America'S Greatest Hits 1943 / Various America'S Greatest Hits 1943 / Various CD

We continue our popular and successful series devoted to the biggest chart records of each calendar year in the early chart era as we focus on 1943, the third full calendar year of the Billboard Best Sellers chart - the chart was launched in July 1940. This great value 98-track 4-CD set comprises almost every record which appeared in the Top 20 during the year - specifically it features the records which appeared in the Top 10 published in Billboard, plus those which are listed as having reached No. 11-20 in Joel Whitburn's well-known chart publications, which were based on analysis of regional charts. For reasons of space, it excludes those records which entered the Top 10 in 1942, and so are included in our existing 1942 collection, and also excludes a few titles for which mastering sources could not be found. One feature of this year was that the American Federation of Musicians' recording ban had come into force, and so there were a number of big hits which were performed a cappella, including some by Frank Sinatra and Dick Haymes. In addition, the big names of the swing era were still very much in evidence, and among the big long-lasting No. 1s of the year were "I've Heard That Song Before" by Harry James & Helen Forrest, "Sunday Monday Or Always" by Bing Crosby and "Paper Doll" by the Mills Brothers. In between, a host of other big names made their presence felt - Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Judy Garland, Duke Ellington, Dinah Shore and others - alongside many highly collectable lesser-known records by some artists we don't hear too much about these days. It makes for an intriguing and very entertaining musical snapshot of a year when the USA was fully embroiled in WWII and there were plenty of patriotic and sentimental wartime hits to give a period flavour, with prolific hitmaker Glenn Miller epitomising that particular strand. It includes a 12,000+ word booklet with a commentary on every record as well as full discographical and chart information.

1. Can't Get Out of This Mood (Kay Kyser ; His Orch. with Harry Babbitt ; Julie Conway); 2. Why Don't You Do Right (Benny Goodman Orchestra with Peggy Lee); 3. A Touch of Texas (Freddy Martin ; His Orch. with Eddie Stone ; Glenn Hughes); 4. Why Don't You Fall in Love with Me (Dinah Shore); 5. When the Lights Go on Again All Over the World (Lucky Millinder Orch. with Trevor Bacon); 6. I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City (Johnny Mercer with Freddie Slack ; His Orch.); 7. Moonlight Becomes You (Bing Crosby); 8. Why Don't You Fall in Love with Me (Johnny Long Orchestra with Bob Houston ; Helen Young); 9. Moonlight Becomes You (Harry James ; His Orch. with Johnny McAfee); 10. There Will Never Be Another You (Sammy Kaye ; His Orch. with Nancy Norman); 11. I've Heard That Song Before (Harry James ; Helen Forrest); 12. Brazil (Xavier Cugat); 13. Why Don't You Fall in Love with Me (Dick Jurgens ; His Orch. with Harry Cool); 14. Moonlight Mood (Glenn Miller ; His Orch. with the Modernaires); 15. Brazil (Jimmy Dorsey ; His Orch. with Bob Eberly ; Helen O'Connell); 16. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to (Dinah Shore); 17. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Ink Spots); 18. Constantly (Bing Crosby); 19. Move It Over (Ethel Merman); 20. It Started All Over Again (Tommy Dorsey Orch. with Frank Sinatra ; the Pied Pipers); 21. Moonlight Mood (Kay Kyser ; His Orch. with the Glee Club); 22. For Me and My Gal (Judy Garland ; Gene Kelly); 23. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to (Six Hits and a Miss); 24. That Old Black Magic (Glenn Millerorch. with Skip Nelson ; the Modernaires); 25. Fat Meat Is Good Meat (Jimmy Lytell ; His All Star Seven with Savannah Churchill); 26. That Old Black Magic (Freddie Slack ; His. Orch. with Margaret Whiting); 27. