1950 Music: Popular Music, Songs and Artists

1950 Popular Music, Songs and Artists

Bing and Gary Crosby

Play a Simple Melody
Written by Irving Berlin, Play a Simple Melody was featured in the movie There’s No Business Like Show Business. The song is actually two melodies in one: a simple, old-fashioned tune juxtaposed with a more complex jazz melody. Initially sung separately, the two melodies eventually overlap, creating a harmonious blend. Gary Crosby, who performed the song with his father Bing Crosby, was one of Bing’s four sons.

Doris Day

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered
This classic originated in the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey, which launched Gene Kelly’s Broadway career. Thanks to its enduring appeal, the song charted a decade later in 1950. Over the years, it has been recorded by many legendary artists, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Barbra Streisand.

The Mills Brothers

Daddy’s Little Girl
Daddy’s Little Girl is a timeless tearjerker often used for the father-daughter dance at weddings. Bobby Burke and Horace Gerlach wrote the song and became a sentimental favorite in the mid-20th century, evoking emotions across generations.

Nat King Cole

Mona Lisa
Composed by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, Mona Lisa was featured in the 1950 film Captain Carey, U.S.A. and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Nat King Cole’s smooth, heartfelt rendition made the song a classic, comparing a woman’s enigmatic nature to the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, which resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Perry Como

A Bushel and a Peck
This cheerful tune originates from the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls (1950), based on stories by Damon Runyon. In the musical, the song is performed by Miss Adelaide as part of her nightclub act. Perry Como’s recording brought the playful number to a wider audience, cementing its popularity.

Gene Autry

Here Comes Peter Cottontail
After his success with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Gene Autry released Here Comes Peter Cottontail in 1950, written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. The song, celebrating Easter traditions, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard charts. It later inspired the 1971 Easter television special Here Comes Peter Cottontail, which tells how Peter became the Easter Bunny.

Eileen Barton

If I Knew You Were Coming, I’d Have Baked a Cake
Written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts, this novelty hit was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950. Its popularity overwhelmed its initial record label, National Records, which partnered with Mercury Records to meet demand. The song was also recorded as a duet by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, as well as by Ethel Merman and Ray Bolger.

Teresa Brewer

Music! Music! Music!
Written by Stephen Weiss and Bernie Baum, Music! Music! Music! became a million-seller for Teresa Brewer in 1949. Petula Clark also recorded the song that year, achieving popularity in Australia. In the 1970s, Melanie Safka revived the tune as The Nickel Song, adding a modern twist.

Anton Karas

The Third Man Theme
Composed by Anton Karas in 1949 for the film The Third Man, this instrumental piece topped the Billboard charts for 11 weeks. Its distinctive use of the zither, a rarely heard instrument, contributed to its unique sound and enduring popularity.

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Top Artists and Songs of 1950

 Andrews Sisters
I Can Dream, Can’t I?
I Wanna Be Loved
 Anton Karas
Third Man Theme
 Art Lund
Mona Lisa
 Bill Snyder
Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)
 Billy Eckstine
My Foolish Heart
 Bing and Gary Crosby
Play A Simple Melody
Sam’s Song (The Happy Tune)
 Bing Crosby
Chattanoogie Shoe-Shine Boy
Four Winds and the Seven Seas
Harbor Lights
 Dinah Shore
My Heart Cries For You
 Doris Day
Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)
Hoop-Dee-Doo
 Eileen Barton
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d Have Baked A Cake
 Eve Young
One Silver Dollar
 Fats Domino
The Fat Man
 Frank Allison
Peter Cottontail
 Frank Sinatra
Goodnight Irene
 Frankie Laine
Cry of the Wild Goose
Music Maestro Please
 Freddy Martin
Music! Music! Music! (Put Another Nickle In)
 Gene Autry
Peter Cottontail
 Gene Krupa
Bonaparte’s Retreat
 Gordon Jenkins and the Weavers
Goodnight, Irene
 Gordon Jenkins
Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)
My Foolish Heart
Tzena Tzena
 Guy Lombardo
Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)
Harbor Lights
Tennessee Waltz
Third Man Theme
 Guy Mitchell
My Heart Cries For You
The Roving Kind
 Hank Snow
I’m Movin On
 Hoagy Carmichael
The Old Piano Roll Blues
 Ivory Joe Hunter
I Need You So
 Jerry Murad’s Harminicats
Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)
 Jimmy Wakely
Peter Cottontail
 Joe ‘Fingers’ Carr
Sam’s Song
 Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers
Pink Champagne
 Jo Stafford
Goodnight, Irene
Tennessee Waltz
 Johnnie Lee Wills
Rag Mop
 Johnny Otis
Double Crossing Blues
 Larry Green and his Orchestra
Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)
 Lefty Frizzell
If You’ve Got The Money (I’ve Got The Time)
 Les Paul and Mary Ford
Tennessee Waltz
 Lionel Hampton
Rag Mop
 Little Esther
Double Crossing Blues
 Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Blue Light Boogie
 Louis Prima and Keely Smith
Oh Babe
 Mel Torme
Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)
 Mervin Shiner
Peter Cottontail
 Mills Brothers
Daddy’s Little Girl
Nevertheless (I’m In Love With You)
 Mindy Carson
My Foolish Heart
 Mitch Miller
Tzena Tzena
 Muddy Waters
Rollin’ Stone
 Nat ‘King’ Cole
Mona Lisa
 Patti Page
All My Love
The Tennesse Waltz
 Percy Faith
All My Love
 Percy Mayfield
Please Send Me Someone To Love
 Perez Prado
Mambo Number 5
 Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters
Hoop-Dee-Doo
You’re Just In Love
 Perry Como
A Bushel and A Peck
Patricia
You’re Just In Love
 Phil Harris
The Thing
 Professor Longhair
Crazy Baldhead
 Ralph Flanagan
Rag Mop
 Ray Anthony
Count Every Star
Harbor Lights
Sentimental Me
 Ray Bolger
Dearie
 Red Foley
Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
 Roy Brown and his Mighty-Mighty Men
Hard Luck Blues
 Russ Morgan
Sentimental Me
 Ruth Brown
Teardrops From My Eyes
 Sammy Kaye
Harbor Lights
Hollywood Square Dance
I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
It Isn’t Fair
 Teresa Brewer
Music! Music! Music!
 The Ames Brothers
Can Anyone Explain (No No No!)
Rag Mop
Undecided
Sentimental Me
 The Robins
Double Crossing Blues
 The Starlighters
Rag Mop
 Tony Martin and Fred Warren
I Said My Pajamas (And Put On My Pray’rs)
 Tony Martin
There’s No Tomorrow
 Vic Damone
My Heart Cries For You
 Victor Young
Mona Lisa
 Yves Montand
Les Feuilles Mortes