Summary 1947

There were quite a few old songs revived in 1947 for a new audience including three versions of the 1913 song Peg O My Heart that hit no.1 by The Harmonicats and The Three Suns both with instrumentals and Buddy Clark with a vocal version. One of the biggest hit of the year was another instrumental by Ted Weems & His Orchestra as Heartaches spent thirteen weeks at no.1 with the song originally recorded in 1933. The follow up to this was I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now, recorded by Ted Weems in 1939 with a then unknown vocalist Perry Como which hit no.2 having been a hit originally in 1909 by Henry Burr and 1910 by Billy Murray. Perry Como also took the song When You Were Sweet Sixteen to no.2, a monthly no.1 twice in 1900 for Jere Mahoney and George J Gaskin. Perry Como also topped the chart with the children’s lullaby Chi Baba Chi Baba My Bambino Go To Sleep. Although not an old song, Anniversary Song hit no.1 for Dinah Shore while the original from the film The Jolson story peaked at no.2 by Al Jolson and also Guy Lombardo. Both Freddy Martin and Guy Lombardo took the song Managua Nicaragua to no.1, Freddie Martin for his fourth no.1 single and Guy Lombardo for his fourteenth. There were also two versions of the song Open The Door Richard at the top by The Three Flames and Count Basie & His Orchestra and two versions of Mam’selle also at the top, Art Lund for the first time and Frank Sinatra for his third. After The King Cole Trio had hit no.1 at the end of 1946 and into January 1947 with I Love You For Sentimental Reasons, Eddy Howard & His Orchestra and Dinah Shore also took the song to no.2 and Dinah also featured on one of the two versions of I Wish I Didn’t Love You So to hit no.2 in 1947, the other being by Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra who ended the year with his third no.1 Ballerina. Eddy Howard placed three hits at no.2 this year as well as I Love You For Sentimental Reasons, he also hit with My Adobe Hacienda and I Wonder I Wonder I Wonder. Ray Noble had his fifth no.1 single and first since 1938 with the song Linda, using the vocals of Buddy Clark. Hoagy Carmichael had previously composed three no.1 singles and Huggin’ And Chalkin’ was his first as an artist. Another song from the mid-1930s was re-made but one would hardly recognise Temptation by Bing Crosby in the novelty hillbilly version by Red Ingle & Natural Seven featuring Jo Stafford, alias Cinderella G Stump. Tex Williams took the ultra-modern Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette to no.1, a song about the perils of socialising with someone who smoked and the biggest hit single of the year was also by a newcomer, Francis Craig who topped the charts for seventeen weeks, more than any other record with the song Near You. All of the artists that topped the charts this year were from the USA except Guy Lombardo from Canada and Ray Noble from Britain. Once again, because of the multiple versions of songs that topped the charts, the same applied to the composers. Mack Gordon finally moved ahead of Harry Warren on the all-time list with eighteen no.1 singles, Nacio Herb Brown achieved his eighth and his long term partner Arthur Freed moved up to seven, Mack David and Al Hoffman both had their fifth no.1s, it was the third time at the top for Saul Chaplin and Albert Gamse and also Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher as the composers of Peg O My Heart. The second no.1s were achieved by Irving Fields, Dusty Fletcher, Kermit Goell, Edmund Goulding, David Kapp, John Mason and Jack McVea and there were a further thirteen composers with their first no.1 singles.

Top singles of 1947 USA
1 Francis Craig – Near You
2 Harmonicats – Peg O My Heart
3 Ted Weems – Heartaches
4 Ray Noble & Buddy Clark – Linda
5 Tex Williams – Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette
6 Vaughn Monroe – I Wish I Didn’t Love You So
7 Three Suns – Peg O My Heart
8 Al Jolson – Anniversary Song
9 Larry Green – Near You
10 Sammy Kaye – That’s My Desire
11 Vaughn Monroe – Ballerina
12 Art Lund – Mamselle
13 Freddy Martin – Managua Nicaragua
14 Perry Como – Chi Baba Chi Baba
15 Red Ingle & Jo Stafford – Temptation
16 Ted Weems & Perry Como – I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her NOw
17 Andrews Sisters – Near You
18 Sammy Kaye – The Old Lamplighter
19 Perry Como – When You Were Sweet Sixteen
20 Jack Owens – How Soon

The artists with the most weeks in the top ten during 1947 were as follows
1 Ted Weems & His Orchestra 47
2 Eddy Howard & His Orchestra 41
2 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians 41
4 Dinah Shore 36
5 Swing & Sway With Sammy Kaye 31
5 Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra 31
7 Perry Como 29
8 Ray Noble & His Orchestra 25
9 Harmonicats 24
9 Sam Donahue & His Orchestra 24
11 Francis Craig & His Orchestra 22
11 Red Ingle & Natural Seven 22
13 Andrews Sisters 21
13 Art Lund 21
13 Kay Kyser & His Orchestra 21
16 Pied Pipers 19
17 Buddy Clark 18
17 Margaret Whiting 18
17 Three Suns 18
20 Charlie Spivak & His Orchestra 16
20 Freddy Martin & His Orchestra 16
20 Hoagy Carmichael 16
20 Johnny Mercer 16