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.

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Top 50 Songs

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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)

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Awards:

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50 years ago: Perry Como hits #1 with “Some Enchanted Evening”

Some Enchanted Evening Perry Como with the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra

Writer(s): Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers (see lyrics here) First Charted: April 30, 1949 Peak: 15 US, 110 HP, 11 GA, 2 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

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Awards (Ezio Pinza):

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Awards (Giorgio Tozzi):

About the Song: The famed Broadway team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein had hits with Oklahoma! and Carousel before finding monstrous success with their musical South Pacific, based on James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific - a collection of nineteen World War II Navy stories. With 69 weeks at #1, the cast album has spent more weeks atop the Billboard album charts than any other album. SS At least part of that success is due to “Some Enchanted Evening,” “the single biggest popular hit to come out of any Rodgers and Hammerstein show.” WK Opera star Ezio Pinza, who played French planter Emile de Becque in the original Broadway production, sings the song to navy nurse Nellie Forbush as a declaration of love. Pinza won the Tony Award for Best Actor for his performance. He also took his version of the song to #7 on the charts, selling a million copies along the way. JA However, Perry Como had the greatest success with his #1 version of the song, hitting the charts on April 30, 1949, just weeks after the show had debuted on Broadway. It was Como’s sixth time at the top and his eighth song to sell at least a million copies. PM In addition to Como and Pinza, five other acts charted with their 1949 recordings of the song – Bing Crosby (#3), John Laurenz (#28), Frank Sinatra (#6), Jo Stafford (#4), and Paul Weston (#9). When the musical was made into a film version, Rossano Brazzi took on the role of Emile while Giorgio Tozzi dubbed the singing. His version of “Some Enchanted Evening” was ranked #28 on the American Film Institute’s “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs” list. WK Others who have recorded the song include Harry Connick Jr., Bob Dylan, Art Garfunkel, Jay & the Americans (#13, 1965), Al Jolson, Willie Nelson, Barbra Streisand, the Temptations, and Andy Williams. WK The song was also featured on The Muppet Show (1977, sung by Bert to Connie Stevens), in the movie American Graffiti (1978, sung by Harrison Ford), and on the TV show Ally McBeal (2002, sung by Jon Bon Jovi). WK Resources: JA David A. Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 176. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, WI; Record Research, Inc. Page 98. SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Page 610. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/30/2016; last updated 7/25/2022.

Today in Music (1949): South Pacific opened on Broadway

South Pacific Richard Rodgers (music), Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics)

The Musical

Opened on Broadway: April 7, 1949 Number of Performances: 1925 Opened at London’s West End: November 1, 1951 Number of Performances: 802 Movie Release: March 19, 1958

Cast Album

Charted: May 21, 1949 Peak: 169 US Sales (in millions): 3.0 US Genre: show tunes

Soundtrack

Released: May 19, 1958 Peak: 131 US, 1115 UK Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.8 UK, 9.8 world (includes US and UK) Genre: show tunes

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Overture Dites-Moi A Cockeyed Optimist Twin Soliloquies Some Enchanted Evening Bloody Mary My Girl Back Home There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame Bali Ha’i I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair A Wonderful Guy Younger Than Springtime Happy Talk Honey Bun You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught This Nearly Was Mine Finale: Dites-Mo (Reprise) Above track listing based on 2000 Decca reissue. Singles/Hit Songs: These were covers of songs from this musical which became hits: ”Some Enchanted Evening” – Perry Como (#1 BB, 1949) ”Bali Ha’I” – Perry Como (#5 BB, 1949) ”A Wonderful Guy” – Margaret Whiting (#12 BB, 1949) ”Younger Than Springtime” – Gordon MacRae (#30 BB, 1949)

Rating: 4.590 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings) Awards for the Musical/Cast Album: Awards for Soundtrack:

