#34 'Nature Boy' by The Nat King Cole Trio (1948)

SONG

"I like the melody of this one, and I have decided that I very much like Nat's voice. This one is definitely worth a listen. Nice piano too :)" - LC

Written by: Eden Ahbez.

Producer: Uncredited (arranged by Frank DeVol).

Label: Capitol.

FACTS

• The back story of this song goes that a few days after composer Eden Ahbez presented Nat King Cole's manager with Nature Boy in 1947, Cole performed it live at a nightclub in Los Angeles. Before Cole even reached his dressing room, after finishing his set, Irving Berlin offered to buy it.
• Cole had had a series of hits in 1940s that appealed to a white audience. This was quite a feat as music at the time was still very much divided by race, and crossing over from black jazz to white pop acceptability was rare. Cole did it with style when this song became number 1 in the U.S.
• The original version of this song recorded by Cole in August 1947 was transformed by Frankie DeVol of Capitol Records, whose use of strings and flute to create an enchanting backdrop for Cole's vocals made the song a massive hit.
• Cole only does the vocals on this track and the piano solo is taken by someone else.

Recommended songs by this artist...

#28 (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 (1946)
#88 When I Fall In Love (1957)

#33 'Good Rockin' Tonight' by Roy Brown (1947)

SONG

"As the title suggests, you can definitely hear more of a rock influence in this song, along with the  brass and boogie-woogie blues riff. I like this one, it made me wiggle." - LC

Written by: Roy Brown.

Producer: Jules Braun.

Label: DeLuxe.

FACTS

• Brown was born in Louisiana and had grown up singing gospel. Originally (if you can call it that) he was a Bing Crosby imitator, but he quickly reshaped his sound after witnessing money being thrown at blues singers in Houston.
• Brown's stage presence and versatility allowed him to establish himself as the most popular black singer in New Orleans. 
• Brown originally wrote the song for Wynonie Harris but Harris turned it down. He later covered the song and had a number 1 hit with it.
• Brown wrote the song in 1946 and performed it to boogie-woogie pianist Cecil Grant. Grant was so inspired by the song that he asked Brown to perform it over the phone to Jule Braun of DeLuxe Records in New Jersey. Braun was so impressed that he told Grant to give Brown $100 and book him into the Drew Drop to keep an eye on him. Braun flew to New Orleans two days later, set up a recording session and released Good Rockin' Tonight in May 1947.
• It has since been covered by artists including Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen.

Wynonie Harris's cover, which hit number 1 in the R&B chart:

#32 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby (1947)

SONG

"It's hard to imagine a Christmas without hearing this song. I had no idea it was so old though. I definitely agree with this one being on the list, it has truly stood the test of time but I have no fear that anyone will die without having heard it, haha. I'm also pleased to announce that MY favourite Christmas song also made this list, but it's going to be a long journey before we get to it." - LC

Written by: Irving Berlin.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: Decca.

FACTS

• The song's writer, Irving Berlin, was a famously terrible pianist and never learnt how to write musical notation, yet despite this he managed to write more than 800 published songs; a catalog of success which has yet to be matched by any other song writer.
• First drafted by Irving in 1940, White Christmas appeared in 1942, sung by Bing Crosby in the film Holiday Inn.
• Although this recording was released at the height of summer, its timing coincided with the escalation of US involvement in WWII. The song's sentimentality struck a chord with the soldiers parted from their loved ones and the life they once knew. The song reached number 1 by October.
• Five years later, Crosby was asked to re-record the song because of the degradation of the original master plate; it is this version we are most familiar with today.
• The song has been credited with 50 million sales worldwide and is, therefore, the biggest selling single of all time.
• It has since been covered by a variety of artists, including: Frank Sinatra, The Drifters, Elvis Presley, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Doris Day, The Supremes, Bob Marley, Dean Martin, Barbara Streisand, Otis Redding, Stiff Little Fingers, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, New Kids on the Block, Martina McBride, Chicago, A1, Bette Midler, LeAnn Rhymes, Dionne Warwick, Westlife, Twisted Sister, Taylor Swift, Rick Astley, Boy George,and Michael Buble ft. Shania Twain.

