1940s Music: Top Songs, Genres And Trends

Wartime songs, big bands and the start of the record chart era in America.

Below: the albums worth owning from the 1940s, the artists who defined it, how people listened at the time, and the biggest song of every year from 1940 to 1949.

The official UK singles chart did not start until November 1952, so the year-by-year lines here describe the popular songs of the time rather than chart positions.

Shop the cards that go with these

Shop prints and posters Look back to 1940 Look back to 1941 Look back to 1942

Song and lyric prints, drawn and printed by us

Music and milestone art prints and funny cards, printed in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.

99 Problems, Prompting Ain't One A6 Postcard 99 Problems, Prompting Ain't One A6 Postcard £3.00 Cunt Rude A6 Postcard Cunt Rude A6 Postcard £3.00 99 Problems but Excel Ain't One A6 Postcard 99 Problems but Excel Ain't One A6 Postcard £3.00 Dancing On The Ceiling Music Print A6 Postcard Dancing On The Ceiling Music Print A6 Postcard £3.00 Music Sounds Better With You Music Print A6 Postcard Music Sounds Better With You Music Print A6 Postcard £3.00 Kenny Dalglish Liverpool Football Club (LFC) Legend Stats Print Kenny Dalglish Liverpool Football Club (LFC) Legend Stats Print £12.99

Shop prints and posters

Years covered in the 1940s

  • 1940 - Rationing, Dunkirk, Churchill and the Blitz - the year everything changed. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1940
  • 1941 - The Blitz continued, clothes went on the ration and America entered the war. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1941
  • 1942 - The Beveridge Report, soap on the ration and the first American troops arriving. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1942
  • 1943 - The tide turned, the Dambusters flew and the country got used to going without. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1943
  • 1944 - D-Day, the V-1s and the Education Act that changed school for everyone. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1944
  • 1945 - VE Day, VJ Day, a landslide election and street parties on bomb-damaged roads. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1945
  • 1946 - Television came back, bread went on the ration and the family allowance started. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1946
  • 1947 - The worst winter in memory, a royal wedding and Indian independence. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1947
  • 1948 - The NHS began, the Olympics came to London and the Windrush docked at Tilbury. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1948
  • 1949 - Clothes rationing ended, the pound was devalued and the decade closed on austerity. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1949
  • That is every 1940s year we have written up so far: 1940 to 1949.

Albums of the 1940s

  • The 78 still rules; Columbia introduces the 33rpm LP in 1948 and RCA the 45 in 1949.
  • Vera Lynn's wartime recordings sold and re-sold for decades afterwards.

Artists who defined the 1940s

  • Vera Lynn - We'll Meet Again (1939) and The White Cliffs of Dover (1942).
  • Glenn Miller, whose band played for the forces until his disappearance in 1944.
  • Frank Sinatra, who becomes a solo star in the early forties.
  • The Andrews Sisters, everywhere on forces radio.
  • Bing Crosby's White Christmas (1942), still one of the best-selling singles ever recorded.

Genres of the 1940s

  • Big band swing, the wartime sound at home and for the forces.
  • Sentimental ballads - songs about parting and coming home.
  • Bebop emerging in America late in the decade.
  • Forces' Favourites and request programmes shaping what people heard.
  • Traditional jazz revival starting in British clubs.

Music trends of the 1940s

  • Wartime restricts shellac, so fewer records are pressed.
  • Forces broadcasting spreads American music through Britain.
  • The vinyl LP is introduced in 1948, and the 45rpm single in 1949.
  • Live music in dance halls remains the main way people hear a band.

Popular songs, year by year

  • 1940 - Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again', recorded in 1939, became the song of the year.
  • 1941 - 'The White Cliffs of Dover' was published and became one of the best-known songs of the war.
  • 1942 - 'White Christmas' was written and recorded by Bing Crosby, becoming one of the best-selling records ever made.
  • 1943 - 'You'll Never Know' and 'As Time Goes By' were among the year's most-played songs.
  • 1944 - 'I'll Be Seeing You' and 'Swinging on a Star' were among the year's popular songs.
  • 1945 - Vera Lynn's wartime songs were sung at street parties all over the country in May.
  • 1946 - 'The Gypsy' and 'Bless You (For Being an Angel)' were among the year's popular songs.
  • 1947 - 'Near You' and 'Peg o' My Heart' were among the year's most popular songs.
  • 1948 - 'Buttons and Bows' and 'Nature Boy' were among the year's popular songs.
  • 1949 - 'Some Enchanted Evening' and 'Riders in the Sky' were among the year's popular songs.

How people listened

  • BBC radio and Forces Programme broadcasts, listened to at set times by whole households.
  • Dance halls kept going through the war and were packed afterwards.
  • Records were scarce - shellac was rationed and old discs were recycled.

How to use this

  • Party: pick five songs from the list above and let the rest of the night sort itself out.
  • Quiz round: read the year and the song, and ask for the other one.
  • Reminiscence session: the songs people sang at eighteen get the most talking.
  • Present: a print of a song from 1940-1949 beats another mug.

Shop prints and posters

Found your words? Now find the card

Shop prints and posters Look back to 1940 Look back to 1941 Look back to 1942

How to write it so it lands

  • Download the tracks rather than streaming them if the party is somewhere with bad signal.
  • One song from the year someone turned eighteen does more than a whole decade playlist.
  • Check for clean versions before a family party - some of these are ruder than people remember.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What are the best albums of the 1940s?

The 78 still rules; Columbia introduces the 33rpm LP in 1948 and RCA the 45 in 1949. The full list above gives real records with their release years, not a ranking - pick by what the person actually listened to.

What music genres were popular in the 1940s?

Big band swing, the wartime sound at home and for the forces. Sentimental ballads - songs about parting and coming home. Bebop emerging in America late in the decade. The genres section above has the full list.

Who were the biggest artists of the 1940s?

Vera Lynn - We'll Meet Again (1939) and The White Cliffs of Dover (1942). The rest are listed above, including the British acts that mattered more here than anywhere else.

What songs were popular in the 1940s?

The year-by-year list above gives the songs people were actually singing. The official UK singles chart only began in November 1952, so nothing before that is a chart position.

Do you sell records?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including song and lyric prints. For the records themselves, charity shops and independent record shops are the honest answer.

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