ARIA Number 1s: 1940 – 2012

ARIA Number 1s: 1940 – 2012

I was wondering, what was the number one song in the country when I was born? I then thought, why not have a playlist of all the number ones from 1940 onwards? So I created the list using the ARIA charts and Kent Music Report.

Note 16/08/2020: I am in the process of rebuilding this list, so please bear with me.

If you like this post, check out my others –

• Official UK Number 1 Singles Chart: 1952 – 2012
• US Number 1 Singles Chart 1940 – 2012
• Best Selling Singles Of All Time
• Best Selling Albums Of All Time
• Highest Selling Artists Of All Time
• Best Selling Movie Soundtracks
• Longest Song in History
• Shortest Song in History

Date	Artist	Song	Weeks at Number 1
1/01/1940	Joe Loss; Carson Robison	South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)	12
1/04/1940	The Andrews Sisters; Joe Loss	Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)	4
1/05/1940	Joe Loss; Glenn Miller	Blue Orchids	12
1/08/1940	Joe Loss	Till the Lights of London Shine Again	12
1/11/1940	Kate Smith; Glenn Miller	The Woodpecker Song	20
1/4/1941	The Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra; Sick Robertson	Ferryboat Serenade	4
1/5/1941	Vera Lynn; West End Players	Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square	16
1/9/1941	Shep Fields; West End Players	Down Argentina Way	4
1/10/1941	Judy Garland; The Jesters	It’s a Great Day for the Irish	4
1/11/1941	George Formby	Bless ’em All (The Service Song)	4
1/12/1941	Judy Garland; The Jesters	It’s a Great Day for the Irish	4
1/1/1942	Glenn Miller & Joe Loss	In The Mood	20
1/6/1942	The Andrews Sisters; Sammy Kaye	Daddy	4
1/7/1942	Vera Lynn; Jean Cerchi	(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover	12
1/10/1942	Horace Heidt; Ink Spots	I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire	8
1/12/1942	Gene Autry; Horace Heidt	Deep in the Heart of Texas	8
1/2/1943	Harry James	I Don’t Want to Walk Without You	16
1/6/1943	Bing Crosby	White Christmas	20
1/11/1943	Dinah Shore	Why Don’t You Fall in Love With Me	4
1/12/1943	Vera Lynn; Harry James	I Had the Craziest Dream	4
1/1/1944	Ink Spots	Ev’ry Night About This Time	4
1/2/1944	Vera Lynn & Joe Loss	You’ll Never Know	12
1/5/1944	Frank Sinatra; George Trevare	Sunday, Monday or Always	8
1/7/1944	Ink Spots	Whispering Grass (Don’t Tell the Trees)	4
1/8/1944	Dinah Shore; Glenn Miller	Happy In Love	4
1/9/1944	Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters	Vict’ry Polka	4
1/10/1944	Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters	Pistol Packin’ Mama	4
1/11/1944	Joe Loss; Vera Lynn	No Other Love	4
1/12/1944	Ink Spots; Frank Sinatra	A Lovely Way to Spend An Evening	4
1/1/1945	Geraldo; Lale Andersen	Lili Marlene	4
1/2/1945	Bing Crosby	Amor, Amor	8
1/4/1945	Bing Crosby & Joe Loss	Swinging on a Star	4
1/5/1945	Bing Crosby; Dinah Shore	Long Ago (and Far Away)	4
1/6/1945	Bing Crosby; Dinah Shore	It Could Happen to You	8
1/8/1945	Bing Crosby; Joe Loss	I’ll Be Seeing You	4
1/9/1945	Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters	Don’t Fence Me In	12
1/12/1945	Bing Crosby	(Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral) That’s an Irish Lullaby	4
1/1/1946	The Organ, The Dance Band and Me; Les Brown	My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time	4
1/2/1946	The Andrews Sisters	Rum and Coca-Cola	8
1/4/1946	Ink Spots & Ella Fitzgerald	Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall	4
1/5/1946	Bing Crosby; Frank Sinatra	A Friend of Yours	8
1/7/1946	Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots; Duke Ellington	I’m Beginning to See the Light	4
1/8/1946	Bing Crosby; Judy Garland	On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe	8
1/10/1946	Bing Crosby; Freddy Martin	Symphony	8
1/12/1946	Bing Crosby; Kate Smith	Sioux City Sue	4
1/1/1947	Sammy Kaye; The Merry Macs	Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)	4
1/2/1947	Ink Spots; Perry Como	Prisoner of Love	8
1/4/1947	Ink Spots; Freddy Martin	To Each His Own	4
1/5/1947	Frank Sinatra; Tex Beneke	Five Minutes More	4
1/6/1947	Bing Crosby; Dinah Shore	You Keep Coming Back Like a Song	4
