Songs from the Year 1948

Other Years:

1948

1949

1950

This page lists the top songs of 1948 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. There is also a set of monthly tables showing the various number ones on any date during 1948.

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 five song artists of 1948 were:
1:Kay Kyser	2:Nat King Cole	3:Art Mooney	4:Bing Crosby	5:Peggy Lee

#	Artist	Song Title	Year	Chart Entries
1	Dinah Shore	Buttons & Bows	1948	US Billboard 1 - Sep 1948 (25 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Oct 1948 (23 weeks), US 1 for 10 weeks - Nov 1948, Australia 1 for 12 weeks - Jan 1949, DZE 1 of 1948, US BB 3 of 1948, POP 3 of 1948, Your Hit Parade 5 of 1948, Brazil 27 of 1949, DDD 50 of 1948, nuTsie 57 of 1940s, Europe 91 of the 1940s (1948), RYM 102 of 1948
2	Nat King Cole	Nature Boy	1948	US Billboard 1 - Apr 1948 (18 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Apr 1948 (15 weeks), US 1 for 7 weeks - May 1948, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1948), Your Hit Parade 2 of 1948, DDD 4 of 1948, DZE 4 of 1948, US BB 9 of 1948, RYM 9 of 1948, Brazil 13 of 1948, POP 17 of 1948, nuTsie 21 of 1940s, Europe 90 of the 1940s (1948), Acclaimed 1793 (1947)
3	Art Mooney	I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover	1948	US Billboard 1 - Jan 1948 (18 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Jan 1948 (16 weeks), US BB 1 of 1948, US 1 for 3 weeks - Feb 1948, Australia 1 for 1 month - Nov 1948, POP 1 of 1948, Brazil 7 of 1949, DZE 8 of 1948, Your Hit Parade 22 of 1948
4	Pee Wee Hunt	Twelfth Street Rag	1948	US Billboard 1 - Jun 1948 (32 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Jul 1948 (27 weeks), US 1 for 8 weeks - Aug 1948, Peel list 1 of 1948, DZE 3 of 1948, US BB 4 of 1948, POP 7 of 1948, Your Hit Parade 18 of 1948, RYM 20 of 1948, Brazil 37 of 1948
5	Peggy Lee	Manana (Is Soon Enough For Me)	1948	US Billboard 1 - Jan 1948 (21 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Jan 1948 (21 weeks), US 1 for 9 weeks - Mar 1948, DZE 2 of 1948, Your Hit Parade 7 of 1948, US BB 8 of 1948, POP 8 of 1948, Brazil 11 of 1948, DDD 37 of 1947, nuTsie 39 of 1940s, Europe 89 of the 1940s (1948), RYM 139 of 1948
6	Kay Kyser	The Woody Woodpecker Song	1948	US Billboard 1 - Jun 1948 (15 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Jun 1948 (14 weeks), US 1 for 6 weeks - Jul 1948, Oscar in 1948 (film 'Wet Blanket Policy') (Nominated), DZE 6 of 1948, US BB 13 of 1948, POP 21 of 1948, Europe 76 of the 1940s (1948), Brazil 80 of 1949, RYM 95 of 1948
7	Bing Crosby	Now Is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)	1948	US Billboard 1 - Jan 1948 (23 weeks), Australia 1 for 1 month - Oct 1948, US 1940s 2 - Jan 1948 (22 weeks), US BB 11 of 1948, POP 19 of 1948, Your Hit Parade 23 of 1948, Europe 23 of the 1940s (1948), Brazil 84 of 1948
8	Al Trace	You Call Everybody Darlin'	1948	US Billboard 1 - Sep 1948 (24 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Jun 1948 (21 weeks), US 1 for 2 weeks - Aug 1948, DZE 7 of 1948, Your Hit Parade 13 of 1948, US BB 14 of 1948, POP 23 of 1948, Brazil 68 of 1948, nuTsie 98 of 1940s
