks), Your Hit Parade 5 of 1936, US invalid BB 6 of 1936, POP 6 of 1936, Australian Nostalgia 26 of 1930-1939, Brazil 32 of 1936, nuTsie 71 of 1930s, Song of 1936
5 Benny Goodman Glory of Love 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (15 weeks), Your Hit Parade 3 of 1936, US invalid BB 10 of 1936, POP 10 of 1936, Australian Nostalgia 27 of 1930-1939, Brazil 67 of 1936, nuTsie 96 of 1930s
6 Tommy Dorsey Alone 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (14 weeks), US invalid BB 3 of 1936, POP 3 of 1936, Your Hit Parade 4 of 1936, Australian Nostalgia 25 of 1930-1939
7 Tommy Dorsey The Music Goes Round & Round 1936 US Billboard 1 - Dec 1935 (9 weeks), US invalid BB 4 of 1936, POP 4 of 1936, Your Hit Parade 7 of 1936, Australian Nostalgia 41 of 1930-1939, Song of 1935
8 Robert Johnson Cross Road Blues 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 (1936), nuTsie 8 of 1930s, Scrobulate 34 of blues, Acclaimed 224 (1936), RIAA 342, Visconti song of 1936, RYM 3 of 1937, Song of 1937, one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500
9 Billie Holiday Summertime 1936 Europe 1 of the 1930s (1936), Jazz Standard 3, US Billboard 12 - 1936 (2 weeks), nuTsie 70 of 1930s, Scrobulate 84 of jazz, RYM 2 of 1936
10 Fred Astaire A Fine Romance 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (12 weeks), Your Hit Parade 6 of 1936, US invalid BB 12 of 1936, POP 12 of 1936, Australian Nostalgia 40 of 1930-1939, RYM 6 of 1936
11 Shep Fields & his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra Did I Remember? 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (12 weeks), Oscar in 1936 (film 'Suzy') (Nominated), Your Hit Parade 8 of 1936, US invalid BB 11 of 1936, POP 11 of 1936
12 Fats Waller It's a Sin to Tell a Lie 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (12 weeks), US invalid BB 7 of 1936, POP 7 of 1936, Your Hit Parade 9 of 1936, nuTsie 56 of 1930s, RYM 37 of 1935
13 Benny Goodman These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (13 weeks), US invalid BB 5 of 1936, POP 5 of 1936, Europe 90 of the 1930s (1936)
14 Jan Garber A Melody From the Sky 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (12 weeks), Oscar in 1936 (film 'The Trail of the Lonesome Pine') (Nominated), US invalid BB 14 of 1936, POP 14 of 1936
15 Marian Anderson He's Got the Whole World in His Hands 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008 (1936), Library of Congress artifact added 2003 (1936), nuTsie 89 of 1930s
16 Eddy Duchin Moon Over Miami 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (11 weeks), US invalid BB 16 of 1936, POP 16 of 1936, Europe 99 of the 1930s (1936)
17 Hal Kemp There's a Small Hotel 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (15 weeks), US invalid BB 19 of 1936, POP 19 of 1936, Europe 100 of the 1930s (1936)
18 Jimmy Dorsey Is it True What they Say About Dixie? 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (10 weeks), Your Hit Parade 10 of 1936, US invalid BB 13 of 1936, POP 13 of 1936
19 Guy Lombardo When Did You Leave Heaven? 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (15 weeks), Oscar in 1936 (film 'Sing, Baby, Sing') (Nominated), Europe 52 of the 1930s (1936)
20 Tommy Dorsey I'm getting sentimental over you 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 (1936), US Billboard 8 - 1936 (4 weeks), nuTsie 44 of 1930s, Acclaimed 1498 (1932)
21 Benny Goodman Moon Glow 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 (1936), US Billboard 8 - 1936 (3 weeks), nuTsie 73 of 1930s, RYM 30 of 1937, Song of 1936
22 Robert Johnson Sweet Home Chicago 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014 (1937), Scrobulate 26 of blues, Acclaimed 1582 (1936), RYM 2 of 1937, Song of 1936, one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500
23 Fred Astaire I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (10 weeks), US invalid BB 15 of 1936, POP 15 of 1936, RYM 39 of 1936
24 Andy Kirk Until The Real Thing Comes Along 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (13 weeks), US invalid BB 18 of 1936, POP 18 of 1936, RYM 9 of 1936
