The 31 best songs of 1934

The ’30s were a great time for music, with jazz filling most of the airwaves, but do you know what songs were popular in 1934? Read on as we present our 31 best songs of 1934, and you may discover some new tunes to listen to.

1. Cocktails For Two – Duke Ellington 

First on the list is Duke Ellington’s Cocktails For Two, covered by Carl Brisson. The song was used in the film Murder At The Vanities, and deals with the end of Prohibition in America. In 2007, Ellington’s version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and remains one of the most popular versions of the song.

2. June In January – Bing Crosby 

The next is Bing Crosby’s June In January, from the film Here Is My Heart, which quickly climbed to the top of the charts and reached number one. It’s one of the most popular jazz standards, and he recorded it more than once in his career. He recorded it for Bing: A Musical Autobiography in 1954, and this version was also used in the film The Joker Is Wild. He re-recorded the song in 1977 for Seasons, which was his last album.

3. What A Shuffle – Chick Webb

Chick Webb scored a hit with What A Shuffle, one of his best-known songs. An interesting fact about him is that he couldn’t read music, so he just memorized the band playing the arrangement and ran it from there.

4. Honeysuckle Rose – Fats Waller 

Fats Waller appears on the list with Honeysuckle Rose, which was written in 1929 and used in the Broadway show Load Of Coal during a dance scene. He recorded a version of the song in 1934, and it was this version that entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

5. Love In Bloom – Bing Crosby 

The next song on our list is Bing Crosby’s Love In Bloom, featured in the film She Loves Me Not. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song, but did not win. Jack Benny used it as the theme for his TV and radio show. Other artists also recorded the song, including Paul Whiteman, but Crosby’s version remained the best, and he re-recorded it for his 1954 album Bing: A Musical Autobiography.

6. The Very Thought Of You – Ray Noble & His Orchestra 

Ray Noble & His Orchestra appear on the list with The Very Thought Of You, which he wrote and recorded with Al Bowlly on vocals. The Victor label released the record in America after releasing it in England, and it stayed at number one in the pop charts for five weeks. It’s one of the greatest pop standards to date, and an iconic song ever since he recorded it in 1934.

7. Stars Fell On Alabama – Guy Lombardo 

Stars Fell On Alabama by Guy Lombardo is on our list, and it seems there was a book with the same title, hence the name of the song. It was one of the greatest jazz standards of the ’30s, and tells of a meteor shower that occurred in Alabama in 1833. Lombardo recorded one of the first versions of this song and Decca Records released it. Over 100 different musicians have since recorded the song, including Dean Martin, Doris Day and Frank Sinatra.

8. Isle Of Capri – Ray Noble & His Orchestra 

Ray Noble is back on the list with Isle Of Capri, a very popular song in 1934 that incorporates foxtrot and tango for a perfect dance tune. It reached number one in the charts and stayed there for seven weeks.

9. Little Dutch Mill – Bing Crosby 

Next up is Bing Crosby with Little Dutch Mill, one of his biggest hits, and one of his former Rhythm Boys partners, Harry Barris, composed the song. Harry was known as one of the first scat singers, and was involved in the recording of songs such as Mississippi Mud. Crosby began working solo with this group, and Little Dutch Mill was one of the songs that helped him break through and become a solo star.

10. Tumbling Tumbleweeds – Roy Rogers And The Sons Of The Pioneers 

Roy Rogers and The Sons Of The Pioneers appear on the list with Tumbling Tumbleweeds, a song written by Bob Nolan that quickly became their signature. The song became even more famous when it was used in a film of the same name, starring Gene Autry. The Western Writers Of America even ranked the song among the best Western songs of all time. In 2010, it was added to the National Recording Registry because of its importance.

11. The Old Spinning Wheel – Ray Noble 

Ray Noble had a few hits, and he’s listed with The Old Spinning Wheel, which was a popular swing-style song in 1934. This song was one of many hits he would score over the next few years, and truly demonstrated his talent as a jazz and big band musician and composer.

12. Winter Wonderland – Guy Lombardo 

Guy Lombardo had a hit with Winter Wonderland, which was recorded by him and his band The Royal Canadians and became a huge success. The song was written by Richard Smith, who was inspired to write it after seeing the snow cover his city’s park.

13. All I Do Is Dream Of You – Jan Garber & His Orchestra 

The next list is All I Do Is Dream Of You, by Jan Garber & His Orchestra. This is a very popular song that was written for the film Sadie McKee starring Joan Crawford. The song can be heard at the beginning of the film, and was later used in other films such as Crimes And Misdemeanors and The Affairs Of Dobie Gillis. Garber’s version reached number one in the charts and stayed there for over 14 weeks!

14. Stay As Sweet As You Are – Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra 

Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra entered the list with Stay As Sweet As You Are, the last time they entered the charts. Over the previous three years, they had several chart-topping songs, but that success stopped after this track.

15. I Only Have Eyes For You – Ben Selvin 

Ben Selvin’s I Only Have Eyes For You is one of the best-known love songs of all time. It was featured in the 1934 film Dames. Although his version is one of the earliest and most popular, other artists such as Art Garfunkel have also released a chart-topping cover.