Rodgers and Hammerstein Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II are considered “the most successful partnership in the history of Broadway musicals,” TB having crafted such unforgettable works as Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and this one, South Pacific. One of Broadway’s Greatest Musicals The latter is considered “one of the greatest Broadway musicals” W-C and “one of the most beloved musicals ever to hit the stage.” AZ It had “the largest advance ticket sales ever registered” TB and was a massive hit, running 1,925 performances on Broadway AMG-C and another 802 in London. MK Its nearly five-year Broadway run was “longer than any musical before it except Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!.” AMG-C “The appeal is simple: a collection of stunning compositions…and characters with a simple though cohesive through-line.” AZ At the time, a critic for the New York Daily Mirror wrote that it was “likely to establish a new trend in musicals” W-C and that “every number is so outstanding that it is difficult to decide which will be the most popular.” W-C The New York World-Telegram review said it was “the ultimate modern blending of music and popular theatre to date, with the finest kind of balance between story and song, and hilarity and heartbreak.” W-C The Story Joshua Logan, a stage and film director and also a World War II veteran, read James Michener’s 1947 novel Tales of the South Pacific and decided to adapt it for the stage; he wound up as the musical’s director and producer. Rodgers & Hammerstein were tapped to write.” W-C Initially, “the musical was to center on the story ‘Fo’ Dolla’, about a love affair between a Polynesian girl and a stuffy American officer.” MK As Rogers recounted, however, he and Hammerstein decided that it “would look too much like a rehash of Madame Butterfly” MK and opted to make it secondary to “another story from the book, ‘Our Heroine,’ about a nurse from Arkansas who falls in love” MK with “an expatriate French plantation owner with a dark past.” W-C To add “comic leavening” MK alongside these “wartime romances complicated by racial issues,” AMG-C R&H added a third story, “A Boar’s Tooth,” MK about “Luther Billis, a womanizing sailor.” W-C The Stars “The dashing former Metropolitan Opera bass Ezio Pinza” AZ was tapped to play the role of Emile deBecque, the French plantation owner.” W-C Of his eventual South Pacific performance, The New York Times’ Brooks Atkinson said, “Mr. Pinza’s bass voice is the most beautiful that has been heard on a Broadway stage for an eon or two.” Filling the role of “the heartily feminine American nurse” AZ is “the lovely, girlish Mary Martin” AZ who was “a musical comedy star…[and] a Broadway favorite” MK noted for performances in Peter Pan and Annie Get Your Gun. AZ The New York Post’s Richard Watts, Jr. said this of her performance in South Pacific: “Nothing I have ever seen her do prepared me for the loveliness, humor, gift for joyous characterization, and sheer lovableness of her portrayal of Nellie Forbush…Hers is a completely irresistible performance.” W-C Themes “The issue of racial prejudice is sensitively and candidly explored in several plot threads.” W-C “Nellie struggles to accept Emile’s mixed-race children. Another American serviceman, Lieutenant Cable, struggles with the prejudice that he would face if he were to marry an Asian woman.” W-C The song You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught “attacks the issue with a vehemence never before (and seldom since) seen on the stage.” MK It was initially “criticized as too controversial for the musical stage and called indecent and pro-communist.” W-C Tonys and Other Awards “Critical response to the Broadway opening, April 7, 1949, at the Majestic Theater, was probably as uniformly ecstatic as for any show in history.” MK “Acclaim heaped up: nine Tony awards, including Musical, Book, Score, and Direction, along with acting kudos for Martin, Pinza, Myron McCormick (who played Billis) and Juanita Hall (Bloody Mary). Nine Donaldson awards. The New York Drama Critics Circle award for Best Musical. And the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.” MK The Cast Album The accompanying cast album tapped Pinza and Martin and other cast members. It proved immensely successful, spending 69 weeks atop the Billboard charts – the most weeks spent at #1 in the chart’s history. The Movie and Soundtrack In 1958, the musical was brought to the big screen with Joshua Logan directing and Rossano Brazzi (Emile de Becque), Mitzi Gaynor (Nellie Forbush), John Kerr (Lt. Cable), and Ray Walston (Luther Bills) starring. Giorgio Tozzi and Bill Lee provided the singing voices for Emile and Cable respectively. The original plan was to have Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin reprise the roles they made famous, but Pinza died in May 1957. The soundtrack became the most successful #1 album in the history of the U.K. charts – with 115 weeks on top. It also topped the Billboard album chart in the U.S. for 31 weeks. Collectively, the cast album and soundtrack have sold nearly 13 million worldwide.

Resources and Related Links: AZ Amazon.com review by Paige La Grone of cast album AMG-C AllMusic.com review by William Ruhlmann of cast album AMG-S AllMusic.com review by William Ruhlmann of soundtrack MK Marc Kirkeby, liner notes from CD of South Pacific: Original Broadway Cast Recording (1949/1998). TB Thunder Bay (2005). Albums: The Stories Behind 50 Years of Great Recordings. Thunder Bay Press; San Diego, CA. Page 26. W-C Wikipedia (Broadway production) W-S Wikipedia (film version) Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 4/7/2012; last updated 7/29/2024.