25 Jan Garber A Beautiful Lady in Blue 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (13 weeks), US invalid BB 17 of 1936, POP 17 of 1936
26 Fats Waller All My Life 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (11 weeks), US invalid BB 20 of 1936, POP 20 of 1936
27 Roy Acuff Great Speckled Bird 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009 (1936), US Billboard 13 - 1938 (3 weeks), RYM 91 of 1936, Song of 1936
28 Ray Noble I've Got You Under My Skin 1936 Oscar in 1936 (film 'Born to Dance') (Nominated), US Billboard 3 - 1936 (13 weeks), Brazil 85 of 1937
29 Hal Kemp When I'm With You 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (13 weeks), Europe 72 of the 1930s (1936)
30 Marian Anderson Schubert: Ave Maria 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1936), RIAA 90, RYM 7 of 1936
31 Eddy Duchin Take My Heart 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (10 weeks), Europe 81 of the 1930s (1936)
32 Eddy Duchin I'll Sing You A Thousand Love Songs 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (8 weeks), Europe 95 of the 1930s (1936)
33 Eddy Duchin Lights Out 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (15 weeks), Europe 96 of the 1930s (1936)
34 Benny Goodman Stompin' at the Savoy 1936 US Billboard 4 - 1937 (5 weeks), nuTsie 46 of 1930s, Scrobulate 50 of swing, RYM 5 of 1936
35 Billie Holiday These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) 1936 US Billboard 5 - 1936 (5 weeks), nuTsie 51 of 1930s, Scrobulate 65 of hi fidelity, Song of 1936
36 Andy Kirk Lotta Sax Appeal 1936 Peel list 1 of 1936, RYM 24 of 1936
37 Shep Fields & his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra Easy to Love 1936 US invalid BB 8 of 1936, POP 8 of 1936, US Billboard 13 - 1936 (2 weeks)
38 Bing Crosby I'm An Old Cowhand 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (13 weeks), Europe 59 of the 1930s (1936)
39 Bing Crosby Robins & Roses 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (10 weeks), Europe 76 of the 1930s (1936)
40 Eddy Duchin Pennies From Heaven 1936 US Billboard 2 - Dec 1936 (9 weeks), Brazil 87 of 1937
41 Jimmie Lunceford Organ Grinder's Swing 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (8 weeks), nuTsie 91 of 1930s
42 Tommy Dorsey You 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (10 weeks)
43 Benny Goodman You Turned the Tables on Me 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (10 weeks)
44 Benny Goodman It's Been So Long 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (13 weeks)
45 Guy Lombardo Lost 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (13 weeks)
46 Shep Fields & his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra In the Chapel in the Moonlight 1936 US Billboard 1 - 1936 (15 weeks)
47 Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys Steel Guitar Rag 1936 Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011 (1936)
48 Joel & Gaucho Pierro Apaixonado 1936 Brazil 1 of 1936
49 Fats Waller Until The Real Thing Comes Along 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (7 weeks), nuTsie 79 of 1930s
50 Billie Holiday A Fine Romance 1936 US Billboard 9 - 1936 (3 weeks), Scrobulate 59 of vocal, Song of 1936
51 Billie Holiday No Regrets 1936 US Billboard 9 - 1936 (5 weeks), Scrobulate 68 of female vocalist, RYM 16 of 1936
52 Bing Crosby Would You? 1936 Europe 9 of the 1930s (1936), US Billboard 20 - 1936 (1 week)
53 Hal Kemp I Can't Get Started 1936 Jazz Standard 5, US Billboard 14 - 1936 (2 weeks)
54 Duke Ellington Echoes of Harlem 1936 US Billboard 19 - 1936 (1 week), Jazz Standard 969, RYM 3 of 1936
55 Hal Kemp Gloomy Sunday 1936 US Billboard 4 - 1936 (4 weeks), Jazz Standard 674
56 Tommy Dorsey Stardust 1936 US Billboard 8 - 1936 (5 weeks), Europe 87 of the 1930s (1936)
57 Tommy Dorsey San Francisco 1936 US Billboard 10 - 1936 (5 weeks), Brazil 74 of 1936
58 Andy Kirk Christopher Columbus 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (14 weeks), RYM 49 of 1936
59 Andy Kirk What Will I Tell My Heart 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1937 (9 weeks), RYM 51 of 1936
