29 Best Songs From 1950

“Music! Music! Music! (Put Another Nickel In)” By Teresa Brewer

Song Year: 1950

This song was released as a B-side to “Copenhagen” but quickly usurped its popularity. Brewer helped the tune climb the charts after the original recording by Etienne Paree one year prior. Both were peppy and catchy, making it a natural jukebox favorite.

The carefree lyrics are of a young lady who tells her love interest that all she needs to be happy are his company, some music, and a night of dancing. 

“I’m Movin’ On” By Hank Snow

Song Year: 1950

This classic tune joins “Orange Blossom Special” in sounds that successfully evoke a train. The perpetual-motion feel of the beat, combined with a busy fiddle line, creates the aural atmosphere of a locomotive.

Telling his listener that he can’t stand still, the singer hitches a ride and doesn’t plan to come back. He even hints that he has a lover in Tennessee, putting the nail in the coffin of any hope of his possible return.

“Pink Champagne” By Joe Liggins and His Honeydrippers

Song Year: 1950

This multi-textured slow jazz melody incorporates a saxophone duet, vocal trio, and a plodding piano bassline to form its enticing musical landscape. The many instrumental timbres trade off licks throughout the song for an endlessly interesting listen.

Blues emotions peek through the thick texture as the lyrics describe a sophisticated lover who swept in to steal the narrator’s girl and compares him to a classy and irresistible beverage. 

“Sam’s Song” By Bing Crosby

Song Year: 1950

Like much music of this era, “Sam’s Song” was recorded by many artists in a twenty-year span. Bing Crosby’s version was arguably the most notable, though Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. would go toe-to-toe with it one decade later.

Happy-go-lucky lyrics start as a solo but soon join a second voice, belonging to Bing’s brother Gary. They performed this duet on Gary’s radio show a few years after its release.

“I’ll Never Be Free” By Dinah Washington

Song Year: 1950

This track uses old-school glamor for full effect, including a jazz big band and swingin’ piano underscoring. The moderate tempo is reminiscent of a smoky speakeasy late at night.

Washington’s vocals pierce the high register with passion and longing. She sings of the spell a lover has placed on her, including how he thrills her with his smile and a special look in his eyes. 

“Third Man Theme” By Anton Karas

Song Year: 1950

There’s no lyrics to this incidental music, which first appeared in the 1949 movie The Third Man. The unique sound of a zither trips along with a cutesy melody, capturing the feeling of post-war Austria.

Anton Karas was a street performer when Orson Welles discovered his skill and hired him to compose and record the theme of the film.

“Mardi Gras in New Orleans” By Professor Longhair

Song Year: 1950

Fun and celebratory, this bubbly tune has all of the Mardi Gras flavors you could want in two and a half minutes of music. The blaring brass, whistling, and boogie-woogie piano illustrate a picture of partying on the streets until sunrise.

There’s no better performer to present this style than Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd, sometimes called “Fess” for his nickname of “Professor Longhair.” He was pivotal in the formation of New Orleans blues, working in elements of rumba and calypso, and inspired countless blues players after his time.

“The Thing” By Phil Harris

Song Year: 1950

Harris was more than a singer, fortunately for American culture. His illustrious career in comedy, radio, and film encompassed four decades, though he’s perhaps best known today for his voice acting in Disney movies such as The Jungle Book (where he played Baloo).

“The Thing” is a prime example of Harris’ talent for entertaining. Humorous and borderline bawdy, it encourages listeners to join in on the call-and-response format.

“Harbor Lights” By Sammy Kaye

Song Year: 1950

It doesn’t get much more sentimental than this. Kaye and his orchestra float along on a serenade suggestive of gentle ocean waves.

Lush female harmonies and steel guitar hint at an island atmosphere as the lyrics tell of a lover separated from his girl. He hopes the harbor lights will bring her back in his direction so he can experience romance with her again.

“Moanin’ The Blues” By Hank Williams

Song Year: 1950

Western-style guitar, fiddle, and hillbilly singing are the quintessential sound of Williams. This is the second of four big hits for him within one year, cementing his reputation as one of the biggest voices of his time.

The honky-tonk musical style supports a bluesy message of loneliness and nostalgia as the narrator regrets a past love interest who left him.