US #1s of 1945

http://www.pussers.com/library/images/recipe_pnc_lg.jpg

yeah. i love "atchison, topeka and the santa fe," but i gotta go with the sisters.

Each one was #1 for an average of 6.5 weeks? I can't vote in good conscience not having heard all of these, but Les Brown from this period is a very solid bet.

the back story is pretty good.

http://www.calypsoworld.org/introduction/rf016.jpg

other trivia: the "sentimental journey" here was doris day's first big hit.

and bing crosby, tommy dorsey and judy garland all went top 10 with "atchison, topeka" in '45, but not to #1. (judy's version won the oscar for best song in '46.)

I think, in a very real sense, we have all been "workin' for the Yankee Dollar..."

Teen sensation Doris Day! She's on both of the Les Brown hits.

Sentimental Journey

Andrewses or "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"

(SJ may suffer from overplay, the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" of '45)

the sisters, natch!

btw, Rev, you may have missed some.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number-one_hits_of_1945_(United_States)

damn wiki!

Shown is a list of songs that topped the Best Sellers in Stores chart.
Issue Date Song Artist
January 6 "Don't Fence Me In Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
January 13 "Don't Fence Me In" Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
January 20 "Don't Fence Me In" Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
January 27 "Don't Fence Me In" Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
February 3 "Don't Fence Me In" Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
February 10 "Don't Fence Me In" Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
February 17 "Rum and Coca-Cola" The Andrews Sisters
February 24 "Rum and Coca-Cola" The Andrews Sisters
March 3 "Rum and Coca-Cola" The Andrews Sisters
March 10 "Rum and Coca-Cola" The Andrews Sisters
March 17 "Rum and Coca-Cola" The Andrews Sisters
March 24 "Rum and Coca-Cola" The Andrews Sisters
March 31 "Rum and Coca-Cola" The Andrews Sisters
April 7 "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" Les Brown
April 14 "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" Les Brown
April 21 "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" Les Brown
April 28 "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" Les Brown
May 5 "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" Les Brown
May 12 "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" Les Brown
May 19 "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" Les Brown
May 26 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
June 2 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
June 9 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
June 16 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
June 23 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
June 30 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
July 7 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
July 14 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
July 21 "Sentimental Journey" Les Brown
July 28 "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Johnny Mercer
August 4 "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Johnny Mercer
August 11 "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Johnny Mercer
August 18 "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Johnny Mercer
August 25 "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Johnny Mercer
September 1 "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Johnny Mercer
September 8 "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Johnny Mercer
September 15 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
September 22 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
September 29 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
October 6 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
October 13 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
October 20 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
October 27 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
November 3 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
November 10 "Till the End of Time" Perry Como
November 17 "Chickery Chick" Sammy Kaye
November 24 "It's Been a Long, Long Time" Harry James
December 1 "It's Been a Long, Long Time" Harry James
December 8 "It's Been a Long, Long Time" Bing Crosby with The Les Paul Trio
December 15 "Chickery Chick" Sammy Kaye
December 22 "It's Been a Long, Long Time" Harry James
December 29 "Chickery Chick" Sammy Kaye

Les Brown, "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" = no. 1 on V-DE day.

"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Johnny Mercer = no. 1 when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuked.

er...V-E day, even. xp

V-DE Day: We totally crushed Delaware.

weird that half of these #1s have the word "time" in the title (and only 2 of them are the same song).

Honestly wouldn't have guessed that Como was hitting that early -- figured he was more a late '50s guy.

Anyway, I like some Les Brown music I've heard a lot, and hate some of his other music, and have never sorted out what the difference is, though I'm guessing I shy away from his sweeter stuff. So I'm going with "Rum and Coca Cola" for its celebration of triumphant American imperialism (and probably prostitution, unless I'm reading too much into it):

Since the Yankee come to Trinidad
They got the young girls all goin' mad
Young girls say they treat 'em nice
Make Trinidad like paradise

Drinkin' rum and Coca-Cola
Go down Point Koomahnah
Both mother and daughter
Workin' for the Yankee dollar

From Chicachicaree to Mona's Isle
Native girls all dance and smile
Help soldier celebrate his leave
Make every day like New Year's Eve

i would have voted for "dont fence me in" in a heartbeat if it had been on here, but as it is, atchison gets my nod.

well, Perry Como was born in 1912.

So I'm going with "Rum and Coca Cola" for its celebration of triumphant American imperialism (and probably prostitution, unless I'm reading too much into it):

it was really written as a critique of yankee imperialism (see link above). and supposedly the andrewses were legitimately naive enough to not even get the prostitution references. it's a pretty weird case all the way around. and catchy too.

Ioannis, the only thing there I didn't include is "Don't Fence Me In", and I've only been including songs in the first year they hit #1 all along. Hence, that one was in (and won) the 1944 poll, but is not in this one.

gotcha.

ok that totally makes sense

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

"Sentimental Journey" is the only one of these songs you can play by opening and closing New York subway doors.