1952 – Top 20 singles, Billboard

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see also:

• Top 20 singles, Billboard – 1950 (closed for repair)
• Top 20 singles, Billboard – 1951

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1. Blue Tango » Leroy Anderson
2. Wheel Of Fortune » Kay Starr
3. Cry » Johnnie Ray
4. You Belong To Me » Jo Stafford
5. Auf Wiederseh’n, Sweetheart » Vera Lynn
6. Half As Much » Rosemary Clooney
7. Wish You Were Here » Eddie Fisher & Hugo Winterhalter
8. I Went To Your Wedding » Patti Page
9. Here In My Heart » Al Martino
10. Delicado » Percy Faith
11. Kiss Of Fire » Georgia Gibbs
12. Anytime » Eddie Fisher & Hugo Winterhalter
13. Tell Me Why » Four Aces
14. Blacksmith Blues » Ella Mae Morse
15. Jambalaya » Jo Stafford
16. Botch-a-me » Rosemary Clooney
17. A Guy Is A Guy » Doris Day
18. The Little White Cloud That Cried » Johnnie Ray
19. The Ballad of High Noon » Frankie Laine
20. I’m Yours » Eddie Fisher & Hugo Winterhalter

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1. Blue Tango (Leroy Anderson) – music composed in 1951; song published in 1952

Leroy Anderson

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2. Wheel of Fortune (Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss) — published in 1951

Kay Starr

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3. Cry (Churchill Kohlman) – published and first recorded in 1951

Wikipedia excerpts:

The song was first recorded by Ruth Casey on the Cadillac label. The biggest hit version was recorded in New York City by Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads on October 16, 1951.

It was a No.1 hit on the Billboard magazine chart that year, and one side of one of the biggest two-sided hits, as the flip side, “The Little White Cloud that Cried,” reached No.2 on the Billboard chart.

Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads

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4. You Belong to Me (Chilton Price, Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart)

From Wikipedia:

[“You Belong to Me”] is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, and Redd Stewart. Miss Price, a songwriting librarian at WAVE Radio Louisville, had written the song in its virtual entirety as “Hurry Home to Me” envisioning the song as an American woman’s plea to a sweetheart serving overseas in World War II. Afforded songwriting credit on the song mostly in exchange for their work in promoting it, King and Stewart did slightly adjust Price’s composition musically and lyrically, shifting the focus from a wartime background “into a kind of universal song about separated lovers” and changing the title to “You Belong to Me”. Price had previously had success with another hit which she had written, “Slow Poke“, under a similar arrangement with the two men.^{[1] [2]}

The original version of the song was recorded by Sue Thompson on Mercury’s country label. It was soon covered by Patti Page, whose version was issued by Mercury as catalog number 5899, with “I Went to Your Wedding” (a bigger Patti Page hit, reaching #1) on the flip side. It entered the Billboard chart on August 22, 1952, and lasted 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at #4.^[3]

A cover version by Jo Stafford became the most popular version. Issued by Columbia Records as catalog number 39811, it was Stafford’s greatest hit, topping the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom (the first song by a female singer to top the UK chart). It first entered the US chart on August 1, 1952 and remained there for 24 weeks.^[3] In the UK, it appeared in the first ever UK chart of November 14, 1952 (then a top 12) and reached number 1 on January 16, 1953, being only the second record to top such chart,^[4] remaining in the chart for a total of 19 weeks.^[5]

Sue Thompson – 1952

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Jo Stafford – 1952

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5. Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart (m. Eberhard Storch, w. English: John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons)

Wikipedia says:

Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart is a popular song and a cover version of “Auf wiedersehen, auf wiedersehen” written by German composer Eberhard Storch. Storch wrote the song in the hospital for his wife Maria as he was ill for a long time. The English language lyrics were written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons. The best-known version of the song was recorded by English singer Vera Lynn. The story goes that Vera was on holiday in Switzerland and heard people singing the song in beer parlours,^[1] and when she got back she felt she had to record it, so found the music and had lyrics written.

Vera Lynn

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6. Half as Much (Curley Williams)

Second Hand Songs lists a 1951 recording by Curley Williams and The Georgia Peach Pickers , with a recording by Hank Williams being the first released in 1952.

Wikipedia fails to mention the Curley Williams 1951 recording, credits Hank Williams’s as the first to record the song, and says:

The same year, Rosemary Clooney recorded a hit version for Top 40 markets [in the US, and it was covered by] Alma Cogan in the United Kingdom. Since then the song has been recorded by a number of artists including Patsy Cline (1962), Ray Charles (1962), Eddy Arnold (1964), Sharon Redd (1968), Petula Clark (1974), Emmylou Harris (1992), Cake (1998), and Van Morrison (2006).

