Your Hit Parade: 1945

• Artist: Various Artists
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1989
• Type: Collection (various artists)
• Genre: Vocal Music

Review

With its 24 tracks drawn from the four major record labels of the day (RCA Victor, Columbia, Decca and Capitol), Time-Life Music's 1945 edition of its "Your Hit Parade" series does a typically excellent job of featuring the major hits of the year in their most popular renditions. Bing Crosby, the year's top record seller, is represented by three songs: "Don't Fence Me In" (technically a 1944 release), "You Belong to My Heart" and "I Can't Begin to Tell You." However, the most ubiquitous name in the credits is Johnny Mercer, as songwriter and/or singer, who has his hand in "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," "Candy," "Dream" (recorded by the Pied Pipers), "Laura" (recorded by Woody Herman and His Orchestra), "On the Atchison and "Topeka and Santa Fe." Perry Como also turns up three times, with "If I Loved You," "Till the End of Time" and "Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)" (which actually enjoyed its greatest popularity in 1946). Artists turning up twice include the Andrews Sisters, Les Brown and His Orchestra (with Doris Day on vocals), Harry James and His Orchestra (with Kitty Kallen on vocals) and the Pied Pipers Besides Mercer the most successful songwriters, each represented twice, are the teams of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II and Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn. Though annotator Rich Kienzle accurately notes that "the big band era was...ending," 11 tracks here have artist names with "and His Orchestra" appended to them, including major figures such as Benny Goodman Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. But this is the dawn of the vocalists' era. (Commenting on the year's major news event, the end of World War II, Kienzle notes that "dreams" are referenced in three song titles. Actually, "Laura," who "is only a dream" would fit into that theme, and travel, in such songs as "On the Atchison," "Topeka and Santa Fe" and "Sentimental Journey" is also a major theme, along with the reconciliation of separated lovers in such songs as "It's Been a Long, Long Time.") Typically, there are a couple of inexplicable omissions: "Chickery Chick" by Sammy Kaye and "Bell Bottom Trousers" by Tony Pastor were each successful enough in 1945 to be included, but neither is here. And one presumes that contractual restrictions prevent the appearance of the year's fourth biggest artist, Frank Sinatra, whose "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)" should have been here. But with those exceptions, every major song of 1945 is included in its most popular recording. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe	Johnny Mercer, Harry Warren	Johnny Mercer
You Belong to My Heart	Agustín Lara, Ray Gilbert	Bing Crosby, Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra
Rum and Coca-Cola	Paul Baron, Morey Amsterdam, Jeri Sullivan	The Andrews Sisters
It Might as Well Be Spring	Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II	Dick Haymes
My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time	Victor Mizzy, Mann Curtis	Les Brown & His Orchestra
There! I've Said It Again	Redd Evans, Dave Mann	Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra
Tampico	Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts	Stan Kenton & His Orchestra
There Goes That Song Again	Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne	Russ Morgan & His Orchestra
It's Been a Long, Long Time	Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne	Harry James & His Orchestra
If I Loved You	Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II	Perry Como
Candy	Joan Whitney, Mack David, Alex Kramer	The Pied Pipers, Jo Stafford, Johnny Mercer
A Little on the Lonely Side	Dick Robertson, James Cavanaugh, Frank Weldon	Frankie Carle & His Orchestra
Gotta Be This or That	Sunny Skylar	Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
I'll Buy That Dream	Herbert Magidson, Allie Wrubel	Helen Forrest, Dick Haymes
I Can't Begin to Tell You	Mack Gordon, James V. Monaco	Bing Crosby
Till the End of Time	Buddy Kaye, Ted Mossman	Perry Como
I'm Beginning to See the Light	Johnny Hodges, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Don George	Kitty Kallen, Harry James & His Orchestra
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive	Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer	Johnny Mercer
Caldonia	Fleecie Moore	Louis Jordan
Laura	Johnny Mercer, David Raksin	Woody Herman & His Orchestra
Dream	Johnny Mercer	The Pied Pipers
Don't Fence Me In	Cole Porter, Robert Fletcher	The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby
Sentimental Journey	Les Brown, Bud Green, Ben Homer	Les Brown & His Orchestra
Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)	Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson	Perry Como

Credits

The Andrews Sisters (Performer), Perry Como (Performer), Bing Crosby (Performer), The Pied Pipers (Performer), Jo Stafford (Performer), Louis Jordan (Performer), Helen Forrest (Performer), Dick Haymes (Performer), Bill Inglot (Producer), Johnny Mercer (Performer), Rich Kienzle (Liner Notes), Charles K. Wolfe (Series Consultant), Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (Performer), Benny Goodman & His Orchestra (Performer), Frankie Carle & His Orchestra (Performer), Harry James & His Orchestra (Performer), Les Brown & His Orchestra (Performer), Russ Morgan & His Orchestra (Performer), Woody Herman & His Orchestra (Performer), Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra (Performer), Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra (Performer), John Maggard (Cover Art), Don Sheldon (Creative Director), Charles McCardell (Executive Producer), Brian Miller (Associate Producer)