Recommended songs by this artist...

#10 Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1932)

#31 'La mer' by Charles Trenet (1946)

SONG

"It's finds like this that  make this musical journey a rewarding one. Of course, being a huge Kevin Spacey fan (he directed and starred in a film based on Bobby Darin's life) and a fan of music in general, I am familiar with Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea, but I had no idea that it was based on an original French song. Oh yes, and THIS is a TUNE!!!" - LC

Written by: Charles Trenet and Albert Lasry.

Producer: Uncredited.

Label: EMI.

FACTS

• Trenet wrote the lyrics of "La Mer" on a train in 1943 while travelling along the French Mediterranean coast, returning from Paris to Narbonne. He supposedly wrote the song in ten minutes, on toilet paper supplied by SNCF. 
• He was assisted with the tune by Leo Chauliac. It was originally published by Raoul Breton.
• It was not until 1946 that Trenet recorded the song, since neither he nor the people around him believed the song to be anything special or particularly original. 
• When he released "La Mer" in 1946 it became an unexpected hit, and has remained a French classic ever since.
• English lyrics, unrelated to the French lyrics, were later written by Jack Lawrence and entitled "Beyond the Sea". 
• This became a hit for Bobby Darin in 1959. 
• The song has been recorded by more than 400 other artists in many languages.

Translation
The Sea

The sea,

We see dancing along the shores of clear bays,

Shimmers with silver

The sea

Changing shimmers

Under the rain

The sea

With the summer sky

Mix up her white horses

With the angels so pure

The infinite azure shepherdess

Sea

Sea

By the ponds

Those big wet reeds

See

Those white birds

And those rusty houses

The sea

Has cradled them

Along the shores of clear bays

And with a love song

The sea

Has rocked my heart for life.

Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea:

#30 'La vie en rose' by Edith Piaf (1946)

SONG

"This one is quite pleasant listening. Reminds me of classic Hollywood movies and the glamour of the 1940s. I bet I'll find myself humming the melody for the rest of the day." - LC

Written by: Edith Piaf and Louiguy.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: EMI.

FACTS

• "La Vie en Rose" translates literally as Life in Pink, but a better translation of the title would be 'Life Through Rose-tinted Glasses'.
• Initially, Piaf's peers and her songwriting team did not think the song would be successful, but it became a favorite with audiences.
• An English version of the lyrics was written later by Mack David. 
• Owing to its popularity, the song appeared on most of Piaf's subsequent albums. 
• A 1998 documentary about Édith Piaf was called La Vie En Rose, as was the 2007 biographical feature film La Vie En Rose, which won Marion Cotillard an Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying Piaf in the film from the age of 19 until her death at 47.
• The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.
• Artists who have covered this song include: Aretha Frankin, Audrey Hepburn, BB King, Belinda Carlisle, Bette Midler, Bing Crosby, Celine Dion, Cyndi Lauper (whom I am transforming into this Halloween), Dean Martin, Jack Nicholson, La Toya Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Louis Armstrong, Luciano Pavarotti, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Buble, Petula Clark and Shirley Bassey, to name but a few.

Translation

Life in Pink

Eyes that gaze into mine,
A smile that is lost on his lips—
That is the unretouched portrait
Of the man to whom I belong.

When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.

In endless nights of love,
A great delight that comes about,
The pains and bothers are banished,
Happy, happy to die of love.

When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.

Recommended songs by this artist...

#122 Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (1960)
Les Amants de Paris (1948)

#29 'Al gurugu' by La Nina de los Peines (1946)

SONG

"Definitely not my cup of tea. I love flamenco guitar but the singing grated me. I stuck it out though, just for my blog. Pretty sure, unless I'm held at gunpoint, I will not be listening to this one again." - LC

Written by: Uncredited.

Producer: Uncredited.