9	Spike Jones	All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth	1948	US Billboard 1 - Nov 1948 (8 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Nov 1948 (9 weeks), US 1 for 1 week - Jan 1949, Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007 (1948), US BB 10 of 1948, POP 10 of 1948, Norway 20 - Dec 2007 (1 week)
10	Margaret Whiting	A Tree in the Meadow	1948	US Billboard 1 - Jul 1948 (23 weeks), US 1940s 1 - Jul 1948 (23 weeks), US 1 for 2 weeks - Oct 1948, DZE 9 of 1948, US BB 15 of 1948, Your Hit Parade 21 of 1948, POP 25 of 1948, nuTsie 70 of 1940s, Brazil 79 of 1949
11	Kay Kyser	On a Slow Boat to China	1948	Australia 1 for 6 weeks - May 1949, US Billboard 2 - Oct 1948 (20 weeks), US 1940s 2 - Oct 1948 (17 weeks), Your Hit Parade 14 of 1948, Brazil 58 of 1949, Europe 69 of the 1940s (1948)
12	Doris Day	It's Magic	1948	Your Hit Parade 1 of 1948, US Billboard 2 - Jul 1948 (21 weeks), US 1940s 2 - Jul 1948 (19 weeks), Oscar in 1948 (film 'Romance on the High Seas') (Nominated), US BB 7 of 1948, POP 15 of 1948, Brazil 31 of 1948, RYM 51 of 1948
13	Wynonie Harris	Good Rockin' Tonight	1948	Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009 (1948), DDD 1 of 1948, RYM 2 of 1948, Peel list 4 of 1947, POP 4 of 1948, Acclaimed 2204 (1947), one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500
14	Doris Day & Buddy Clark	Love Somebody	1948	US Billboard 1 - May 1948 (24 weeks), US 1940s 6 - Jun 1948 (21 weeks), US BB 6 of 1948, Your Hit Parade 6 of 1948, DZE 10 of 1948, POP 20 of 1948, RYM 50 of 1948, Brazil 67 of 1949
15	Ella Fitzgerald	My Happiness	1948	Peel list 2 of 1948, US Billboard 6 - Jun 1948 (21 weeks), US 1940s 8 - Jul 1948 (19 weeks), DDD 16 of 1948, RYM 77 of 1948, Brazil 95 of 1949
16	Evelyn Knight	Powder Your Face With Sunshine	1948	US Billboard 1 - Dec 1948 (20 weeks), Australia 1 for 2 weeks - Sep 1949, US 1940s 3 - Dec 1948 (16 weeks)
17	Ken Griffin	You Can't Be True, Dear	1948	US Billboard 1 - Apr 1948 (23 weeks), US 1940s 2 - Apr 1948 (32 weeks), DZE 5 of 1948, US BB 12 of 1948, POP 12 of 1948, Brazil 50 of 1948
18	Dick Haymes	Little White Lies	1948	US Billboard 2 - Apr 1948 (23 weeks), US 1940s 3 - Apr 1948 (21 weeks), Your Hit Parade 3 of 1948, Europe 50 of the 1940s (1948), Brazil 77 of 1949
19	Gracie Fields	Now Is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)	1948	Australia 1 for 1 month - Oct 1948, US Billboard 3 - Jan 1948 (21 weeks), US 1940s 4 - Jan 1948 (14 weeks)
20	John Lee Hooker	Boogie Chillun	1948	Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1948), DDD 3 of 1948, RYM 4 of 1948, Scrobulate 92 of blues, RIAA 332, Acclaimed 379 (1948), one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500
21	Perry Como	Ramblin' Rose	1948	Australia 1 for 5 weeks - Apr 1949, US Billboard 18 - Jul 1948 (14 weeks), US 1940s 18 - Aug 1948 (3 weeks)
22	Eddy Arnold	Bouquet of Roses	1948	US Country 1 for 15 weeks - Jun 1948, US Billboard 13 - Jun 1948 (27 weeks), DDD 37 of 1948, RYM 56 of 1948, Brazil 98 of 1949
23	Muddy Waters	Feel Like Going Home	1948	Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010 (1948), RYM 1 of 1948, DDD 25 of 1948, Scrobulate 43 of blues
24	Russ Morgan	So Tired	1948	US Billboard 3 - Nov 1948 (25 weeks), Peel list 3 of 1948, US 1940s 4 - Nov 1948 (19 weeks), Your Hit Parade 18 of 1949
25	Gene Autry	Buttons & Bows	1948	Australia 1 for 12 weeks - Jan 1949, US Billboard 17 - Nov 1948 (3 weeks)
