List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1940s
| Australian number-one singles of the 1940s | |
|---|---|
| Australian top 25 singles | |
| 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 | |
| Australian top 25 albums | |
| 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 |
The following lists the number one singles on the Australian Singles Chart during the 1940s.
The source for this decade is the "Kent Music Report". These charts were calculated in the 1990s in retrospect, by David Kent, using archival data. Before 1949, charts in Australia were only available on a monthly basis.
Note: during the 1940s, often more than one version of a particular song by different artists charted at the same time, thus more than one artist may be listed for a song. Different versions are separated by a semi-colon ;
1940
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Joe Loss; Carson Robison | "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" | 3 months |
| February | |||
| March | |||
| April | The Andrews Sisters; Joe Loss | "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)" | 1 month |
| May | Joe Loss; Glenn Miller | "Blue Orchids" | 3 months |
| June | |||
| July | |||
| August | Joe Loss | "Till the Lights of London Shine Again" | 3 months |
| September | |||
| October | |||
| November | Kate Smith; Glenn Miller | "The Woodpecker Song" | 5 months |
| December |
1941
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Kate Smith; Glenn Miller | "The Woodpecker Song" | 5 months |
| February | |||
| March | |||
| April | The Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra; Dick Robertson | "Ferryboat Serenade" | 1 month |
| May | Vera Lynn; West End Players | "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" | 4 months |
| June | |||
| July | |||
| August | |||
| September | Shep Fields; West End Players | "Down Argentina Way" | 1 month |
| October | Judy Garland; The Jesters | "It's a Great Day for the Irish" | 2 months |
| November | George Formby | "Bless 'em All" | 1 month |
| December | Judy Garland; The Jesters | "It's a Great Day for the Irish" | 2 months |
1942
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Glenn Miller & Joe Loss | "In the Mood" | 5 months |
| February | |||
| March | |||
| April | |||
| May | |||
| June | The Andrews Sisters; Sammy Kaye | "Daddy" | 1 month |
| July | Vera Lynn; Jean Cerchi | "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" | 3 months |
| August | |||
| September | |||
| October | Horace Heidt; Ink Spots | "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" | 2 months |
| November | |||
| December | Gene Autry; Horace Heidt | "Deep in the Heart of Texas" | 2 months |
1943
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Gene Autry; Horace Heidt | "Deep in the Heart of Texas" | 2 months |
| February | Harry James | "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" | 4 months |
| March | |||
| April | |||
| May | |||
| June | Bing Crosby | "White Christmas" | 5 months |
| July | |||
| August | |||
| September | |||
| October | |||
| November | Dinah Shore | "Why Don't You Fall in Love With Me" | 1 month |
| December | Vera Lynn; Harry James | "I Had the Craziest Dream" | 1 month |
1944
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Ink Spots | "Ev'ry Night About This Time" | 1 month |
| February | Vera Lynn & Joe Loss | "You'll Never Know" | 3 months |
| March | |||
| April | |||
| May | Frank Sinatra; George Trevare | "Sunday, Monday or Always" | 2 months |
| June | |||
| July | Ink Spots | "Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees)" | 1 month |
| August | Dinah Shore; Glenn Miller | "Happy In Love" | 1 month |
| September | Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters | "Vict'ry Polka" | 1 month |
| October | Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters | "Pistol Packin' Mama" | 1 month |
| November | Joe Loss; Vera Lynn | "No Other Love" | 1 month |
| December | Ink Spots; Frank Sinatra | "A Lovely Way to Spend An Evening" | 1 month |
1945
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Geraldo; Lale Andersen | "Lili Marlene" | 1 month |
| February | Bing Crosby | "Amor, Amor" | 2 months |
| March | |||
| April | Bing Crosby & Joe Loss | "Swinging on a Star" | 1 month |
| May | Bing Crosby; Dinah Shore | "Long Ago (and Far Away)" | 1 month |
| June | Bing Crosby; Dinah Shore | "It Could Happen to You" | 2 months |
| July | |||
| August | Bing Crosby; Joe Loss | "I'll Be Seeing You" | 1 month |
| September | Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters | "Don't Fence Me In" | 3 months |
| October | |||
| November | |||
| December | Bing Crosby | "(Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral) That's an Irish Lullaby" | 1 month |
1946
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | The Organ, The Dance Band and Me; Les Brown | "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" | 1 month |
| February | The Andrews Sisters | "Rum and Coca-Cola" | 2 months |
| March | |||
| April | Ink Spots & Ella Fitzgerald | "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" | 1 month |
