Most-Recorded Songs, 1890-1954: Top 100

Most-Recorded Songs, 1890-1954: Top 100 Songs

This list comes from Joel Whitburn’s Pop Memories 1890-1954. As it says in the book, “During the pre-rock era, one of the most important indicators of a song’s enduring musical greatness was the number of artists to record it. This list represents the most comprehensive survey ever made of the pre-1955 songs which have been recorded by the most artists (multiple versions by an artist do not count). It encompasses: Edison and Columbia cylinders; all 78s in the extensive collections of the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and the Syracuse, Stanford and Yale Uniiversity Libraries; and all new Recordaid listings from the 1950s to the present. Songs written before 1955 but most popular later, such as ‘Misty’ and ‘Autumn Leaves,’ are not included. The year published and the songwriters are shown after the title.” Note: click here to see other genre-specific song lists. 1. “Silent Night” (1818) by Joseph Muhr and Franz Gruber 2. “St. Louis Blues” (1914) by W.C. Handy 3. “Stardust” (1929) by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish 4. “Body and Soul” (1930) by Johnny Green, Ed Heyman, Robert Sauer, and Frank Eyton 5. “Summertime” (1935) by George Gershwin and Dubose Heyward 6. “The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)” (1851) by Stephen Foster 7. “Tea for Two” (1925) by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar 8. “White Christmas” (1942) by Irving Berlin 9. “All the Things You Are” (1939) by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II 10. “Night and Day” (1932) by Cole Porter 11. “Begin the Beguine” (1935) by Cole Porter 12. “Danny Boy” (1913) by Fred Weatherly (adapted from “Londonberry Air”) 13. “Sweet Georgia Brown” (1925) by Maceo Pinkard, Keneth Casey, and Ben Bernie 14. “The Man I Love” (1924) by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin 15. “Over the Rainbow” (1939) by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg 16. “Caravan” (1937) by Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol, and Irving Mills 17. “After You’ve Gone” (1918) by Turner Layton and Harry Creamer 18. “Yesterdays” (1933) by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach 19. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929) by Fats Waller, Harry Brooks, and Andy Razaf 20. “Lover, Come Back to Me” (1928) by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II 21. “What Is This Thing Called Love?” (1930) by Cole Porter 22. “I Can’t Get Started” (1936) by Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin 23. “Jingle Bells” (1857) by J.S. Pierpont 24. “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” (1928) by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields 25. “My Old Kentucky Home” (1853) by Stephen Foster 26. “When the Saints Go Marching In” (1896) by James Black and Katharine Purvis 27. “Tenderly” (1947) by Walter Gross and Jack Lawrence 28. “Blue Skies” (1927) by Irving Berlin 29. “September Song” (1938) by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson 30. “My Blue Heaven” (1927) by Walter Donaldson and George Whiting 31. “Always” (1925) by Irving Berlin 32. “Tiger Rag” (1917) by Harry DeCosta and Original Dixieland Jazz Band 33. “The Rosary” (1898) by Ethelbert Nevins and Robert Cameron Rogers 34. “Home, Sweet Home” (1823) by Henry Bishop and John Howard Payne 35. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (1933) by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach 36. “These Foolish Things Remind Me of You” (1936) by Jack Strachey, Harry Link, and Holt Marvell 37. “Ol’ Man River” (1928) by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II 38. “Limehouse Blues” (1924) by Philip Braham and Douglas Furber 39. “Sheik of Araby” (1923) by Ted Snyder, Harry B. Smith, and Francis Wheeler 40. “Embraceable You” (1930) by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin 41. “My Funny Valentine” (1937) by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart 42. “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933) by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler 43. “Twelfth Street Rag” (1914) by Euday L. Bowman 44. “Blue Moon” (1935) by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart 45. