1935 Popular Music: Movie Musicals, Swing, Broadway Standards, Country, Blues, Jazz, and Songs That Became American Memory

1935 popular music was rich with movie musicals, Broadway standards, swing, jazz, country, blues, novelty records, and vocal pop. Songs like Cheek to Cheek, Blue Moon, On the Good Ship Lollipop, I Get a Kick Out of You, Just One of Those Things, I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, Lullaby of Broadway, In a Sentimental Mood, I’m in the Mood for Love, and Tumbling Tumbleweeds helped define the year’s sound.

This was a huge year for Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Fred Astaire, Shirley Temple, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby, and the growing swing-band world. Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows fed many of the year’s most durable songs, while country and blues records added roots that later listeners would rediscover and preserve.

1935 sounds polished, theatrical, and tuneful, but it also has real range. A child star could sing from an airplane, Fred Astaire could dance in formal wear, Fats Waller could write himself a letter, and The Carter Family could carry a song that became part of country and gospel memory. That is a full year’s work.

1935 Music by Style and Era

Movie Songs, Hollywood Musicals, and Screen-to-Radio Hits

Movie musicals were one of the biggest forces in 1935 popular music. Shirley Temple’s On the Good Ship Lollipop, from Bright Eyes, became her signature song and one of the most familiar child-star performances in American film history. It was cute, memorable, and carefully built for Depression-era audiences who wanted a little sweetness with their movie ticket.

Fred Astaire’s Top Hat songs gave 1935 some of its most elegant movie-musical moments. Cheek to Cheek, Top Hat, White Tie and Tails, No Strings, and The Piccolino helped define the Astaire image: graceful, polished, witty, and apparently allergic to clumsy movement. Cheek to Cheek later became one of Irving Berlin’s most beloved standards.

• On the Good Ship Lollipop – Shirley Temple
• Cheek to Cheek – Fred Astaire
• Cheek to Cheek – Eddie Duchin
• Top Hat, White Tie and Tails – Fred Astaire
• No Strings – Fred Astaire
• The Piccolino – Fred Astaire
• I Won’t Dance – Eddie Duchin
• Lovely to Look At – Eddie Duchin
• Lovely to Look At – Irene Dunne
• You Are My Lucky Star – Louis Armstrong
• You Are My Lucky Star – Eddie Duchin
• Lullaby of Broadway – The Dorsey Brothers
• She’s a Latin from Manhattan – Victor Young

Artist Spotlight: Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire helped make 1935 one of the classic years for movie-musical standards. Cheek to Cheek became one of his most famous recordings, while Top Hat, White Tie and Tails captured his smooth screen persona. Astaire was not a powerhouse singer, but he knew how to deliver a lyric with charm, timing, and elegance. Then he danced, which felt a little unfair to everyone else.

Broadway, Cole Porter, and The Great American Songbook

Broadway was a major source of 1935’s lasting music. Cole Porter’s I Get a Kick Out of You and You’re the Top came from Anything Goes, one of the great Porter musicals. These songs were witty, sophisticated, and built around the kind of wordplay that made Porter sound like he had swallowed a rhyming dictionary and improved it.

Just One of Those Things, from Porter’s Jubilee, also became a long-running standard. The song later turned up through major recordings by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and many others. Its phrase “goodbye, farewell, amen” also became familiar to television fans through the title of the final episode of M*A*S*H, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.

• I Get a Kick Out of You – Ethel Merman
• You’re the Top – Cole Porter
• Just One of Those Things – Richard Himber and His Orchestra
• I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’ – Leo Reisman
• It Ain’t Necessarily So – Leo Reisman
• Lovely to Look At – Irene Dunne
• Lovely to Look At – Eddie Duchin
• East of the Sun, West of the Moon – Tom Coakley and His Palace Hotel Orchestra
• Life Is a Song – Ruth Etting
• Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life – Nelson Eddy

Artist Spotlight: Cole Porter

Cole Porter had a major presence in 1935 through songs that became permanent parts of the American songbook. I Get a Kick Out of You, You’re the Top, and Just One of Those Things show his mix of elegance, comedy, and sly sophistication. Porter’s songs often sounded effortless, but the rhymes and internal jokes were doing a lot of work. He made cleverness singable, which is the hard part.

Big Bands, Swing, and Dance-Orchestra Power

Swing and dance orchestras were growing stronger in 1935. Benny Goodman’s King Porter Stomp became an important swing-era record, helping push Goodman toward the national breakthrough that followed. Jimmy Lunceford’s Rhythm Is Our Business also captured the crisp, energetic style that made his band one of the great swing orchestras.

The Dorsey Brothers, Ray Noble, Glen Gray, Ozzie Nelson, Xavier Cugat, Eddie Duchin, and others filled the year with dance-band variety. Some songs leaned romantic, some leaned hot, and some leaned polished enough to see their own reflection in the brass section.

