Looking Back Jan. 2

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or [email protected].

The pop music chart originated 75 years ago when Billboard Magazine published such a list on Jan. 4, 1936 for the week ending Dec. 30, 1935. The first list included Tommy Dorsey’s version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Here is a look back at just a few of the singles from years gone by that made the list (in no particular order). How many do you remember?

1936

* “Pennies From Heaven” — Bing Crosby

* “Way You Look Tonight” — Fred Astaire

* “The Music Goes Round and Round” — Tommy Dorsey

* “It’s A Sin To Tell a Lie” — Fats Waller

* “Glory Of Love” — Benny Goodman

* “Is It True What they Say About Dixie?” — Jimmy Dorsey

* “Moon Over Miami” — Eddy Duchin

1939

* “Over The Rainbow” — Judy Garland

* “God Bless America” — Kate Smith

* “Three Little Fishies” — Kay Kyser

* “When The Saints Go Marching In” — Louis Armstrong

* “Moonlight Serenade” — Glenn Miller

* “Beer Barrel Polka” — Will Glahe

* “Jeepers Creepers” — Al Donahue

1942

* “White Christmas” — Bing Crosby

* “Deep In The Heart of Texas” — Alveno Rey

* “Tangerine” — Jimmy Dorsey

* “Paper Doll” — Mills Brothers

* “Pennsylvania Polka” — Andrews Sisters

* “Blues In The Night” — Dinah Shore

* “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)” — Glenn Miller

1946

* “Christmas Song” — Nat King Cole

* “Personality” — Johnny Mercer

* “Bumble Boogie” — Freddy Martin

* “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” — Vaughn Monroe

* “Five Minutes More” — Frank Sinatra

* “Blue Skies” — Count Basie

* “There’s No Business Like Show Business” — Ethel Merman

1949

* “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” — Andrews Sisters

* “A Little Bird Told Me ” — Evelyn Knight

* “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend” — Vaughn Monroe

* “Some Enchanted Evening” — Perry Como

* “I’ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues” — Billie Holiday

* “Mule Train” — Frankie Lane

1951

* “Too Young” — Nat King Cole

* “Sixty Minute Man” — Billy Ward and His Dominoes

* “Cry” — Johnny Ray

* “Mockingbird Hill” — Patti Page

* “On Top Of Old Smokey” — Weavers

* “Because of You” — Tony Bennet

* “I’m In The Mood” — John Lee Hooker

* “Shanghai” — Doris Day

1954

* “Shake Rattle and Roll” — Bill Haley and The Comets

* “That’s All Right (Mama)” — Elvis Presley

* “Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight” — Spaniels

* “Mr Sandman” — The Chordettes

* “Mambo Italiano” — Rosemary Clooney

* “Three Coins in the Fountain” — Al Alberts & Four Aces

* Although not so much a song as a spoken recording, “What It Was, Was Football” (Parts I & II) by Andy Griffith also made the charts.

1959

* “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” — The Platters

* “Mack the Knife” — Bobby Darin

* “A Fool Such as I” — Elvis Presley

* “Venus” — Frankie Avalon

* “Tom Dooley” — Kingston Trio

* “Lonely Boy” — Paul Anka

* “Stagger Lee” — Lloyd Price

* “It’s Only Make Believe” — Conway Twitty

* “Heartaches by the Number” — Guy Mitchell

1961

* “Runaway” — Del Shannon

* “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” — Elvis Presley

* “Big Bad John” — Jimmy Dean

* “Travelin’ Man” — Ricky Nelson

* “Pony Time” — Chubby Checker

* “Goodbye Cruel World” — James Darren

* “Hit the Road Jack” — Ray Charles

1964

* “I Want to Hold Your Hand” — The Beatles

* “House of the Rising Sun” –The Animals

* “Oh, Pretty Woman” — Roy Orbison

* “Baby Love” — The Supremes

* “A World Without Love” — Peter & Gordon

* “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” — Manfred Mann

* “Glad All Over” — The Dave Clark Five

* “You Really Got Me” — The Kinks

1967

* “I’m a Believer” — The Monkees

* “Somethin’ Stupid” — Nancy and Frank Sinatra

* “Release Me” — Engelbert Humperdinck

* “The Letter” –The Box Tops

* “Snoopy vs the Red Baron” — Royal Guardsmen

* “Ode to Billy Joe” — Bobbie Gentry

* “A Whiter Shade of Pale” — Procol Harum

* “Penny Lane” — The Beatles

1973

* “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree” — Dawn

* “You’re So Vain” — Carly Simon

* “Killing Me Softly with His Song” — Roberta Flack

* “Delta Dawn” — Helen Reddy

* “Photograph” — Ringo Starr

* “You are the Sunshine of My Life” — Stevie Wonder

* “Midnight Train to Georgia” — Gladys Knight

* “Half Breed” — Cher

* “Crocodile Rock” — Elton John

1977

* “How Deep Is Your Love” — The Bee Gees

* “Walk Right In” — Dr. Hook

* “You Light Up My Life” — Debby Boone

* “Knowing Me, Knowing You” — Abba

* “The First Cut Is the Deepest” — Rod Stewart

* ” You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” — Leo Sayer

* “Best of My Love” — The Emotions

1980

* “Magic” — Olivia Newton-John

* “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” — Pink Floyd

* “Rock With You” — Michael Jackson

* “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” — Queen

* “It’s Still Rock & Roll To Me” — Billy Joel

* “Do That To Me One More Time” — The Captain and Tennille

* “Let’s Get Serious” — Jermaine Jackson

* “Coward of the County” — Kenny Rogers

1983

* “Every Breath You Take” — The Police

* “Billie Jean” — Michael Jackson

* “She Works Hard for the Money” — Donna Summer

* “Total Eclipse of the Heart” — Bonnie Tyler

* “Never Gonna Let You Go” — Sergio Mendes

* “Maneater” — Daryl Hall and John Oates

* “You Can’t Hurry Love” — Phil Collins