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (1863) by Julia Ward Howe and William Steffe 46. “My Melancholy Baby” (1913) by Ernie Burnett and George Norton 47. “I Got Rhythm” (1930) by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin 48. “Honeysuckle Rose” (1929) by Fats Waller and Anzy Razaf 49. “Love’s Old Sweet Song” (1884) by G. Clifton Bingham and James Mulloy 50. “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (1896) by John Philip Sousa 51. “Where or When” (1937) by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart 52. “Laura” (1945) by David Raskin and Johnny Mercer 53. “Mood Indigo” (1931) by Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard, and Irving Mills 54. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” (1946) by Mel Torme and Robert Wells 55. “Love for Sale” (1930) by Cole Porter 56. “Georgia on My Mind” (1930) by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell 57. “San Antonio Rose” (1938) by Bob Wills 58. “How High the Moon” (1940) by Morgan Lewis and Nancy Hamilton 59. “Someone to Watch Over Me” (1926) by George Gershwin and Ira Gerswhin 60. “I Only Have Eyes for You” (1934) by Harry Warren and Al Dublin 61. “Sweet Sue, Just You” (1928) by Victor Young and Will Harris 62. “The Darktown Strutters’ Ball” (1917) by Shelton Brooks 63. “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (1930) by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields 64. “Silver Threads Among the Gold” (1877) by Hart P. Danks and Eben Rexford 65. “I’m in the Mood for Love” (1935) by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields 66. “Deep Purple” (1933) by Peter DeRose and Mitchell Parish 67. “Sometimes I’m Happy” (1925) by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar 68. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (1934) by Cole Porter 69. “The Star-Spangled Banner” (1814) by Francis Scott Key 70. “Easy to Love” (1936) by Cole Porter 71. “Avalon” (1921) by B.G. DeSylva, Vincent Rose, and Al Jolson 72. “Willow Weep for Me” (1932) by Ann Ronell 73. “Dinah” (1925) by Harry Akst, Sam Lewis, and Joe Young 74. “Moonglow” (1934) by Will Hudson, Eddie DeLange, and Irving Mills 75. “Auld Lang Syne” (1711) adapted by Robert Burns 76. “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” (1879) by James A. Bland 77. “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911) by Irving Berlin 78. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (1934) by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie 79. “Basin Street Blues” (1929) by Spencer Williams 80. “Sweet Lorraine” (1935) by Clifford Burwell and Mitchell Parish 81. “I’ll Remember April” (1942) by Don Raye, Gene DePaul, and Patricia Johnston 82. “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949) by Johnny Marks 83. “Solitude” (1934) by Duke Ellington 84. “Some of These Days” (1910) by Shelton Brooks 85. “Stella by Starlight” (1947) by Victor Young and Ned Washington 86. “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899) by Scott Joplin 87. “Lover” (1933) by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart 88. “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936) by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields 89. “Pennies from Heaven” (1936) by Arthur Johnston and John Burke 90. “Dancing in the Dark” (1931) by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz 91. “Indiana” (1917) by James Hanley and Ballad MacDonald 92. “April in Paris” (1932) by Vernon Duke 93. “As Time Goes By” (1931) by Herman Hupfield 94. “Royal Garden Blues” (1923) by Spencer Williams and Clarence Williams 95. “The Very Thought of You” (1934) by Ray Noble 96. “Lover Man” (1942) by Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez, and Jimmy Sherman 97. “Round Midnight” (1947) by Thelonious Monk and Cootie Williams 98. “Perdido” (1942) by Juan Tizol, Ervin Drake, and Hans Lengsfelder 99. “All of Me” (1931) by Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks 100. “What’s New?” (1939) by Johnny Burke and Robert Haggart Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, WI; Record Research, Inc. Pages 632-33. First posted 1/24/2020; last updated 4/13/2021.