| May | Bing Crosby; Frank Sinatra | "A Friend of Yours" | 2 months |
| June | |||
| July | Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots; Duke Ellington | "I'm Beginning to See the Light" | 1 month |
| August | Bing Crosby; Judy Garland | "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" | 2 months |
| September | |||
| October | Bing Crosby; Freddy Martin | "Symphony" | 2 months |
| November | |||
| December | Bing Crosby; Kate Smith | "Sioux City Sue" | 1 month |
1947
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Sammy Kaye; The Merry Macs | "Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)" | 1 month |
| February | Ink Spots; Perry Como | "Prisoner of Love" | 2 months |
| March | |||
| April | Ink Spots; Freddy Martin | "To Each His Own" | 1 month |
| May | Frank Sinatra; Tex Beneke | "Five Minutes More" | 1 month |
| June | Bing Crosby; Dinah Shore | "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song" | 1 month |
| July | Bing Crosby; Perry Como | "They Say It's Wonderful" | 2 months |
| August | |||
| September | Al Jolson; Bing Crosby | "The Anniversary Song" | 5 months |
| October | Frank Sinatra; Dick Haymes | "Mam'selle" | 1 month |
| November | Bing Crosby; Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters | "(There's No Business Like) Show Business" | 1 month |
| December | Al Jolson; Bing Crosby | "The Anniversary Song" | 5 months |
1948
[edit]| Date | Artist | Single | Months at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Al Jolson; Bing Crosby | "The Anniversary Song" | 5 months |
| February | |||
| March | |||
| April | Bing Crosby; Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters | "Near You" | 4 months |
| May | Perry Como; Joe Loss | "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep)" | 1 month |
| June | Bing Crosby; Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters | "Near You" | 4 months |
| July | |||
| August | |||
| September | Sammy Kaye; Geraldo | "Serenade of the Bells" | 1 month |
| October | Bing Crosby; Gracie Fields | "Now Is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)" | 1 month |
| November | George Trevare; Art Mooney | "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" | 1 month |
| December | Al Jolson; Perry Como | "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" | 1 month |
1949
[edit]| Week beginning | Artist | Single | Weeks at number one |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters | "Teresa" | 1 week |
| 8 January | Dinah Shore; Gene Autry | "Buttons and Bows" | 13 weeks |
| 15 January | |||
| 22 January | |||
| 29 January | |||
| 5 February | |||
| 12 February | |||
| 19 February | |||
| 26 February | |||
| 5 March | |||
| 12 March | |||
| 19 March | |||
| 26 March | |||
| 2 April | |||
| 9 April | Perry Como; Tony Pastor | "Rambling Rose" | 5 weeks |
| 16 April | |||
| 23 April | |||
| 30 April | |||
| 7 May | |||
| 14 May | Danny Kaye & The Andrews Sisters; Ray McKinley | "Put 'em in a Box, Tie 'em with a Ribbon" | 2 weeks |
| 21 May | |||
| 28 May | Kay Kyser | "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China" | 6 weeks |
| 4 June | |||
| 11 June | |||
| 18 June | |||
| 25 June | |||
| 2 July | |||
| 9 July | Patty Andrews & Bob Crosby | "The Pussy Cat Song (Nyow! Nyot Nyow!)" | 4 weeks |
| 16 July | |||
| 23 July | |||
| 30 July | |||
| 6 August | Ink Spots; Joe Loss | "Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart" | 2 weeks |
| 13 August | |||
| 20 August | Bing Crosby; Joe Loss | "Far Away Places" | 5 weeks |
| 27 August | |||
| 3 September | |||
| 10 September | |||
| 17 September | |||
| 24 September | Evelyn Knight (singer); Sammy Kaye | "Powder Your Face with Sunshine" | 2 weeks |
| 1 October | |||
| 8 October | Buddy Clark; Larry Green | "It's a Big, Wide, Wonderful World" | 4 weeks |
| 15 October | |||
| 22 October | |||
| 29 October | |||
| 5 November | Vaughn Monroe; Bing Crosby | "Riders in the Sky" | 5 weeks |
| 12 November | |||
| 19 November | |||
| 26 November | |||
| 3 December | |||
| 10 December | Evelyn Knight (singer); Joe Loss | "A Little Bird Told Me" | 2 weeks |
| 17 December | |||
| 24 December | Burl Ives; Dinah Shore | "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)" | 6 weeks (4 weeks in 1950) |
| 31 December |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Allan's7th Song Hit Folio". Allan's Song Hit Folio series. Vol. VII, no. 1. New South Wales, Australia. 1 January 1948. p. 6. Retrieved 18 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THESE TWO ARE AUSTRALIA'S ACE SONG-WRITING TEAM". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XXXI, no. 42. New South Wales, Australia. 17 December 1949. p. 6. Retrieved 18 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "BITS AND PIECES". Warwick Daily News. No. 9650. Queensland, Australia. 12 July 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 18 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Publican Composer". Truth. No. 3058. New South Wales, Australia. 29 August 1948. p. 32. Retrieved 19 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Parlophone A-7703 copy held at NFSA