Rosemary Clooney

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(below) Colgate Comedy Hour, an episode hosted by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. I believe it’s episode #1 of the show’s third season, original air date 21 September 1952.

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7. Wish You Were Here (Harold Rome) – from the 1952 musical of the same name

Eddie Fisher

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8. I Went to Your Wedding (Jessie Mae Robinson)

Patti Page

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9. Here in My Heart (Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson, and Bill Borrelli) published in 1952

Al Martino

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10. Delicado (m. Valdir Azevedo, w. Jack Lawrence) Published in 1952; a version by Percy Faith reached #1 that year.

Percy Faith

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11. Kiss of Fire (A.G. Vilodo / Lester Allen / Robert Hill) – adapted from the Argentine tango “El choclo”

Wikipedia says:

“El Choclo” (Spanish: meaning “The Ear of Corn” more accurately “The Corn Cob”) is a popular song written by Ángel Villoldo, an Argentine musician. Allegedly written in honour of and taking its title from the nickname of the proprietor of a nightclub, who was known as El Choclo.

It is probably one of the most popular tangos in Argentina.

The piece was premiered in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1903 – the date appears on a program of the venue – at the elegant restaurant “El Americano” on 966 Cangallo Street (today Teniente General Perón) by the orchestra led by Jose Luis Roncallo.

Georgia Gibbs

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12. Anytime (Herbert “Happy” Lawson)

From Wikipedia:

The song was published in 1921 and first recorded by Emmett Miller for OKeh Records in 1924. Accompanying himself on ukulele, Lawson recorded his own version for Gennett Records on July 31, 1925.

Eddie Fisher with Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra

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13. Tell Me Why (m. Marty Gold, w. Al Alberts)

The Four Aces

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14. Blacksmith Blues (Jack Holmes)

From Wikipedia:

“Blacksmith Blues”…was written for Ella Mae Morse by Jack Holmes. The arrangement was created by Billy May and Nelson Riddle and the first recording was produced by Lee Gillette. Bob Bain played a muffled ashtray with a triangle beater to create the hammer and anvil sound effect. The recording reached #3 on the Billboard chart when it was released in 1952 and sold over a million copies.^[1]

Ella Mae Morse

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15. Jambalaya (On the Bayou) – words and music by Hank Williams

Jo Stafford

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16. Botch-a-Me (m. Luigi Astore, w. Riccardo Morbelli, English words: Eddie Stanley)

Wikipedia says:

The original Italian version (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina) by Alberto Rabagliati was written by Riccardo Morbelli (words) and Luigi Astore (music). English lyrics were written by Eddie Stanley. Baciami in Italian means kiss me.

The song was popularized by Rosemary Clooney in 1952. The recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39767. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on June 20, 1952 and lasted 17 weeks on the chart, peaking at #2. 

Wikipedia also indicates that the song was written in 1941, though whether they mean the English lyric version as well is unclear.

Rosemary Clooney

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(below) Rosemary Cloooney performs the song on the Colgate Comedy Hour, during an episode hosted by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. I think it’s episode #1 of the show’s third season, original airdate: 21 September 1952.

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17. A Guy is a Guy (Oscar Brand)

According to Wikipedia,

The song originated in a British song, “I Went to the Alehouse (A Knave Is a Knave),” dating from 1719. During World War II, soldiers sang a bawdy song based on “A Knave Is a Knave,” entitled “A Gob Is a Slob.” Oscar Brand cleaned up the lyrics, and wrote this song based on it.

The best-known version of the song, recorded by Doris Day, charted in 1952. The recording was recorded on February 7, 1952 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39673.

Doris Day — clips are from On Moonlight Bay (1951) and its sequel By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)

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18. The Little White Cloud That Cried (Johnnie Ray)

Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads

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19. High Noon (m. Dimitri Tiomkin, w. Ned Washington) aka “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'” — The song was introduced in the movie High Noon, sung over the opening credits by Tex Ritter. It was awarded the 1952 Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Frankie Laine

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20. I’m Yours (Robert Mellin)

Eddie Fisher

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• Top 20 singles, Billboard – 1950 (closed for repair)
  
• Top 20 singles, Billboard – 1951
• Top 20 singles, Billboard – 1952

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