Today in Music (1915): “Home Sweet Home” hit #1

Home Sweet Home Alice Nielsen

Writer(s): John Howard Payne (lyrics), Sir Henry Rowley Bishop (arranged) (see lyrics here) Introduced: May 8, 1823 First Charted: October 17, 1891 (John Yorke Atlee) Peak: 12 PM (Alice Nielsen) (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.1 million (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.68 video, -- streaming

Awards (Payne): Click on award for more details. Awards (John Yorke Atlee): Click on award for more details. Awards (Alice Nielsen): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: John Howard Payne was a descendent of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence TY2 and a poet in New York City. SS He went to London to pursue acting, writing, and drama production. He teamed with Sir Henry Rowley Bishop to write an operetta called Clari or The Maid of Milan. It premiered on May 8, 1823, at Covent Garden. The production introduced the world to the song “Home, Sweet Home.” Maria Tree sang it at the end of the first act. TY2 It quickly became one of the most famous songs of the 19th century, spreading throughout England and the rest of Western civilization. TY2 Charles Hamm called it, “the most popular song of the entire century.” SS It definitely “cast an imposing shadow over all other sentimental ballads of the 1800s as perhaps the definitive symbol of nostalgia for one’s roots.” SS During the Civil War, the song was reportedly banned from Union Army camps because it might incite desertion. WK In 1821 and 1822, Bishop published several volumes of folk songs and was known to create tunes of his own based on authentic melodies. He created a tune called “A Sicilian Air” that became the basis of the melody for “Home, Sweet Home.” TY2 Another source says Bishop first used the melody for a piece called ‘To the Home of My Childhood,” published in the collection Melodies of Other Nations. SS The song charted multiple times in the pre-rock era with versions by John Yorke Atlee (#2, 1891), Harry MacDonough (#3, 1902), Richard Jose (#3, 1906), Alma Gluck (#6, 1912), Alice Nielsen (#1, 1915), and Elsie Baker (#10, 1915). PM The song has appeared in the musicals The Prodigal (1931), Let Freedom Ring (1938), First Love (1939), and Cairo (1942). In the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, Anna teaches her students to sing the song. WK Disney’s 1958 animated film Lady and the Tramp features a “dog-howling rendition” of the song. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for John Howard Payne DMDB encyclopedia entry for John Yorke Atlee DMDB encyclopedia entry for Alice Nielsen SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 733-4. TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Pages 78-9. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 510. WK Wikipedia First posted 6/27/2024.

Today in Music (1915): “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” hit #1

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny Len Spencer

Writer(s): James A. Bland (see lyrics here) First Charted: October 7, 1893 Peak: 2 PM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny Alma Gluck

Recorded: November 13, 1914 First Charted: February 20, 1915 Peak: 15 PM, 11 GA (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.10 video, 0.03 streaming

Awards (Spencer): Click on award for more details. Awards (Gluck): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: James Bland, an African American minstrel, wrote “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” in approximately 1878. TY2 The song was reportedly inspired by “a peaceful scene on a plantation on the James River near Williamsburg, Virginia.” TY2 In addition, a female student at Howard University in Washington, D.C. told Bland that “a dream had carried her back home ‘to old Virginny.’” TY<2 The song was introduced by George Primorose and his minstrels and became a staple for most minstrel groups. TY2 In 1940, it became the state song of Virginia. However, because the lyrics contained “several pseudo-African American colloquialisms” TY2 that could be demmed “too racially sensitive,” TY2 the state legislature retired the song in 1997. GN In 1893, Len Spencer took the song to #2. He was born February 12, 1867, in Washington D.C. He was “one of the giants of the pioneer recording era,” PM “America’s first nationally-known recording star in the 1890s.” PM He charted 45 times from 1891 to 1910, reaching #1 fifteen times. PM In 1915, Alma Gluck went all the way to #1. Her version was only the fourth million-selling record in history. PM It was her most successful of her 19 chart entries. She was born in Romania and rose to fame with the New York Metropolitan Opera. PM Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis have also recorded the song. Resources: GN Genius.com TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Page 77. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 175, 402-4, and 483. Related Links: First posted 5/16/2025.

Today in Music (1907): “Auld Lang Syne” charted for first time

Auld Lang Syne Frank Stanley

Writer(s): Robert Burns (lyrics adapted by), music (unknown) (see lyrics here) First Published: 1796 First Charted: December 14, 1907 (Frank Stanley) Peak: 2 BB, 1 DF (Stanley); 5 PM (Peerless Quartet, 1921); 18 DF (Chas & Dave, 1982); 7 BB, 40 R, 3 AC, 15 A40, 98 RB, 31 DF (Kenny G, 1998) (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 47.07 video, 28.08 streaming (multiple versions)