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to (Dick Jurgens ; His Orch. with Harry Cool); 28. There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere (Jimmy Wakely); 29. As Time Goes By (Jacques Renard); 30. Please Think of Me (Shep Fields ; His New Music with Ralph Young); 31. Velvet Moon (Harry James ; His Orch.); 32. That Old Black Magic (Charlie Barnet Orch. with Frances Wayne); 33. For Me and My Gal (Guy Lombardo ; His Royal Canadians with Kenny Gardner); 34. As Time Goes By (Rudy Vallee); 35. That Old Black Magic (Horace Heidt ; His Musical Knights with Charles Goodman); 36. Taking a Chance on Love (Benny Goodman ; His. Orch. with Helen Forrest); 37. Murder, He Says (Dinah Shore); 38. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Glen Gray ; the Casa Loma Orch. with Kenny Sargent and Le Brun Sisters); 39. Taking a Chance on Love (Sammy Kaye ; His Orch. with the Three Kadets); 40. Prince Charming (Harry James ; His Orch.); 41. Let's Get Lost (Vaughn Monroe ; His. Orch. with the Four Lee Sisters); 42. You'll Never Know (Willie Kelly ; His Orch.); 43. It Can't Be Wrong (Allen Miller ; His Orchestra); 44. Big Boy (Ray McKinley ; His Orch. with Imogene Lynn); 45. All or Nothing at All (Frank Sinatra with Harry James ; His Orch.); 46. Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer (Song Spinners); 47. Let's Get Lost (Kay Kyser ; His Orch.); 48. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Duke Ellington ; His Famous Orchestra); 49. It Can't Be Wrong (Dick Haymes ; Song Spinners); 50. The Fuddy Duddy Watchmaker (Kay Kyser ; His Orch. with Julie Conway); 51. All of Me (Count Basie ; His Orch. with Lynne Sherman); 52. You'll Never Know (Dick Haymes ; the Song Spinners); 53. In the Blue of Evening (Tommy Dorsey ; His Orch. with Frank Sinatra); 54. Johnny Zero (The Song Spinners); 55. Let's Get Lost (Jimmy Dorsey ; His Orch. with Bob Eberly); 56. Four or Five Times (Woody Herman); 57. Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer (Willie Kelly ; His Orch.); 58. Pushin' Sand (Kay Kyser ; His Orch.); 59. Blue Surreal (Bob Crosby ; His Orch.); 60. It's Always You (Tommy Dorsey ; His Orch. with Frank Sinatra); 61. Riffette (Freddie Slack ; His. Orch); 62. Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer (The Four Vagabonds); 63. I Heard You Cried Last Night (Harry James ; His Orch. with Helen Forrest); 64. You'll Never Know (Frank Sinatra with the Bobby Tucker Singers); 65. In My Arms (Dick Haymes ; the Song Spinners); 66. Get on Board, Little Chillun (Freddie Slack ; His Orch with Ella Mae Morse); 67. Paper Doll (Mills Brothers); 68. Theme from the Warsaw Concerto (Freddy Martin ; His Orch.); 69. Sunday Monday or Always (Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers); 70. Pistol Packin' Mama (Al Dexter ; His Troopers); 71. Wait for Me Mary (Dick Haymes ; the Song Spinners); 72. I Never Mention Your Name, Oh No (Dick Haymes); 73. Don't Cry Baby (Erskine Hawkins (The Twentieth Century Gabriel) ; His Orch. with Jimmy Mitchell); 74. Sunday Monday or Always (Frank Sinatra ; Bobby Tucker Singers); 75. Close to You (Frank Sinatra ; Bobby Tucker Singers); 76. People Will Say We're in Love (Frank Sinatra ; Bobby Tucker Singers); 77. Mission to Moscow (Benny Goodman ; His Orch.); 78. People Will Say We're in Love (Bing Crosby ; Trudy Erwin with the Sportsmen Glee Club); 79. Night and Day (Frank Sinatra); 80. Goodbye Sue (Perry Como); 81. Put Your Arms Around Me Honey (Dick Kuhn ; His Orch.); 82. Boogie Woogie (Tommy Dorsey ; His. Orch); 83. Put Your Arms Around Me Honey (Dick Haymes ; Song Spinners); 84. Pistol Packin' Mama (Bing Crosby ; the Andrews Sisters); 85. Blue Rain (Glenn Miller ; His Orch. with Ray Eberle); 86. Oh What a Beautiful Mornin' (Bing Crosby ; Trudy Erwin with the Sportsmen Glee Club); 87. I Heard You Cried Last Night (Dick Haymes); 88. My Heart Tells Me (Glen Gray ; the Casa Loma Orch. with Eugenie Baird); 89. They're Either Too Young or Too Old (Jimmy Dorsey ; His Orch. with Kitty Kallen); 90. Oh What a Beautiful Mornin' (Frank Sinatra ; Bobby Tucker Singers); 91. If You Please (Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers); 92. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Bing Crosby); 93. Rhapsody in Blue (Glenn Miller Orch.); 94. All for You (King Cole Trio); 95. Oklahoma (Alfred Drake ; Original Broadway Cast); 96. Shoo - Shoo Baby (Ella Mae Morse); 97. Shoo - Shoo Baby (Andrews Sisters); 98. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)