1950 Music – Pop Standards and Artists

1950 Pop Standards and Artists

Bing and Gary Crosby
Play A Simple Melody
This song was written by Irving Berlin and used in the Motion Picture, There’s No Business Like Show Business. The song is actually two songs, one is a simple old fashioned melody, and the second a more complex jazz song. At first, the songs are sung separately and then over the top of one another. Gary Crosby is Bing’s son.

Doris Day
Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered
This song has it’s origins in the 1940 musical Pal Joey, music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, which launched the career of legendary dancer Gene Kelly. It would hit the charts, though ten years, later in 1950. Many artists would go on to record the song, including Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion and Cher.

The Mills Brothers
Daddy’s Little Girl
If there was a song that was used at almost every wedding in the 1950s 60s, 70s, and 80s, this would be it. Not however during the ceremony. The song would be used for the father-daughter dance at the reception to the tears of all the women married or single. The song’s lyrics and music were written by Boby Burke and Horace Gerlach.

Nat King Cole
Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is probably the most famous of Da Vinci’s work. The painting resides at The Louvre Museum in Paris and many prints, postcards, and posters have been made of this classic work of art. There is much speculation as to who the model for the painting was, but no one knows for sure, and the enigmatic smile she wears has been perplexing people since the painting was completed. The song compares a woman to the famous portrait. The song was composed by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the motion picture Captain Carey U.S.A. It took the Academy Award for best song in 1950.

Perry Como
A Bushel And A Peck
Guys and Dolls is a musical based on a story By Damon Runyon. It tells the tale of a young missionary girl who falls in love with a gambler in New York City. The musical made its premiere on Broadway in 1950 and would run for 1200 performances. It also took the Tony Award for that year. A Bushel And A Peck is sung by Miss Adelaide who is a singer at a local club, the song was part of her act.

Gene Autry
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
Having topped the charts in 1949 with the song Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, it is not surprising that Gene Autry would come back the following year with a song about a popular rabbit for Easter. The song was written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins and would peak at #5 on the Billboard Charts. The song would later become the title for a 1971 Easter special which told the story of how a young Peter got the job as 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 the song was published in 1950 and recorded in January of that year by Eileen Barton. The song became such a big hit that its record producer, National Records, could not handle the demand and turned to the larger record company, Mercury Records, to help with distribution. The song would be recorded by many other artists, a few times as a duet. Bing Crosby and Bob Hope would record the song in this way as well as Ethel Merman and Ray Bulger.

Teresa Brewer
Music Music Music
This Million seller record was first recorded by London Records in 1949 by Teresa Brewer. The song was written by Stephen Weiss and Bernie Baum. Petula Clark would record the song that same year and that version would be popular in Australia.
The song would be recorded again in the 1970s by Melanie, but she would rename it The Nickel Song.

Anton Karas
Third Man Theme
Written by Anton Karas in 1949 for the film, The Third Man. This instrumental piece topped the BillBoard charts for eleven weeks. Its popularity is partially attributed to the use of the zither, an instrument rarely used in music at that time.

Top Artists and Songs of 1950