Awards: Click on award for more details. Awards (Frank Stanley): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Author Don Tyler asserts that along with “Happy Birthday” and “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” “Auld Lang Syne” “may be one of the most well known and most often sung or performed songs in American history.” DT The title, when translated into standard English, is “Old Long Since,” which can be interpreted as “since long ago” or “for old times’ sake.” BR It was a commonly used expression as far back as the reign of King Charles I from 1625 to 1649. DT Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, wrote the words for “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788. He claimed he adapted the words “from an old man’s singing.” BR Indeed, there have been similar poems that preceded Burns’ version. It has been cited as the inspiration for Burns’ version. BR In 1720, Scottish poet Allan Ramsay published a poem beginning with the line “should auld acquaintance be forgot” but otherwise it is dissimilar to Burns’ poem. BR The poem did not appear in print until after Burns’ death when it was published in the fifth volume of James Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum in 1796. BR The lyrics are “about old friends having a drink and recalling adventures they had long ago.” BR The words were set to a Scottish song by an unknown composer. The melody was first published in 1687. SS In 1782, the comic opera Rosina by William Shield used a similar tune. BR Another version of the tune was published in 1792 but with different words.BR George Thomson set the verses to an old Scottish tune which had been the basis fo several songs, including “I Fee’d a Lad at Michaelmas,” “The Miller’s Wedding,” and “The Miller’s Daughter.” DT In 1799, the words and music were published together as we now know them. BR By at least the 1890s, the song was used as a New Year’s Eve celebratory song. SS In 1907, Frank Stanley recorded what may be the first and finest version of the standard. SS It “shows off the resonant, rumbling power of his voice.” SS Bandleader Guy Lombardo made it an annual tradition to perform the song for radio and television broadcasts, first doing so on December 31, 1929, BR and continuing to do so for more than 30 years. BR Resources: BR Britannica.com SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 585-6. TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Pages 34-35. Related Links: First posted 11/24/2025.

 

Today in Music (1898): “My Old Kentucky Home” hit #1

My Old Kentucky Home Edison Male Quartette

Writer(s): Stephen Foster (music & lyrics) (see lyrics here) Introduced: 1853 First Recorded: December 1897 First Charted: January 22, 1898 Peak: 13 PM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.1 million (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.11 video, -- streaming

Awards (Stephen Foster): Click on award for more details. Awards (Edison Male Quartette): Awards (Geraldine Farrar):

About the Song: Even before “My Old Kentucky Home,” Songwriting Hall of Famer Stephen Foster had “established himself as America’s foremost popular composer with ‘Oh! Susanna’ (1847), ‘Camptown Races’ (1850), and ‘The Old Folks at Home’ (1851).” SS Legend suggests he was inspired to write “My Old Kentucky Home” while visiting his cousins in Bardstown, Kentucky, in January 1852. He was reportedly “inspired by the morning sounds of mockingbirds singing and slave children playing. TY2 However,, biographer Ken Emerson says Foster’s own sketch book confirms the inspiration was Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in March 1852. SS The first draft of the song was called “Poor Uncle Tom, Good Night!,” which “aligns Foster's sympathies with the Abolitionist movement.” SA However, he wasn’t about to jeopardize sales of his song with Southerners by condemning slavery. SS Therefore, he dropped references to Uncle Tom and left out the original blackface dialect. SS While still inspired by Stowe’s novel, the revised song “had a broader poetic scope.” SS Ed Christy and his minstrel troop introduced the song in 1853. TY2 The sheet music reportedly sold 100,000 copies, an astonishing figure for the 1850s. TY2 The song charted six times from 1898 to 1918. The first version, which hit #1, was by the Edison Male Quartette who were comprised of tenor John Bieling, baritone S.H. Dudley, bass singer William F. Hooley, and tenor Harry MacDonough. PM They later became the Haydn Quartet – who recorded the song in 1903. It went to #3. Other chart versions of the song came from Harry MacDonough (#3, 1906), Geraldine Farrar (#5, 1910), Alma Gluck (#3, 1916), and the Columbia Stellar Quartet with Lucy Gates (#9, 1918). PM In 1928, this was made the official state song of Kentucky. It is also the official song for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. It has appeared in the musicals Harmony Lane (1935), Swanee River (1939), and I Dream of Jeannie (1952). The last two are screen biopics about Foster. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Edison Male Quartette DMDB encyclopedia entry for Geraldine Farrar SA SongOfAmerica.net “My Old Kentucky Home” by Christie Finn TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Page 21. SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Page 432. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 555. Related Links: First posted 6/27/2024.