26	Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters	Teresa	1948	Australia 1 for 1 week - Jan 1949, US Billboard 21 - Mar 1948 (1 week)
27	The Ink Spots	Say Something Sweet To Your Sweetheart	1948	Australia 1 for 2 weeks - Aug 1949, US Billboard 22 - Nov 1948 (2 weeks)
28	Pee Wee King	Tennessee Waltz	1948	Australia 1 for 3 weeks - May 1951, US Billboard 30 - Apr 1948 (1 week)
29	Art Mooney	Baby Face	1948	US Billboard 3 - Apr 1948 (15 weeks), US 1940s 5 - Apr 1948 (13 weeks), Your Hit Parade 9 of 1948, Brazil 12 of 1949
30	The Pied Pipers	My Happiness	1948	US Billboard 3 - Jun 1948 (27 weeks), US 1940s 4 - Jun 1948 (21 weeks), Your Hit Parade 24 of 1948, Brazil 34 of 1949
31	Al Jolson	When You Were Sweet Sixteen	1948	Australia 1 for 1 month - Dec 1948
32	George Trevare	I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover	1948	Australia 1 for 1 month - Nov 1948
33	Joe Loss Orchestra	Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep)	1948	Australia 1 for 1 month - May 1948
34	Bing Crosby	Near You	1948	Australia 1 for 4 months - Apr 1948
35	Dick Farney	A Saudade Mata a Gente	1948	Brazil 1 of 1948
36	Eddy Arnold	Texarkana Baby	1948	US Country 1 for 15 weeks - Jun 1948, US Billboard 18 - Jul 1948 (1 week), DDD 51 of 1948, RYM 58 of 1949
37	Spike Jones	William Tell Overture	1948	US Billboard 6 - Jun 1948 (15 weeks), US 1940s 6 - Jun 1948 (13 weeks), RYM 21 of 1948, Brazil 62 of 1949
38	Freddy Martin	Sabre Dance Boogie	1948	US Billboard 6 - Apr 1948 (11 weeks), US 1940s 6 - Apr 1948 (8 weeks), Brazil 77 of 1948, DDD 100 of 1948
39	The Orioles	It's Too Soon to Know	1948	DDD 2 of 1948, RYM 5 of 1948, US Billboard 13 - Nov 1948 (7 weeks), Acclaimed 1046 (1948)
40	Francis Craig	I Beg Your Pardon	1948	US Billboard 3 - Jan 1948 (20 weeks), US 1940s 4 - Jan 1948 (16 weeks), Brazil 98 of 1948
41	Frankie Yankovic	Just Because	1948	Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1948), US Billboard 9 - May 1948 (14 weeks), US 1940s 14 - May 1948 (2 weeks)
42	Muddy Waters	I Can't Be Satisfied	1948	RYM 1 of 1948, DDD 13 of 1948, Scrobulate 13 of blues
43	Eddy Arnold	Just a Little Lovin' Will Go a Long, Long Way	1948	US Country 1 for 8 weeks - Sep 1948, US Billboard 13 - Sep 1948 (9 weeks), RYM 100 of 1948
44	Paula Watson	A Little Bird Told Me	1948	US Billboard 6 - Nov 1948 (16 weeks), DDD 7 of 1948, US 1940s 14 - Dec 1948 (3 weeks), RYM 106 of 1948
45	Anne Vincent	You Call Everybody Darlin'	1948	US Billboard 6 - Jul 1948 (16 weeks), US 1940s 13 - Aug 1948 (5 weeks), Brazil 83 of 1949
46	Benny Goodman	On a Slow Boat to China	1948	US Billboard 7 - Nov 1948 (12 weeks), US 1940s 10 - Nov 1948 (9 weeks), Brazil 88 of 1949
47	The Andrews Sisters & Carmen Miranda	Cuanto La Gusta	1948	US Billboard 12 - Oct 1948 (14 weeks), US 1940s 12 - Nov 1948 (9 weeks), Brazil 49 of 1949
48	Louis Jordan	Run Joe	1948	DDD 12 of 1948, POP 16 of 1948, RYM 19 of 1948, US Billboard 23 - Aug 1948 (3 weeks)
49	Gordon Jenkins	Maybe You'll Be There	1948	US Billboard 3 - Jun 1948 (30 weeks), US 1940s 3 - Jun 1948 (27 weeks), Your Hit Parade 20 of 1948
50	Francisco Alves	Esses Mocos	1948	Brazil 2 of 1948
51	Nilla Pizzi & Duo Fasano	O mama mama	1948	Italy 2 of 1948
52	Jimmy Wakely	One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)	1948	US Country 1 for 6 weeks - Nov 1948, US Billboard 10 - Oct 1948 (8 weeks)
