It was the first full year of peace after the carnage of World War II. 1946 wasn't just about rebuilding; it was about exhaling. People finally had some pocket change again. They wanted to dance. They wanted to forget. And man, did they want to buy records.
If you look at the top songs of 1946, you're seeing more than just a list of hits. You're seeing the exact moment the "crooner" became king and the Big Band era started its slow, graceful bow toward the exit. It was a weird, transitional time. You had these lush, romantic ballads competing with "jump blues" and the frantic beginnings of bebop.
Honestly, the charts were a bit of a mess back then compared to how we track things now. Billboard was just starting to get its act together with retail sales tracking. If you look at the data, you'll see the same song appearing four or five times by different artists. It's kinda wild.
The Absolute Giants of the 1946 Airwaves
One name dominated everything: Perry Como.
Before he was the relaxed guy in the cardigan on TV, he was a chart-topping powerhouse. His hit "Prisoner of Love" was technically a remake of a 1932 track, but 1946 was the year it became an anthem. It stayed on the charts for 20 weeks. That’s five months! Think about that. He also had "Surrender" and "They Say It’s Wonderful" clogging up the Top 20.
Then you had The Ink Spots. Their version of "The Gypsy" was a monster. It stayed at number one for 13 weeks.
Why "The Gypsy" Was Everywhere
It wasn't just The Ink Spots. Dinah Shore had a massive version too. In 1946, if a song was a "hit," every major label would rush their biggest star into a studio to record a "cover" of it immediately.
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- The Ink Spots: Soulful, harmony-heavy, legendary.
- Dinah Shore: Smooth, orchestral, and incredibly polished.
- Sammy Kaye: A "swing and sway" version for the ballroom crowd.
It’s almost like having five different versions of a Taylor Swift song all in the Top 10 at the same time. It sounds exhausting, but that’s basically how the industry functioned.
Frank Sinatra and the Rise of the Solo Superstar
1946 was a pivot point for Frank Sinatra. He was finally breaking away from the shadow of big band leaders like Tommy Dorsey. This was the year of "Five Minutes More." It’s a simple, catchy tune about not wanting a date to end.
Simple? Yeah.
Effective? Absolutely.
It hit number one and stayed there for weeks. Sinatra also had "Oh! What It Seemed to Be," which was actually co-written by Frankie Carle. Carle’s own orchestra version was a huge hit too, but Sinatra’s vocal version is the one that people usually remember when they talk about the era's vibe.
The Songs That Defined the Post-War Mood
You can’t talk about the top songs of 1946 without mentioning the "novelty" hits and the movie tie-ins. People were desperate for lightheartedness.
"Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" by Betty Hutton is a perfect example. It’s frantic. It’s silly. It’s based on a children's counting game. It’s also very 1946.
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Then there was "South America, Take It Away" by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters. This was a massive seller (over a million copies). It was a satire of the Latin music craze that was sweeping the U.S. at the time. The Andrews Sisters were the voices of the war, and in 1946, they were helping the country transition back to fun.
A Quick Look at the Heavy Hitters
- "To Each His Own" – This was everywhere. Eddy Howard had the biggest version, but The Ink Spots and Freddy Martin also had massive hits with it.
- "Rumors Are Flying" – Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (with Marjorie Hughes on vocals) owned the late summer with this one.
- "Ole Buttermilk Sky" – Hoagy Carmichael wrote it, but Kay Kyser’s version was the one that truly blew up.
The Underground Shift: Jazz and R&B
While the "Pop" charts were full of crooners, something else was brewing in 1946 that would eventually change music forever.
Louis Jordan was crushing it. "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and "Let the Good Times Roll" were technically "race records" at the time, but they were selling like crazy. This was the precursor to Rock and Roll. It was louder, faster, and had a backbeat that the polite ballads of Perry Como just didn't have.
Meanwhile, in the jazz world, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were recording tracks like "Ornithology" and "A Night in Tunisia." Bebop was born.
It wasn't "popular" in the sense that it was playing in every grocery store, but it was the most important musical development of the year. It was sophisticated, fast, and completely rejected the "dance band" clichés of the previous decade.
What Most People Get Wrong About 1946 Music
There’s a common misconception that 1940s music was all "Big Band" swing. By 1946, that wasn't really true. The war had killed the Big Bands.
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Gas rationing, the draft, and the 20% "cabaret tax" on dance floors made it too expensive to tour 15-piece orchestras. 1946 was the year of the Vocalist. The singer was now the star, not the bandleader. When you listen to the top songs of 1946, you’ll notice the instruments are often just a lush background for the singer.
Also, people think "White Christmas" was just a 1942 thing. Nope. Bing Crosby’s holiday classic actually charted again in 1946. It was a perennial powerhouse that wouldn't let go of the charts for decades.
Why These Songs Still Matter Today
You might think 1946 is ancient history.
You'd be wrong.
A lot of these songs established the "American Songbook" standards that artists like Michael Bublé or Lady Gaga still cover today. "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole? That was recorded in 1946. It’s literally the definitive version of that song, and we still hear it every single December.
Actionable Insights for Music Lovers and History Buffs
If you want to actually "experience" the sound of 1946 beyond just reading about it, don't just look for a "best of" list. Do this instead:
- Listen to the "Race Records" of 1946: Check out Louis Jordan’s Tympany Five. It explains how we got from Big Band to Elvis better than any history book.
- Compare the Versions: Find "To Each His Own" by Eddy Howard and then listen to The Ink Spots’ version. It shows you how different genres (Pop vs. R&B/Vocal Group) handled the same material.
- Track the "Your Hit Parade" Winners: This was the "Billboard" of the radio era. Looking at what stayed on Your Hit Parade longest gives you a better sense of what people were actually humming on the street.
- Explore the Bebop Transition: Listen to Charlie Parker’s 1946 Dial Sessions. It’s the sound of a musical revolution happening in real-time.
1946 was a year of relief. The music reflected a world that was tired of fighting and ready to fall in love again. Whether it was the smooth baritone of Perry Como or the frantic saxophone of Charlie Parker, the top songs of 1946 provided the soundtrack for a brand-new world.