60 Fred Astaire Let Yourself Go 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (12 weeks), RYM 69 of 1936
61 Benny Goodman Stardust 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (10 weeks), RYM 88 of 1955
62 Bing Crosby I Can't Escape From You 1936 US Billboard 7 - 1936 (11 weeks), Jazz Standard 726
63 Robert Johnson 32 20 Blues 1936 Peel list 3 of 1936, RYM 7 of 1937
64 Ray Noble The Touch of Your Lips 1936 US Billboard 12 - 1936 (4 weeks), Jazz Standard 474
65 Henry King & his Orchestra A Fine Romance 1936 US Billboard 13 - 1936 (2 weeks), Jazz Standard 427
66 Jan Garber I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket 1936 US Billboard 14 - 1936 (2 weeks), Jazz Standard 884
67 King Garcia & his Swing Band Christopher Columbus 1936 US Billboard 16 - 1936 (2 weeks), Jazz Standard 588
68 Frances Langford Easy to Love 1936 US Billboard 20 - 1936 (1 week), Jazz Standard 122
69 Paul Whiteman There's a Small Hotel 1936 US Billboard 19 - 1936 (1 week), Jazz Standard 284
70 Benny Goodman You Can't Pull The Wool Over My Eyes 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (12 weeks)
71 Tempo King & his Kings of Tempo I'll Sing You A Thousand Love Songs 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (8 weeks)
72 Benny Goodman Swingtime in the Rockies 1936 US Billboard 2 - 1936 (5 weeks)
73 Hutch These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) 1936 Peel list 2 of 1936
74 Vicente Celestino O ebrio 1936 Brazil 2 of 1936
75 Robert Johnson Terraplane Blues 1936 Acclaimed 1678 (1936), RYM 1 of 1936, Guardian Folk/ World 11
76 Fred Astaire Let's Face the Music & Dance 1936 US Billboard 5 - 1936 (11 weeks), RYM 69 of 1936
77 Teddy Wilson (and his Orchestra) My Melancholy Baby 1936 US Billboard 6 - 1936 (9 weeks), RYM 8 of 1936
78 Fred Astaire Pick Yourself Up 1936 US Billboard 7 - 1936 (6 weeks), RYM 40 of 1936
79 The Boswell Sisters I'm Gonna Sit Right Down & Write Myself a Letter 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (8 weeks)
80 Hal Kemp A Star Fell Out of Heaven 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (12 weeks)
81 Connee Boswell On the Beach at Bali-Bali 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (8 weeks)
82 Billie Holiday The Way You Look Tonight 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (5 weeks)
83 Lud Gluskin & his Orchestra She Shall have Music 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (9 weeks)
84 Guy Lombardo The Way You Look Tonight 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (10 weeks)
85 Guy Lombardo When My Dreamboat Comes Home 1936 US Billboard 3 - Dec 1936 (18 weeks)
86 Guy Lombardo The Broken Record 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (7 weeks)
87 Hal Kemp The Touch of Your Lips 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (6 weeks)
88 Bing Crosby South Sea Island Magic 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (8 weeks)
89 Jan Garber I'm Shooting High 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (11 weeks)
90 Jan Garber I Feel Like a Feather in the Breeze 1936 US Billboard 3 - 1936 (9 weeks)
91 Orlando Silva Magoas de Caboclo 1936 Brazil 3 of 1936
92 Duke Ellington Love Is Like a Cigarette 1936 US Billboard 8 - 1936 (10 weeks), RYM 31 of 1936
93 Duke Ellington Oh, Babe! Maybe Someday 1936 US Billboard 8 - 1936 (5 weeks), RYM 63 of 1936
94 Louis Armstrong Lyin' To Myself 1936 US Billboard 10 - 1936 (3 weeks), RYM 35 of 1936
95 Bing Crosby Let's Call a Heart a Heart 1936 US Billboard 10 - Dec 1936 (4 weeks), RYM 41 of 1936
96 Duke Ellington Clarinet Lament 1936 US Billboard 12 - 1936 (3 weeks), RYM 3 of 1936
97 Teddy Wilson (and his Orchestra) Sing Baby Sing 1936 US Billboard 12 - 1936 (5 weeks), RYM 47 of 1936
98 Duke Ellington Isn't Love the Strangest Thing? 1936 US Billboard 12 - 1936 (3 weeks), RYM 62 of 1936
99 Tampa Red Let's Get Drunk & Truck 1936 US Billboard 14 - 1936 (4 weeks), RYM 22 of 1936
100 Louis Armstrong Red Sails in the Sunset 1936 US Billboard 15 - 1936 (2 weeks), RYM 27 of 1936
Comment on the contents of the 'Songs from the Year 1936' page
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Previous Comments (newest first)