Label: La Voz de su Amo (HMV - yes, the actual His Master's Voice, so I'm guessing that the Spanish translates to 'The voice of his master' but feel free to correct me).

FACTS

• Pastora Maria Pavon Cruz, who was born in 1890 to a poor gypsy family in Seville, became the first major flamenco star of the twentieth century. 
• Today she is widely regarded as the greatest female flamenco singer ever (oops... I'm clearly in a minority then).
• Nicknamed "La Nina de los Peines" (the girl with the combs), she began singing as a child to help support her family.
• At a young age, she began touring Spain and her first recordings were made in 1910.
• She married the great flamenco singer Pepe Pinto; fleeing the Spanish Civil War for Argentina, they returned in the 1940s to Spain, where she continued her career.
• The song's title is nonsense. 

I couldn't find the lyrics and, therefore, couldn't do a translation. If anyone can help with this comment or PM me :)

#28 '(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66' by The Nat King Cole Trio (1946)

SONG

"This song is easy listening. His voice is so smooth and I'm loving the piano. This one is definitely worth a listen. It makes me think of a swanky jazz club!" - LC

Written by: Bobby Troup

Producer: Uncredited

Label: Capitol

FACTS

• Bobby Troup wrote the song whilst driving from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, along (unsurprisingly) Route 66. 
• He wrote the song with Nat King Cole in mind.
• Although Cole's version of the song is lightly swinging, piano-led jazz and his silky smooth vocal stylings, artists such as Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones have turned the song into an R&B (Rhythm and Blues as oppose to the use to describe urban music) classic.
• It has also been covered by Natalie Cole, The Cramps, Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters, Depeche Mode, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (whom I adore!) and Scatman John (# I'm a scatman! #) among others. 

Recommended songs by this artist...

#34 Nature Boy (1948)

#88 When I Fall In Love (1957)

#27 'Lili Marleen' by Marlene Dietrich (1945)

SONG

"My first reaction was 'That isn't a woman singing!' but after my initial shock, I have quite warmed to both Marlene's voice and this song. I have since also found out that Marlene Dietrich is the Marlene in question in Suzanne Vega's song Marlene on the Wall (which is also on this list when we get into the 1980s... I can't wait, haha). Back to this song, my verdict is that it's very listenable and I actually quite like it despite only understanding the odd word of German." - LC

Written by: Hans Leip, Norbert Schultze and Mack David.

Producer: Uncredited

Label: Decca

FACTS

• The song was first recorded in 1938, but the lyrics were written much earlier than this. Hans Leip, a young German soldier, wrote the words in 1915 in order to express the nostalgia he felt during World War I.
• Leip's poem appeared in an anthology in 1937, where it caught the eye of composer Norbert Schultze, who then set about turning it into a song.
• It was recorded by German singer Lale Andersen in 1939, but made very little impact until German Forces Radio started playing it to the Afrika Korps in 1941. The song was well received by both Germans and Allied soldiers and English versions of the song were hurriedly recorded. Funnily enough, however, both sides ended up broadcasting the song in both languages.
• The song's most famous singer, the German Hollywood actress and anti-Nazi Marlene Dietrich, became synonymous with song after performing it for US infantrymen "for three long years in North Africa, Italy, Alaska, Greenland, Iceland and in England," as she later recalled.

Translation

Underneath the lantern by the barracks gate,
Darling, I remember the way you use to wait,
‘Twas there that you whispered tenderly
That you loved me, you’d always be,
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.


Time would come for roll call,
Time for us to part,
Darling, I’d caress you
and press you to my heart,
And there ‘neath that far off lantern light,
I’d hold you tight, We’d kiss “good night,”
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.


Orders came for sailing somewhere over there,
All confined to barracks was more than I could bear;
I knew you were waiting in the street,
I heard your feet, But could not meet,
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.


Resting in a billet just behind the line,
Even tho’ we’re parted you your lips are close to mine;
You wait where that lantern softly gleams,
Your sweet face seems to haunt my dreams.
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.