16. You Oughta Be In Pictures – Little Jack Little

Little Jack Little’s You Oughta Be In Pictures was a hit in 1934. The song is about cinema and was written in 20 minutes by Edward Heyman and Dana Suesse. They both thought they could write a song that would be a hit in 20 minutes, and they went into a room with a piano and came out with this song. It was featured in the 1934 film Les Folies de Ziegfeld.

17. One Night Of Love – Grace Moore 

Next comes Grace Moore with One Night Of Love, written for the musical of the same name in which she is the heroine. The film’s score won an Academy Award and the song was a big hit, both in the film and on the charts.

18. Sleepy Head – The Mills Brothers 

The Mills Brothers appear on the list with Sleepy Head, one of their many career hits. The band was a blend of pop and jazz, and over the course of their career, they sold over 50,000 records and recorded over 2,000 songs. With titles like this, it’s no wonder that in 1998, all four members of the group were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame.

19. Little Man You’ve Had a Busy Day – Emil Coleman and His Orchestra 

The next track is Little Man You’ve Had A Busy Day by Emil Coleman And His Orchestra, which is a cover of the song written by Mabel Wayne earlier in the year. Four different artists had covered the song that year, Coleman being one of the best covers. Instead of being a traditional song, it’s more of a lullaby, the mood and vocals being realized in that style rather than a singing style.

20. You’re The Top – Ethel Merman 

Ethel Merman is on our list with You’re The Top, one of her hit songs that became a standard when she first popularized them on Broadway. Not only is her voice incredibly powerful, but she was also an actress and comedienne. It’s one of those songs you’ll recognize along with her other well-known hit, There’s No Business Like Show Business.

21. If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again – Thomas A. Dorsey 

Thomas A. Dorsey makes the list with If I Could Hear My Mother, a very popular gospel song originally published in 1922. It was a tribute to the mother of John Whitfield Vaughan, who had written the song for her. He made the song popular when he recorded it, and it was entered in the National Recording Registry in 2007.

22. All Through The Night – Cole Porter 

Cole Porter scored a smash hit with All Through The Night, which was intended for his 1934 musical Anything Goes. This version is one of the most popular to this day, but Paul Whiteman also successfully covered the song. The chromatic scale is descending, which is different from a lot of other music, and this is what makes the melody of this song so unique.

23. Boll Weevil – Lead Belly 

Nirvana fans, you may have already heard of Lead Belly, as the grunge band has covered several of the blues artist’s songs. One of their most successful tracks is Boll Weevil, originally by Alan Lomax. It’s about a beetle that feeds on both flowers and cotton buds, and ended up causing a lot of damage in the 1920s.

24. Autumn In New York – Vernon Duke 

Next up is Vernon Duke’s Autumn In New York, which was reprised in the hit Broadway musical Thumbs Up! There have been several versions of the song over the years, this one being one of the best, although Frank Sinatra covered the song in 1949 and it overshadowed this version.

25. I Never Had a Chance  – Eddy Duchin & His Orchestra 

I Never Had A Chance by Eddy Duchin & His Orchestra is on our list. This song was covered by more than one person in 1934. His version was one of the first, but Glen Gray also performed the song later that year. As Duchin’s version is one of the earliest popular interpretations of the song, we decided to include it instead.

26. Hawkins Rag – Gid Tanner 

Gid Tanner has released Hawkins Rag, which blends world, country and folk genres to create one of the best songs of the year. This instrumental song has only been covered by The Hotmud Family in 1974 and Ernie Hawkins in 2000.

27. Flying Down To Rio – Fred Astaire 

The iconic Fred Astaire scored a hit with Flying Down To Rio. Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics, and Vincent Youmans took charge of the music. The man who would later become Astaire’s main collaborator, Hermes Pan, ended up as the dance director’s assistant.

28. I Can’t Dance I Got Ants In My Pants – Chick Webb 

Calling all fans of the Fallout 76 video game, you may be familiar with the song I Can’t Dance I Got Ants In My Pants since this track can be found in the game if you listen to Appalachia Radio. This Chick Webb song is one of the biggest hits of 1934, and Taft Gordon helped write the chorus.

29. Blame It On My Youth – Jan Garber 

Next up is Jan Garber with Blame It On My Youth, and for this song, the vocals were sung by Lee Bennet. As far as the Victor label is concerned, this is one of their most popular records, which is not surprising given Garber’s talent. It’s one of the jazz standards, which means that many artists have recorded versions of it over the years.

30. Champagne Waltz  – Glen Gray 

Glen Gray makes the list with Champagne Waltz, which entered the charts and reached number 46. We’re not surprised that another of his songs entered the charts, as he was one of the most popular jazz musicians of the time.

31. Love Thy Neighbor – Bing Crosby 

Last on the list is Bing Crosby’s Love Thy Neighbor, written by Harry Revel and Mack Gordon. It was first recorded in February by Crosby and later used in the film We’re Not Dressing in April. It was also released as a single and was one of the biggest hits of the year. When you listen to the song, you notice that it has a more pop style, although it still contains the jazz sounds that were popular at the time.