Feature Photo: Studio Publicity, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Our Top 100 Songs Of 1952 list looks back at a year in which we saw some very strong jazz releases as well as some great rock and roll tunes. The turnover from single releases and 78s had begun as 33 1/3 albums could hold more songs and were cheaper to make than the 78 records. Some very strong albums were released by Billie Holliday, Tony Bennett, Charlie Parker and a handful of others. Jazz music would start to take center stage as well as the continuing birth of rock and roll out of the blues and gospel genres. Every year in the 1950s just became more and more exciting for music fans.
Our Top 100 Songs Of 1952 were picked 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 1952 had to offer across all musical genres. Many of these songs may have been written before 1952, but all songs on this list were recordings made and released in 1952.
# 100 – “Heart and Soul” – The Four Aces featuring Al Alberts
# 99 – “You Belong to Me” – Jo Stafford
# 98 – “Tell Me Why” – Eddie Fisher
# 97 – “Winter Wonderland” – Perry Como
# 96 – “I Don’t Know” – Willie Mabon
# 95 – “Moody Mood For Love” – King Pleasure
# 94 – “Sugarbush” – Doris Day & Frankie Laine
# 93 – “Ramblin’ Man” – Frankie Laine
# 92 – 5-10-15 Hours – Ruth Brown
# 91 – “Wish You Were Here” – Eddie Fisher
# 90 – “I’ll Walk Alone” – Don Cornell
# 89 – “I’m Just a Poor Bachelor” – Frankie Laine
# 88 – “Rock of Gibraltar” – Frankie Laine
# 87 – “Slow Poke” – Arthur Godfrey
# 86 – “A Guy Is a Guy” – Doris Day
# 85 – “Tenderly” – Rosemary Clooney
# 84 – “Anytime” – Eddie Fisher
# 83 – “So Madly in Love” – Georgia Gibbs
# 82 -“You Know I Love You” – B.B. King
# 81 – “Sad Hours” – Little Walter
# 80 – “Settin’ the Woods on Fire” – Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford
# 79 – “Lady of Spain” – Eddie Fisher
# 78 – “Day of Jubilo” – Guy Mitchell
# 77 – “Comes A-Long A-Love” – Kay Starr
# 76 – “I’m Yours” – Eddie Fisher
# 75 -“Kiss Of Fire” – Georgia Gibbs
# 74 – “The Glow-Worm” – The Mills Brothers
# 73 – “You’ll Never Be Mine” – Guy Mitchell
# 72 – “When You’re in Love” – Frankie Laine
# 71 – “Tonight You Belong to Me” – Frankie Laine
# 70 – “The Big Question” – Percy Mayfield
# 69 – “High Noon” – Tex Ritter
# 68 – “Temptation” – Mario Lanza
# 67 – “Hey Miss Fannie” – Clovers
# 66 – “Lover” – Peggy Lee
# 65 – “Maybe” – Perry Como & Eddie Fisher
# 64 – “Walkin’ My Baby Back Home” – Johnnie Ray
# 63 – “New Blowtop Blues” – Dinah Washington
# 62 -“Every Beat Of My Heart” – Royals
# 61 – “The Last Of The Good Rockin’ Men” – Four Jacks
# 60 – “Till I Waltz Again With You” – Teresa Brewer
# 59 – “Rocking On Sunday Night” – Treniers
# 58 – “Soft” – Tiny Bradshaw
# 57 – “Keep On Churnin'” – Wynonie Harris
# 56 – “Blue Moon” – Billie Holiday
# 55 – “Be My Life’s Companion” – The Mills Brothers
# 54 – “Sophisticated Lady” – Oscar Peterson
# 53 – “Poor Poor Me” – Fats Domino
# 52 -“Pedal Pushin’ Papa” – Dominoes
# 51 – “So Tired” – Roy Milton
# 50 – “Song Is You” – Charlie Parker
# 49 – “You Turned the Tables on Me” – Billie Holiday
# 48 – “Street Walking Woman” – T-Bone Walker
# 47 -“The Last Of The Good Rockin’ Men” – Four Jacks
# 46 – “Don’t You Cry” – Joe Turner
# 45 -“Ain’t Nothin’ Happenin'” – Little Richard
# 44 – “Christmas Roses” – Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford
# 43 – “East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)” – Billie Holiday
# 42 – “Feelin’ Sad” – Guitar Slim
# 41 – “Half As Much” – Rosemary Clooney
# 40 – “She Moves Me” – Muddy Waters
# 39 -“Take the “A” Train” – Oscar Peterson
# 38 – “Bloomdido” – Bird & Diz
# 37 – “I Only Have Eyes for You” – Billie Holiday
# 36 – “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” – Karen Chandler
# 35 – “Faith Can Move Mountains” – Nat King Cole
# 34 – “Nine Below Zero” – Sonny Boy Williamson
# 33 -“Delicado” – Percy Faith & his Orchestra
# 32 – “When I Fall in Love” – Doris Day
# 31 -“Five Long Years” – Eddie Boyd
# 30 – “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” – Kitty Wells
# 29 – “Tiger Rag” – Les Paul and Mary Ford
# 28 – “Trying” – The Hilltoppers
“Botch-A-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina)” – Rosemary Clooney
# 27 – “A Sinner Am I” – Johnnie Ray
# 26 – “Somewhere Along The Way” – Nat King Cole
# 25 – “Have a Good Time” – Tony Bennett
# 24 – “I’ll Drown In My Tears” – Sonny Thompson
# 23 – “Rocket 69” – Todd Rhodes
# 22 – “K.C. Lovin'” – Little Willie Littlefield
# 21 – “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” – Jimmy Boyd
# 20 – “Now’s the Time” – Charlie Parker
# 19 – “I’m Confessin'” – Les Paul and Mary Ford
# 18 – “My Song” – Johnny Ace
# 17 – “Have Mercy Baby” – Dominoes
# 16 – “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)” – Frankie Laine
# 15 – “Stay Where You Are” – Tony Bennett
# 14 – “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” – Lloyd Price
# 13 – “Night Train” – Jimmy Forest
# 12 – “I Went to Your Wedding” – Patti Page
# 11 – “Here in My Heart” – Al Martino
# 10 – “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” – Louis Armstrong
# 9 – “Rock The Joint” – Bill Haley with the Saddlemen
# 8 – “Why Don’t You Believe Me” – Joni James
# 7 – “Here in My Heart” – Tony Bennett
# 6 – “Blue Tango” – Leroy Anderson
# 5 – “All of Me” – Johnnie Ray
# 4 – “Auf Wiederseh’n, Sweetheart” – Vera Lynn
# 3 – “One Mint Julep” – Clovers
# 2 – “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)” – Hank Williams
# 1 – “Wheel of Fortune” – Kay Starr
Top 100 Songs Of 1952 article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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