• King Porter Stomp – Benny Goodman
• Blue Moon – Benny Goodman
• Rhythm Is Our Business – Jimmy Lunceford
• Lullaby of Broadway – The Dorsey Brothers
• Chasing Shadows – The Dorsey Brothers
• On Treasure Island – Tommy Dorsey
• Blue Moon – Glen Gray
• Blue Moon – Al Bowlly and the Ray Noble Orchestra
• Isle of Capri – Ray Noble
• Let’s Swing It – Ray Noble
• Paris in the Spring – Ray Noble
• And Then Some – Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra
• The Lady in Red – Xavier Cugat
• Begin the Beguine – Xavier Cugat

Artist Spotlight: Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman’s King Porter Stomp helped point toward the swing explosion that would soon make him one of the most famous bandleaders in America. The arrangement had drive, clarity, and a sense of forward motion that made swing feel modern. Goodman was not the only force behind the swing era, but in 1935 he was becoming one of its most visible engines.

Jazz Standards, Instrumental Classics, and Sophisticated Swing

Duke Ellington’s In a Sentimental Mood became one of the most beautiful jazz standards connected to 1935. Its melody and atmosphere gave musicians room for interpretation, and it later became one of Ellington’s most recorded and admired compositions. The song showed that jazz could be elegant without losing depth.

Louis Armstrong’s I’m in the Mood for Love and You Are My Lucky Star connected jazz performance to popular song. Fats Waller’s records brought humor and rhythmic ease, while Cab Calloway kept the high-energy side of jazz entertainment alive. The year’s jazz was not boxed into one sound; it stretched from sophisticated ballads to showmanship and swing.

• In a Sentimental Mood – Duke Ellington
• I’m in the Mood for Love – Louis Armstrong
• I’m in the Mood for Love – Little Jack Little
• You Are My Lucky Star – Louis Armstrong
• I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter – Fats Waller
• A Little Bit Independent – Fats Waller
• Lulu’s Back in Town – Fats Waller
• Truckin’ – Fats Waller
• Keep That Hi-De-Hi in Your Soul – Cab Calloway
• The Object of My Affection – The Boswell Sisters

Artist Spotlight: Fats Waller

Fats Waller’s I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter became one of the great lighthearted standards of the mid-1930s. Waller’s piano, timing, and personality turned the song into something warmer and funnier than a simple novelty record. The song later attracted recordings by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Barry Manilow, and Paul McCartney, keeping it familiar across generations.

Crooners, Vocal Pop, and Romantic Ballads

Bing Crosby remained one of the dominant voices of 1935. Red Sails in the Sunset, It’s Easy to Remember, I Wished on the Moon, and Soon showed his relaxed way with romantic ballads. Crosby made records feel conversational, which mattered as microphones and radio changed how singers connected with listeners.

Blue Moon became one of the year’s most important standards. Rodgers and Hart’s song later returned in a very different form when The Marcels took a doo-wop version to the top of the pop charts in 1961. That later revival helped make Blue Moon familiar to listeners who knew little about its 1930s origin.

• Blue Moon – Glen Gray
• Blue Moon – Al Bowlly and the Ray Noble Orchestra
• Blue Moon – Benny Goodman
• Red Sails in the Sunset – Bing Crosby
• Red Sails in the Sunset – Guy Lombardo
• It’s Easy to Remember – Bing Crosby
• I Wished on the Moon – Bing Crosby
• Soon – Bing Crosby
• When I Grow Too Old to Dream – Glen Gray
• I’m Sittin’ High on a Hill Top – Guy Lombardo
• What’s the Reason? – Guy Lombardo
• In a Little Gypsy Tea Room – Bob Crosby and His Orchestra

Artist Spotlight: Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby’s 1935 recordings show why he was one of the most important pop singers of the era. Red Sails in the Sunset and It’s Easy to Remember fit his warm, intimate vocal style, while his movie work kept him central to Hollywood music. Crosby helped define modern popular singing by making it sound natural instead of theatrical. That relaxed style traveled extremely well by radio.

Country, Western Swing, and Rural American Sound

Country and Western music had several important 1935 entries. Patsy Montana’s I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart became one of the first major country hits by a female artist and remains an essential Western song. Its yodeling, cowgirl identity, and cheerful frontier fantasy made it a landmark record.

Gene Autry’s Ole Faithful and Tumbling Tumbleweeds helped strengthen the singing cowboy tradition, while The Carter Family’s Can the Circle Be Unbroken carried deep country-gospel importance. These songs helped shape country music’s memory before Nashville became the industry center most listeners know today.

• I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart – Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers
• Ole Faithful – Gene Autry
• Tumbling Tumbleweeds – Gene Autry
• Can the Circle Be Unbroken – The Carter Family
• Roll Along, Prairie Moon – Ballew Smith
• Steel Guitar Rag – Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
• New San Antonio Rose – Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
• Riding Down the Canyon – Gene Autry

Artist Spotlight: Patsy Montana

Patsy Montana’s I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart was a milestone for women in country music. The song’s yodeling, Western imagery, and confident female voice helped it stand apart from other cowboy records of the era. It later became a standard for country and Western performers. Montana did not just sing about the cowboy world; she made room for the cowgirl.

Blues, Roots Music, and Songs with Long Shadows

Blues and roots recordings from 1935 later gained more recognition through collectors, folk revival listeners, and rock musicians. Sleepy John Estes’ Stop That Thing belongs to the country-blues world that later generations studied for its guitar style, vocal directness, and storytelling.