The English recorded version (with different lyrics to the translation):

#26 'This Land Is Your Land' by Woody Guthrie (1944)

SONG

" # This hand is your hand, this hand is my hand... no wait it's your hand, no wait it's my hand...# This song reminds me of the episode of Friends where Joey finds his 'hand twin'. This song is just pure happy but I'm not sure I agree with the lyric "This land was made for you and me."... moving on... an easy listen but not sure it'd make a list of my favourite tracks of all time." - LC

Written by: Woody Guthrie

Producer: Moe Asch

Label: Folkways

FACTS

• This is one of the USA's most famous folk songs.
• Guthrie wrote the lyrics in 1940 as a response Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which he considered unrealistic. The song, however, was not recorded until 1944.
• It has been covered by artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews and Counting Crows.
• Tom Morello (who sent me a private message during 2009's Xmas number 1 campaign... we won!!) performed the song on 13th October 2011, in Zucotti Park, NYC as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
• Other countries have adapted the song to create their own versions, these include: Canada, Ireland, Sweden, Wales, Belgium, Bahamas, Namibia, Israel, and Billy Bragg has used a version with UK specific lyrics during his live performances.
• In the 1994 Home Improvement episode "Too Many Cooks" Tim refers to Al as "Al 'This Land Is' Borland"
• In a 1999 episode of Friends, Joey (as I already mentioned) sings a parody of the song inspired by finding his 'hand twin'.
• The Simpsons' episode "Lisa the Treehugger" (2000) with the words changed to "This log is my log, this log is your log." in reference to a runaway giant redwood tree.

#25 'Rum and Coca-Cola' by Lord Invader (1943)

SONG

"Well this song makes me want to wiggle. The lyrics could be considered offensive... but luckily I'm not an American ;) I do love me a bit of calypso though. Definitely one of my favourites so far. ...and I'd actually love a rum and coke right about now!" - LC

Written by: Rupert W. Grant and Lionel Belasco.

Producer: Uncredited.

Label: Decca

FACTS

• During WWII, around 20,000 American GIs were stationed in Trinidad. A local musician took objection to this and, using the stage name Lord Invader, commented on it in this calypso.
• The song takes its title from the servicemen's drink of choice and is a metaphor for the mixture of the two cultures. The song itself comments on the prostitution that took place during this time, "Both mother and daughter/working for the yankee dollar."
• Although the song was originally composed by Grant and Belasco, it was copyrighted in the USA by Morey Amsterdam and became a hit for The Andrew Sisters in 1945.
• In an ensuing court case, it was found that Amsterdam had indeed infringed copyright and Lord Invader won an undisclosed sum in compensation.

#24 'Stormy Weather' by Lena Horne (1943)

SONG

"This one sounds like a typical old skool musical number. I appreciate that she has a good voice but I wouldn't choose to listen to this style of singing." - LC

Written by: Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler.

Producer: Uncredited

Label: Unknown

FACTS

• Stormy Weather the film is a musical loosely based on the life of its main star Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. His invented love interest is a singer, played by Lena Horne.
• The film was released to great acclaim in 1943 and was notable for showcasing many of the top African-American performers of the time, including Cab Calloway (remember that Betty Boop video?!) and pianist Fats Waller, who sadly died a few months after its release.
• The song is a decade older than the film it lends its name to, and was first sung by Ethel Waters.
• It is a song of disappointment and regret, the singer pining for an absent man.
• Noteworthy covers have been recorded by Judy Garland and Billie Holiday.

#23 'God Bless the Child' by Billie Holiday (1941)

SONG

"The first version of this song that I heard was the one by Lisa Simpson on the Simpsons' blues album. I think it's safe to say Billie sings it better. Nice song." - LC

Written by: Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr.

