Glenn Miller dominated the hit parade in 1940: according to the statistics of chart researcher Joel Whitburn, he was more successful than his next three competitors, Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, and Kay Kyser combined. A compilation that really presented the 24 most popular recordings of the year would include eight by Miller; this one, which claims to, contains three. That is the key to an assessment of the set, which, all told, features 13 of the year's most popular songs, 12 of them in their most popular versions. (The ...
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Glenn Miller dominated the hit parade in 1940: according to the statistics of chart researcher Joel Whitburn, he was more successful than his next three competitors, Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, and Kay Kyser combined. A compilation that really presented the 24 most popular recordings of the year would include eight by Miller; this one, which claims to, contains three. That is the key to an assessment of the set, which, all told, features 13 of the year's most popular songs, 12 of them in their most popular versions. (The exception is the inclusion of Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards' version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio. Edwards sang it in the film; the hit version was by, you guessed, Glenn Miller.) Diversity of artists isn't the only variance the compilers make from strict adherence to the charts, however. Personal taste and the test of time also seem to enter into the choices, such that the sweet band leaders, many of whom are nearly forgotten today, tend to be left out. Kyser, Frankie Masters, Shep Fields, and Orrin Tucker may have had some of the biggest hits of the year, but you won't find any of them here. On the other hand, jazz and blues numbers like Coleman Hawkins' "Body and Soul" and Lil Green's "Romance in the Dark" weren't hits at all, but they are here, along with minor hits such as Benny Goodman's "Darn That Dream," the Andrews Sisters' "Ferryboat Serenade," and Tony Martin's "It's a Blue World." In some cases, the substitutions are obviously beneficial. Glenn Miller's "Pennsylvania 6-5000" may not actually have been one of his biggest hits of the year, but it is better remembered than many that were, and Tommy Dorsey' s "All the Things You Are," which is included, is certainly superior to his "Indian Summer," which isn't, even though the latter was the bigger hit. In other cases, though, the choices are more questionable: why include Miller's "Blueberry Hill" and leave out the more popular and better-remembered "Tuxedo Junction"? As usual, then, the 1940 volume of the Your Hit Parade series includes some of the songs that defined the year -- Glenn Miller's "In the Mood," Artie Shaw's "Frenesi," Tommy Dorsey's "I'll Never Smile Again" with Frank Sinatra on vocals, and Bing Crosby's "Only Forever." Beyond these, there is a mixture of hits and sometimes idiosyncratic choices. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi
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