Friday, June 28, 2002

Richard Rodgers: Top 50 Songs

First posted 12/7/2019.

Musical theater songwriter Richard Rodgers was born 100 years ago today – on 6/28/1902 – in New York City, New York. He composed over 900 songs and 43 Broadway musicals. He worked with lyricist Lorenz Hart in the 1920s and ‘30s and Oscar Hammerstein II in the ‘40s and ‘50s. He was the first person to win the four top American entertainment awards – an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. He also won a Pulitzer Prize, making him and Marvin Hamlisch the only two people to do so. He died 12/30/1979.

His works South Pacific (cast album: 1949; soundtrack: 1958) and The Sound of Music (cast album: 1959; soundtrack: 1965) are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. “Blue Moon” and “Some Enchanted Evening” are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953.

For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.


Top 50 Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Many of these songs have been recorded multiple times. Only the highest-ranked version in Dave’s Music Database is included in this list. There are also some songs not identified as being by any particular artist. Additionally, songs which hit #1 on any of the following charts are noted: United States’ pop charts (US), Hit Parade (HP), U.S. R&B charts (RB), Australian pop charts (AU).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Blue Moon (Glen Gray with Kenny Sargent, 1935) #1 US
2. Some Enchanted Evening (Perry Como with Mitchell Ayres’ Orchestra, 1949) #1 US, HP
3. Manhattan (Ben Selvin, 1925) #1 US
4. Lover (Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton, 1933)
5. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (Bill Snyder, 1950) #1 HP, CB
6. People Will Say We’re in Love (Bing Crosby with Trudy Erwin & the Sportsmen Glee Club, 1943) #1 HP
7. Where or When (Hal Kemp with Bob Allen, 1937) #1 US
8. It Might As Well Be Spring (Dick Haymes & the Victor Young Orchestra, 1945) #1 HP
9. If I Loved You (Perry Como with Russell Case’s Orchestra, 1945)

DMDB Top 5%:

10. Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (Bing Crosby with Trudy Erwin & the Sportsmen Glee Club, 1943)
11. With a Song in My Heart (Leo Reisman with Ran Weeks, 1929)
12. My Funny Valentine (Hal McIntyre with Ruth Gaylor, 1945)
13. Ten Cents a Dance (Ruth Etting, 1930)
14. My Heart Stood Still (Paul Whiteman with Al Rinker, Jack Fulton, Charles Gaylord, & Austin Young; 1930)
15. The Blue Room (The Revelers, 1926)
16. Thou Swell (Ben Selvin’s Orchestra as the Broadway Nitelites, 1928)
17. Soon (Bing Crosby with George Stoll’s Orchestra, 1935) #1 US, HP
18. This Can’t Be Love (Benny Goodman with Martha Tilton, 1938)
19. There’s a Small Hotel (Hal Kemp with Maxine Grey, 1936) #1 US
20. You Took Advantage of Me (Paul Whiteman with Bing Crosby, Jack Fulton, Charles Gaylord & Austin Young; 1928)

21. It’s Easy to Remember (Bing Crosby with George Stoll’s Orchestra, 1935) #1 US
22. Mimi (Maurice Chevalier with Nat Finston’s Orchestra, 1932)
23. You’ll Never Walk Alone (Frank Sinatra, 1945)
24. Mountain Greenery (Roger Wolfe Kahn, 1926)
25. My Romance (Paul Whiteman, 1926)
26. Dancing on the Ceiling (Jack Hylton, 1932)
27. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (Benny Goodman with Louise Tobin, 1939)
28. I’ve Got Five Dollars (Emil Coleman, 1931)
29. No Other Love (Perry Como with Henri Rene’s Orchestra, 1953) #1 US, HP, CB
30. My Favorite Things (John Coltrane, 1961)

31. The Lady Is a Tramp (Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard, 1937)
32. That’s for Me (Jo Stafford, 1945)
33. Bali Ha’i (Perry Como with Mitchell Ayres’ Orchestra, 1949)

DMDB Top 10%:

34. Hello Young Lovers (Perry Como with Mitchell Ayres’ Orchestra, 1951)
35. Falling in Love with Love (Frances Langford with Harry Sosnik’s Orchestra, 1939)
36. Little Girl Blue (Janis Joplin, 1969)
37. The Sound of Music (Julie Andrews, 1965)
38. Climb Ev’ry Mountain (Tony Bennett, 1959)
39. Glad to Be Unhappy (The Mamas & the Papas, 1967)
40. Oklahoma! (Alfred Drake & the Oklahoma Cast, 1943)
41. It Never Entered My Mind (Shirley Ross, 1940)
42. Isn’t It Romantic? (Maurice Chevalier with Jeannette MacDonald, 1932)
43. Spring Is Here (Buddy Clark, 1938)
44. Johnny One-Note (Hal Kemp with Skinnay Ennis, 1937)
45. Where’s That Rainbow? (George Olsen, 1927)
46. I Married an Angel (Larry Clinton with Bea Wain, 1938)

DMDB Top 20%:

47. The Gentleman Is a Dope (Jo Stafford, 1947)
48. I Could Write a Book (Dinah Washington, 1940)
49. Surrey with the Fringe on Top (Alfred Drake with Jay Blackton’s Orchestra, 1943)
50. Younger Than Springtime (Billy Tabbert, 1949)


Awards:



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