Producer: Uncredited

Label: Okeh

FACTS

• Renowned as an interpreter of other people's songs, Billie Holiday rarely wrote her own material - this song was a rare exception.
• It was actually inspired by an argument Billie had with her mother concerning money as, during the course of the dispute, she uttered the old proverb "God bless the child that's got his own."
• It was recorded on 9th May 1941, in New York. 45 years later, on this date, I was born. Ha.

Recommended songs by this artist...

Fine and Mellow (1939)
#21 Gloomy Sunday (1941)
#54 Love For sale (1954)
#16 Strange Fruit (1939)


Lisa Simpson's rendition:

#22 'Guantanamera' by Joseíto Fernández (1941)

SONG

"This one is very pleasant. I do get the urge to sing # Feeling hot, hot, hot! # at certain points though, haha. Glad I've found this one though. Definitely one of the better tracks I have come across so far" - LC

Written by: Joseito Fernandez

Producer: Uncredited

Label: RCA Victor

FACTS

• Joseíto Fernández composed the song in 1928, basing the words on a poem by celebrated Cuban nationalist José Martí.
• It is perhaps the best known Cuban song and the country's most noted patriotic song.
• Cover versions of the song (as usual I will only cite artists that mean something to me as there are LOADS) include those by: Pitbull, Fugees, Wyclef Jean, The Mavericks, Los Lobos, and Pete Seeger. 

Translation

I am a truthful man
From where the palm tree grows
And before dying I want
To let out the verses of my soul


My verse is light green
And it is flaming red
My verse is a wounded stag
Who seeks refuge on the mountain


I grow a white rose
In July just as in January
For the honest friend
Who gives me his open hand


With the poor people of the earth
I want to cast my lot
The brook of the mountains
Gives me more pleasure than the sea.

#21 'Gloomy Sunday' by Billie Holliday (1941)

SONG

"I think this song is genuinely beautiful. On a slightly worrying note, I can relate. Love her singing too. Despite it's reputation, it's much less depressing than Strange Fruit." - LC

Written by: Rezs Seress, László Jávor and Sam Lewis.

Producer: Uncredited
Label: Okeh

FACTS

• "Gloomy Sunday" is a song composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress in 1933, Vége a világnak (End of the World), with alternate Szomorú vasárnap (Sad Sunday) lyrics written by László Jávor.
• The original lyrics depicted a war-stricken Hungary and a silent prayer to God. Jávor's lyrics are a mourning to a lost lover and a pledge to commit suicide to meet said lover again in the afterlife.
• It has become known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song" because many people have been found dead by means of suicide with this song playing.
• Rezs Seress remained bemused by his song's unsettling reputation, right up until his death in 1968; he committed suicide (after surviving jumping out of a window, he choked himself to death in hospital with a wire).
• Many radio stations, including the BBC, banned the song outright.
• Artists who have covered this song include Elvis Costello, Marc Almond, Sinead O'Connor and Bjork (among many, many others).

Recommended songs by this artist...


Fine and Mellow (1939)
#23 God Bless the Child (1941)
#54 Love For sale (1954)
#16 Strange Fruit (1939)

#20 'Java Jive' by The Ink Spots (1940)

SONG

"I like this one :) It has a more similar structure to the music we have today and the melody is quite catchy. The lyrics are pretty easy to pick up so you can join in. This one is a bit of fun." - LC

Written by: Milton Drake and Ben Oakland
Producer: Uncredited
Label: Decca

FACTS

• Vocalist Ivory "Deek" Watson once performed in an outfit named The Percolating Puppies and their 'instruments' included coffee pots.
• The Ink Spots are credited with helping to define the genre that led to rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll.
• They gained much acceptance with the white community.
• Their 1941 song, "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" is a song played on the in-game radio station Galaxy News Radio in the 2008 video game Fallout 3. It is also featured on the game's trailer, and opening for the game.
• Many Ink Spots songs begin with the same four bar introduction.

Recommended songs by this artist...

A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening (1944)

Don't Get Around Much Anymore (1942)

I'm Making Believe (1944)

Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall (1944)

Someone's Rocking My Dream Boat (1941)

The Gypsy (1946)