53	Perry Como	Because	1948	US Billboard 4 - Mar 1948 (18 weeks), US 1940s 4 - Mar 1948 (16 weeks), Your Hit Parade 12 of 1948
54	Red Foley	Tennessee Saturday Night	1948	US Country 1 for 2 weeks - Mar 1949, DDD 15 of 1948
55	Eddy Arnold	Anytime	1948	US Country 1 for 8 weeks - Apr 1948, US Billboard 17 - May 1948 (1 week)
56	Jimmy Wakely	I Love You So Much it Hurts	1948	US Country 1 for 6 weeks - Jan 1949, US Billboard 21 - Dec 1948 (8 weeks)
57	Eddy Arnold	A Heart Full Of Love (For a Handful of Kisses)	1948	US Country 1 for 4 weeks - Dec 1948, US Billboard 23 - Dec 1948 (2 weeks)
58	Bob Hope	Buttons & Bows	1948	Oscar in 1948 (film 'Paleface'), AFI 87
59	Tommy Dorsey	Until	1948	US Billboard 4 - Sep 1948 (21 weeks), US 1940s 6 - Sep 1948 (18 weeks), Your Hit Parade 11 of 1948
60	Sammy Kaye	Lavender Blue	1948	US Billboard 4 - Dec 1948 (16 weeks), US 1940s 5 - Dec 1948 (14 weeks), Your Hit Parade 19 of 1949
61	Freddy Martin	The Dickey-bird Song	1948	US Billboard 5 - May 1948 (11 weeks), US 1940s 5 - May 1948 (10 weeks), DDD 88 of 1948
62	Gordon MacRae	Hair Of Gold, Eyes Of Blue	1948	US Billboard 7 - Aug 1948 (14 weeks), US 1940s 10 - Sep 1948 (11 weeks), Your Hit Parade 10 of 1948
63	Jon & Sondra Steele	My Happiness	1948	US Billboard 2 - May 1948 (30 weeks), US 1940s 3 - May 1948 (26 weeks)
64	Russ Morgan	I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover	1948	US Billboard 6 - Feb 1948 (13 weeks), US 1940s 7 - Feb 1948 (9 weeks), nuTsie 94 of 1940s
65	The Ink Spots	You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling in Love)	1948	US Billboard 8 - Dec 1948 (8 weeks), Your Hit Parade 8 of 1948, US 1940s 18 - Dec 1948 (1 week)
66	Doris Day & Buddy Clark	My Darling, My Darling	1948	US Billboard 7 - Nov 1948 (13 weeks), US 1940s 7 - Dec 1948 (9 weeks), RYM 52 of 1948
67	4 Ases & Um Coringa	e Com Esse Que Eu Vou	1948	Brazil 3 of 1948
68	Brother Bones & his Shadows	Sweet Georgia Brown	1948	US Billboard 10 - Nov 1948 (16 weeks), US 1940s 10 - Dec 1948 (12 weeks), DDD 10 of 1948
69	Amos Milburn	Chicken Shack Boogie	1948	DDD 6 of 1948, POP 11 of 1948, RYM 64 of 1948
70	Vera Lynn	You Can't Be True, Dear	1948	US Billboard 9 - May 1948 (7 weeks), US 1940s 14 - May 1948 (2 weeks), Your Hit Parade 17 of 1948
71	Frank Sinatra	Nature Boy	1948	US Billboard 7 - May 1948 (4 weeks), US 1940s 18 - Jun 1948 (2 weeks), RYM 27 of 1948
72	Bull Moose Jackson	I Can't Go On Without You	1948	POP 6 of 1948, DDD 21 of 1948, RYM 59 of 1948
73	Sonny Thompson (Lula Reed)	Long Gone	1948	DDD 14 of 1948, POP 14 of 1948, US Billboard 29 - Jul 1948 (1 week)
74	Evelyn Knight	Buttons & Bows	1948	US Billboard 14 - Nov 1948 (8 weeks), Europe 97 of the 1940s (1948)
75	Arthur Smith	Boomerang	1948	Italy 31 of 1951, RYM 47 of 1948
76	Hal Singer	Corn Bread	1948	POP 9 of 1948, DDD 26 of 1948, RYM 78 of 1948
77	Arthur Smith	Guitar boogie	1948	US Billboard 25 - Jul 1948 (1 week), Italy 73 of 1956
78	Nellie Lutcher	Fine Brown Frame	1948	DDD 11 of 1948, US Billboard 21 - Mar 1948 (2 weeks), RYM 130 of 1948
79	Doris Day	Confess	1948	US Billboard 16 - Jun 1948 (11 weeks), US 1940s 16 - Aug 1948 (1 week), RYM 50 of 1948
80	Memphis Slim	Messin' Round	1948	POP 13 of 1948, DDD 23 of 1948, RYM 131 of 1948