1/7/1947	Bing Crosby; Perry Como	They Say It’s Wonderful	8
1/9/1947	Al Jolson; Bing Crosby	The Anniversary Song	4
1/10/1947	Frank Sinatra; Dick Haymes	Mam’selle	4
1/11/1947	Bing Crosby; Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters	(There’s No Business Like) Show Business	4
1/12/1947	Al Jolson; Bing Crosby	The Anniversary Song	16
1/4/1948	Bing Crosby; Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters	Near You	4
1/5/1948	Perry Como; Joe Loss	Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep)	4
1/6/1948	Bing Crosby; Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters	Near You	12
1/9/1948	Sammy Kaye; Geraldo	Serenade of the Bells	4
1/10/1948	Bing Crosby; Gracie Fields	Now Is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)	4
1/11/1948	George Trevare; Art Mooney	I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover	4
1/12/1948	Al Jolson; Perry Como	When You Were Sweet Sixteen	4
1-7/1/1949	Dick Haymes & The Andrews Sisters	Teresa	1
8/1-9/4/1949	Dinah Shore; Gene Autry	Buttons and Bows	13
9/4-14/5/1949	Perry Como; Tony Pastor	Rambling Rose	5
14-28/5/1949	Danny Kaye & The Andrews Sisters; Ray McKinley	Put ’em in a Box, Tie ’em with a Ribbon	2
28/5-9/7/1949	Kay Kyser	(I’d Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China	6
9/7-6/8/1949	Patty Andrews & Bob Crosby	The Pussy Cat Song (Nyow! Nyot Nyow!)	4
6-20/8/1949	Ink Spots; Joe Loss	Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart	2
20/8-24/9/1949	Bing Crosby; Joe Loss	Far Away Places	5
24/9-8/10/1949	Evelyn Knight (singer); Sammy Kaye	Powder Your Face with Sunshine	2
8/10-5/11/1949	Buddy Clark; Larry Green	It’s a Big, Wide, Wonderful World	4
5/11-10/12/1949	Vaughn Monroe; Bing Crosby	Riders in the Sky	5
10-24/12/1949	Evelyn Knight (singer); Joe Loss	A Little Bird Told Me	2
24/12/49-4/2/1950	Burl Ives; Dinah Shore	Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)	6
4/2-4/3/1950	Perry Como & The Fontane Sisters; Tony Pastor	“A” You’re Adorable	4
4/3-25/3/1950	Perry Como; Russ Morgan	Forever And Ever	3
25/3 – 15/4/1950	Bing Crosby; Sammy Kaye	The Four Winds and the Seven Seas	3
15/4 – 6/5/1950	Freddy Martin; Sammy Kaye	I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts	3
6/5 – 27/5/1950	Buddy Clark; Vic Damone	You’re Breaking My Heart	3
27/5 – 10/6/1950	Guy Lombardo; Art Mooney	Hop Scotch Polka	2
10/6 – 24/6/1950	Donald Peers	I Told Them All About You	2
24/6 – 12/8/1950	Donald Peers; Freddy Martin; Teresa Brewer	Music! Music! Music!	7
12/8 – 9/9/1950	Gordon Jenkins; Joe Loss	My Foolish Heart	4
9/9 – 4/11/1950	Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters	Quicksilver	8
4 – 11/11/1950	Sammy Kaye	Hollywood Square Dance	1
11/11 – 16/12/1950	Dennis Day; Nat “King” Cole	Mona Lisa	5
16/12/1950 -27/1/1951	Gordon Jenkins & The Weavers	Goodnight Irene	6
27/1 – 3/3/1951	Gordon Jenkins; Doris Day	Bewitched	5
3 – 24/3/1951	Phil Harris; Les Welch	The Thing	3
24/3 – 7/4/1951	Art Mooney	Silver Dollar	2
7 – 14/4/1951	Bing Crosby; Patti Page	All My Love	3
14/4 – 5/5/1951	Paul Weston & Norman Luboff Choir	Nevertheless (I’m in Love with You)	3
5 – 19/5/1951	Pee Wee King; Gene Krupa	Bonaparte’s Retreat	2
19/5 – 9/6/1951	Pee Wee King; Patti Page	Tennessee Waltz	3
9 – 16/6/1951	Danny Kaye & Patty Andrews; Nat “King” Cole	Orange Coloured Sky	1
16/6 – 14/7/1951	Debbie Reynolds & Carleton Carpenter	Aba Daba Honeymoon	4
14/7 – 4/8/1951	Perry Como; Jo Stafford	If (They Made Me a King)	3
4/8 – 1/9/1951	Guy Mitchell	My Heart Cries For You	4
1 – 8/9/1951	Donald Peers & Jim Gussey	Mockin’ Bird Hill	1
8/9 – 10/11/1951	Nat “King” Cole; Toni Arden	Too Young	9
10 – 24/11/1951	Mario Lanza; Ann Blyth	The Loveliest Night of the Year	2
24/11 – 22/12/1951	Guy Mitchell; Donald Peers	My Truly, Truly Fair	4
22/12/1951 – 19/1/1952	Dinah Shore; Jane Turzy	Sweet Violets

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So there you have it! What was the number one song when you were born?

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Submeg

nb: In the 1940s, data was only collected every month, hence the long stays of songs at number one. All data referenced from Wikipedia pages.

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