The Carter Family’s Can the Circle Be Unbroken also belongs in this deeper roots story. The song became one of the most important country-gospel standards and later inspired recordings and references by many folk, country, and bluegrass performers. Its emotional simplicity helped it travel far beyond its original recording era.

• Stop That Thing – Sleepy John Estes
• Can the Circle Be Unbroken – The Carter Family
• Cross Road Blues – Robert Johnson
• Kind Hearted Woman Blues – Robert Johnson
• Goodnight Irene – Lead Belly
• Midnight Special – Lead Belly
• Cotton-Eyed Joe – Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers

Artist Spotlight: The Carter Family

The Carter Family’s Can the Circle Be Unbroken became one of the foundational country-gospel songs in American music. Its influence reached folk, bluegrass, gospel, and country performers for decades. The song’s theme of family, faith, loss, and reunion gave it emotional durability. Some songs survive because they are clever; this one survived because people needed it.

Novelty Songs, Child Stars, and Lighthearted Records

1935 had plenty of lighthearted music, led by Shirley Temple’s On the Good Ship Lollipop. The song became one of the most famous child-star performances of the Depression era, giving audiences a cheerful escape. It later remained strongly tied to Temple’s public image, long after she left entertainment for diplomacy and public service.

Fats Waller’s comic warmth, George Formby’s music-hall personality, and novelty-friendly dance records kept the year from becoming too formal. Popular music in 1935 could be elegant, but it could also wink at the listener.

• On the Good Ship Lollipop – Shirley Temple
• Fanlight Fanny – George Formby
• The Music Goes Round and Round – Riley-Farley Orchestra
• I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter – Fats Waller
• Truckin’ – Fats Waller
• We’re Frightfully BBC – Western Brothers
• Keep That Hi-De-Hi in Your Soul – Cab Calloway

Women Vocalists, Stage Stars, and Screen Performers

Women performers shaped several of 1935’s most memorable songs. Shirley Temple’s On the Good Ship Lollipop became a film landmark, while Ethel Merman’s I Get a Kick Out of You helped define the bold Broadway style associated with Cole Porter. Patsy Montana’s I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart made country music history from a very different direction.

The Boswell Sisters, Ruth Etting, Irene Dunne, and Carmen Miranda also added range to the year’s sound. From Broadway brass to country yodeling to Hollywood charm, 1935’s women performers were not working in one lane. They were building several roads at once.

• On the Good Ship Lollipop – Shirley Temple
• I Get a Kick Out of You – Ethel Merman
• I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart – Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers
• The Object of My Affection – The Boswell Sisters
• Life Is a Song – Ruth Etting
• Lovely to Look At – Irene Dunne
• Sonho de Papel – Carmen Miranda

Latin, International Flavor, and Songs with Passport Energy

International and Latin-flavored songs were part of the 1935 mix. Xavier Cugat’s Begin the Beguine and The Lady in Red helped bring Latin-styled dance-band glamour to American listeners. Carmen Miranda’s Sonho de Papel represented Brazilian popular music before she became a familiar Hollywood figure in the United States.

Isle of Capri, Mexicali Rose, Paris in the Spring, and In a Little Gypsy Tea Room show how popular songs often used place names and travel imagery to create romance. Some were more fantasy than geography lesson, but they helped listeners go somewhere for three minutes.

• Begin the Beguine – Xavier Cugat
• The Lady in Red – Xavier Cugat
• Sonho de Papel – Carmen Miranda
• Isle of Capri – Ray Noble
• Mexicali Rose – Bing Crosby
• Paris in the Spring – Ray Noble
• In a Little Gypsy Tea Room – Bob Crosby and His Orchestra

More Must-Have 1935 Songs

Several other 1935 songs belong in the cultural soundtrack of the year because they remained recognizable, shaped later music, or became strongly tied to a performer, genre, film, or era.

• Cheek to Cheek – Fred Astaire
• Blue Moon – Glen Gray
• I Get a Kick Out of You – Ethel Merman
• Just One of Those Things – Richard Himber and His Orchestra
• I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter – Fats Waller
• In a Sentimental Mood – Duke Ellington
• I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart – Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers
• Can the Circle Be Unbroken – The Carter Family
• Lullaby of Broadway – The Dorsey Brothers
• King Porter Stomp – Benny Goodman
• Tumbling Tumbleweeds – Gene Autry
• You Are My Lucky Star – Louis Armstrong

Overlap note: Several 1935 songs naturally fit more than one style. Cheek to Cheek is a movie song, an Irving Berlin standard, a Fred Astaire signature, and a romantic dance classic. Blue Moon began as a Rodgers and Hart standard and later became a doo-wop smash for The Marcels. Can the Circle Be Unbroken belongs to country, gospel, folk, and family-memory traditions. On the Good Ship Lollipop is a film song, child-star signature, and Depression-era pop-culture artifact. 1935 was not just one sound; it was Broadway polish, Hollywood sparkle, country roots, jazz invention, and a little lollipop sugar all sharing the same songbook.