Comment on the contents of the 'Songs from the Year 1948' page
Subject:	Email to Reply To (optional):

Previous Comments (newest first)

5 Mar 2013

the "New Look" in fashion in the 1940's

Elderly woman at an assisted living facility would like to hear a song the NEW LOOK about the new look in fashion for women in the 40's. +I can't seem to locate anything.

She wasn't certain about the title. Could you point me in a direction for searching further? She also mentioned A Slow Boat to China which I did find.

The song "The New Look" was a minor hit for Freddy Martin in 1948, it peaked at number 21 in the Billboard chart. As it happens you could have found it in the site index (under "New Look, The") or by entering "new look" in the search box on the top of the page.

"On a Slow Boat to China" has its own page (which you have found, of course) it was also a big hit in 1948.

28 Feb 2013

# 79 Confess

This is a duet with Buddy Clark. It was issued on the flip side of # 13, LoveSomebody.

13 Feb 2013

" +ONCE UPON A WINTERTIME "

Have you any info on the song "Once upon a wintertime " [Johnny Brandon/R,S.Martin ].? +Vocalists, Bands, Etc.Very popular latter part of +1948.

We don't have anything with that title

22 May 2012

Did Doris Day's Black Magic ever made #1 or #2 on Billboard?

As far as we can see Doris Day never had a hit called exactly "Black Magic". Various artists had hits with "That Old Black Magic" and Doris Day had a big hit with "It's Magic" which reached number 2 in Billboard in 1948.

10 Jan 2012

Mondo Carni+

Probably the theme song from Mondo Cane: "More" than the greatest love the world has known, This is the love I give to you alone, More than the simple words I try to say....

31 Dec 2011

# 34 Near You

Both Bing and the Andrews Sisters recorded this song individually, but I fond no evedence of a duet recording. You have the Andrews Sisters recording as #36 in 1947.

We've made that change, thanks for the suggestion

6 Sep 2011

6 & 78 Manana

These two listings are the same recording - Peggy Lee backed by her husband Dave Barbour's orchestra.

Indeed there are a number of songs that fall into the same group, they have all been assigned to Peggy Lee. Thanks for the fix

5 Sep 2011

19 & 67 Somebody Else is Taking My Place

These two entries are the same recording - Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee doing the vocal. It charted at # 1 in 1942 then was reissued in 1948 and charted at # 30.

For a confirmation of these two listings being the same recording see The Big Band Discography 1917-1942 by Brian Rust. He only lists recordings made up until the Musician's Union strike in 1942, but lists all known reissues of each recording as of the date of his research. Pop Memories 1890-1954 by Joel Whitburn also states that the Columbia is a re-issue of the Okeh recording.

You are clearly correct. We would normally list this under Peggy Lee, however the reissue in 1948 makes it more complex, we'd like to note the reissue in some way (rather than adding its weeks on to the 1942 release).

So we think the best course is to change the 1942 entries to Peggy Lee and the 1948 ones to Benny Goodman and make sure this note is posted on both artist's pages so interested users can see what we've done.

An interesting case, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

16 Jul 2011

All I want for Christmas is You

#75: Is this one correct? I know there was a Vince Vance version of this song,but I can't find any mention of a Spike Jones version anywhere but here.

You are correct, the actual song was "All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth".

The original source of one of the charts mislabeled it as "All I Want For Christmas is You" (it had the correct title for the first week of its run)

The data has been fixed, thanks for the correction

1 Jul 2011

Maybe you can help

My brothers and I remember a record Dad used to play that had a chorus that sounded like they were singing "Ka viva viva vit". We're all in our early 60's so the song was probably written or being played about the period of 5 years either side of 1950.

It was sung by a group, male and female in close harmony and had a bit of accordian in there and sounded a bit "Jo Stafford-ish". I can sing the tune all the way through but don't know the words and don't know the title. Do you have any idea what it could be called?

Here at the Turret we have no idea, maybe one of our users can help?

26 Jun 2011

Love Somebody

#16 and #58 the same? I don't remember one with Doris Day solo.

Your suggested correction does seem to be a valid one. We have made the change, thanks for the fix.

23 Feb 2011

Mondo Carni

can you tell me the english name of this song?

21 Oct 2010

so tired by russ morgan

is this record available on a a 1948 compilatiom CD

"This record?" This is a listing of the hits of 1948, it is not a track listing for a CD you can purchase.

You could buy the individual tracks from iTunes or Amazon and make it one of course.

27 May 2009

#16 : McRae should be MacRae

You are correct, all the entries for Gordon MacRae have been corrected, thank you.