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Our Top 100 Songs Of 1951 looks at a year that saw the release of many songs that would become standards that we are still listening to in today’s music scene. Les Paul released one of the biggest hits of his career with the song he recorded with Mary Ford called “How High The Moon.” Nat King Cole would also release the biggest song of his career with the song “Unforgettable,” which would become one of the most loved standards of all time. Rock and roll music was still in its infancy as so many great blues and jump artists were putting a little more swing in their groove as the art form was really starting to brew.
Our Top 100 Songs Of 1951 were chosen based on sales, popularity, Chart success, and of course artistic merit. It’s a combination of many factors that we believe represents the best songs that the year 1951 had to offer across all musical genres. Many of these songs may have been written before 1951, but all songs on this list were recordings made and released in 1951.
# 100 – Rose, Rose, I Love You – Frankie Laine
# 99 – Vanity – Don Cherry
# 98 – The Hot Canary – Florian Zabach
# 97 – Long Distance Call – Muddy Waters
# 96 – Don’t You Lie To Me – Fats Domino
# 95 – Eyesight To The Blind – Sonny Boy Williamson
# 94 – Shine On – Ruth Brown
# 93 – Lonesome Whistle – Hank Williams
# 92 – Undecided – Ames Brothers
# 91 – Gone Fishin’ – Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong
# 90 – A Sunday Kind Of Love – Jo Stafford
# 89 – Mister and Mississippi” – Patti Page
# 88 – Out in the Cold Again” – Richard Hayes
# 87 – Sweet Violets” – Dinah Shore
# 86 – Gone Fishin'” – Bing Crosby & Louis
Armstrong
# 85 -Tired Of Crying – Fats Domino
# 84 – What A Fool I Am – Percy Mayfield
# 83 – Walk That Mess – Tiny Bradshaw
# 82 – Beautician Blues – Roy Brown
# 81 – Seven Long Days – Charles Brown
# 80 – Howlin’ Wolf – Moanin’ At Midnight
# 79 – The Gang That Sang Heart Of My Heart – Frankie Laine
# 78 – My Reverie – Larks
# 77 – Mockin’ Bird Hill – Patti Page
# 76 – Once Upon A Nickel” – Georgia Gibbs
# 75 -I’m Gonna Dig Myself A Hole – Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup
# 74 – I’ll Never Be Free – Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra
# 73 – It Is No Secret – Bill Kenny & The Song Spinners
# 72 – Big Town – Roy Brown
# 71 – Bloodshot Eyes – Wynonie Harris
# 70 – Rosco Gordon – Booted
# 69 – My Real Gone Rocket – Jackie Brenston
# 68 – Let’s Rock A While – Amos Milburn
# 67 – T-99 Blues – Jimmy Nelson
# 66 – Do It If You Wanna – Sonny Boy Williamson
# 65 -Don’t You Know I Love You – Clovers
# 64 – Lovin’ Machine – Wynonie Harris
# 63 – I Know – Ruth Brown
# 62 – Too Young – Nat King Cole
# 61 – Smooth Sailing – Ella Fitzgerald
# 60 – Good Rockin’ Man – Roy Brown
# 59 – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas – Perry Como & The Fontane Sisters
# 58 -Charmaine” – Mantovani & his Orchestra
# 57 – Paths Of Paradise – Johnnie Ray
# 56 – Out In The Cold Again – Dinah Washington & the Ravens
# 55 – Down The Trail Of Achin’ Hearts” – Patti Page
# 54 – Shouldn’t I Know – Cardinals
# 53 – I Didn’t Sleep A Wink Last Night – Arthur Prysock
# 52 – I’m A Night Owl – Lowell Fulson
# 51 – I Apologize – Billy Eckstine
# 50 – Baby, We’re Really In Love – Hank Williams
# 49 – Eyesight To The Blind – Larks
# 48 – Shanghai – Doris Day
# 47 -Blue Tango – Leroy Anderson & his Orchestra
# 46 – Bar Room Blues – Roy Brown
# 45 – Detour – Patti Page
# 44 – Howlin’ Wolf – How Many More Years
# 43 – Chains Of Love – Joe Turner
# 42 – It Ain’t The Meat – Swallows
# 41 – Bee’s Boogie – Smiley Lewis
# 40 – Still A Fool – Muddy Waters
# 39 – Dear John – Hank Williams
# 38 -I’ll Never Be Free – Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra
# 37 – Taxi Blues – Little Richard
# 36 – Black Night – Charles Brown
# 35 – Sparrow in the Treetop – Guy Mitchell
# 34 – Got Him Off My Hands – Georgia Gibbs
# 33 – Fool, Fool, Fool – Clovers
# 32 – Walking The Chalk Line – Tiny Bradshaw
# 31 – The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise – Les Paul and Mary Ford
# 30 – Baby Please Don’t Go – Orioles
# 29 – It’s All in the Game – Tommy Edwards
# 28 – Aba Daba Honeymoon – Debbie Reynolds & Carleton Carpenter
# 27 – Hey Good Lookin’ – Hank Williams
# 26 – Money Blues – Camille Howard
# 25 – (It’s No) Sin – Eddy Howard
# 24 -Let Your Tears Fall, Baby – Big Mama Thornton
# 23 – Every Hour – Little Richard
# 22 – I’m In The Mood – John Lee Hooker
# 21 – Cold Cold Heart – Hank Williams
# 20 – I’ll Wait For You – Ruth Brown
# 19 – Glory Of Love – Five Keys
# 18 – One For My Baby – Frankie Laine
# 17 – Lullaby of Broadway – Doris Day
# 16 – Rockin’ Chair – Fats Domino
# 15 – Honey Bee – Muddy Waters
# 14 -The Train Kept A’Rollin’ – Tiny Bradshaw
# 13 – Dust My Broom – Elmore James
# 12 -Three O’Clock Blues – B.B. King
# 11 -Tell Me Why – The Four Aces
# 10 – Sixty-Minute Man – Dominoes
One of the earliest known rock and roll tracks.
# 9 – Be My Love -Mario Lanza
Oh boy, could this guy sing.
# 8 – Cold Cold Heart – Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett’s first of two top 10 songs on the 1951 songs list.
# 7 – If – Perry Como
One of the biggest hits of the year from one of the most popular singers of the 19th century.
# 6 – Rocket 88 – Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats
The song that lays claim to being the first rock and roll tune.
# 5 – Because of You – Tony Bennett
# 4 – Unforgettable – Nat King Cole
Amazing how after 70 years, people still play this record over and over. One of the most famous songs of all time.
# 3 – Cry – Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads
# 2 – How High The Moon – Les Paul & Mary Ford
# 1 – Come On-A My House – Rosemary Clooney
Top 100 Songs Of 1951 article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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