28 Mar 2020

How did you find data on hit parades year end charts+

The Charts page describes all the sources

4 Feb 2020

#71 Benny Goodman

I think #71 Benny Goodman - "When It's Springtime in The Rockies" should be titled "Swingtime in the Rockies". +Springtime in the Rockies was written by Robert Sauer and Mary Hale Woolsey and was first recorded and released by Bud and Joe Billings in 1929. It was covered by Ian Stewart and His Piano, Slim Whitman, John Gart, Roger Williams and other artists.

Thanks for pulling this site together! - Dr. T

You are correct, that was the spelling correction software being a bit too enthusiastic

30 Jan 2017

# 74 Lselie A Hutchinson

He is the same artist as # 37 Hutch on the 1940 list. I would suggest usingHutch for all of his entries as that is how he was commonly known.

Data fixed, thanks

24 Feb 2016

Marian Anderson - Ave Maria

This recording should be added to this Top 100 of 1936 list. It is on the'RIAA' list (#90). It was also selected for 'Grammy Hall of Fame' in 1999. It is listed there as 'Schubert Ave Maria' by Marian Anderson (which is probably why you didn't have it).

It was missing because the "classical" music in that list is genrally hard to get the right name for and does not show up in any other lists, so we've not done a good job of checking the singles. Thanks for pointing out the missing item, data fixed

18 Dec 2015

Pope's birthday

what was the #1 song on 12/17/36 the Pope's B day?

9 Sep 2015

hank williams sr.

songs of hank Williams in july of 1936

Look at the "Hank Williams" page. No hit before 1947, according to Wikipedia his career started in 1937

15 Aug 2014

Benny Goodman

There are (2) different recordings of Moonglow (#1 in 1934). This one and a 1936recording by Benny Goodman Quartet. The 1936 version was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame, not this one.

Thanks for clarifying that, but we're not sure how to make that clear in the data (other than including this message on all the pages where this is mentioned)

16 Apr 2014

Song: When did yopu leave Heaven?

When did you leave Heaven?

The song "When Did You Leave Heaven?" was a minor hit for three acts in 1936, Guy Lombardo, Ben Bernie and Henry Allen & his Orchestra

25 Jan 2011

name of song and singer

a garden in italy. has lyrics "come to my garden in italy and sing to me theway you used to do".

(something like that anyway!) 1930's I think.

Thanks for your help

9 Nov 2010

DO YOU KNOW +THIS SONG 1937/38/36?

the song is called I WISH I'D NEVER SEEN SUNSHINE +- SINGER - JIMMIE DAVIS

11 May 2010

DO YOU KNOW +THIS SONG 1937/38/36?

I WISH THAT I'D NEVER SEEN SUNSHINE AND I WISH THAT I'D NEVER SEEN RAIN... I WISH THAT MY SOUL WOULD NEVER GROW OLD FOR THE TEARS THAT I SHED WERE IN VAIN????????? I WISH THAT SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME THAT THE LOVE THAT YOU GAVE WAS UNTRUE OH I WISH THAT I DIED IN MY CRADLE BEFORE I GREW UP TO LOVE YOU

No idea, never heard of it

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