Various Artists - America's Greatest Your Hit Parade Hits 1938 (2026)

In 1938, American radio revolved around Your Hit Parade, a weekly show sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes that had been compiling its own chart since 1935 — years before the Billboard sales chart even existed. The chart's size shifted between a Top 10 and a Top 15, but the show remained the era's clearest barometer of song popularity in pre-war America.
The sound of the year was shaped by the great swing big bands — the orchestras of Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey, along with Benny Goodman's outfit — which more often delivered smooth, mainstream-friendly vocal numbers than true jazz. Still, plenty of genuine heat came through, courtesy of Duke Ellington, Chick Webb's band with vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, and the pairing of Red Norvo and Mildred Bailey. Alongside the jazz greats thrived the radio-friendly dance orchestras — Guy Lombardo, Shep Fields, Larry Clinton, and Horace Heidt — whose popularity rested heavily on featured singers such as Martha Tilton, Helen Forrest, and Bea Wain. Competing with them were the era's biggest solo stars — Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Rudy Vallee, and Fred Astaire — recording songs born on Broadway, in Hollywood, and out of Tin Pan Alley, many of which would go on to become staples of the Great American Songbook.
Taken together, these 95 tracks recreate a vivid, many-voiced panorama of pre-war American pop — a moment when swing, standards, and the earliest seeds of future jazz classics all shared the same radio airwaves.

Tracklist:
1-1 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - Once In A While [2:40]
1-2 Swing & Sway with Sammy Kaye - Rosalie [2:54]
1-3 Fred Astaire - Nice Work If You Can Get It [2:43]
1-4 Benny Goodman;Benny Goodman and his orchestra - Bob White [2:56]
1-5 Dolly Dawn & Her Dawn Patrol - You're A Sweetheart [2:48]
1-6 Bing Crosby - There's A Goldmine In The Sky [2:58]
1-7 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - True Confession [2:51]
1-8 Rudy Vallee And His Connecticut Yankees - Vieni, Vieni [3:05]
1-9 Teddy Wilson And His Orchestra - You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming [2:55]
1-10 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - If It's The Last Thing I Do [2:55]
1-11 The Andrews Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen [3:08]
1-12 Russ Morgan And His Orchestra - I Double Dare You [2:45]
1-13 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - The Dipsy Doodle [3:09]
1-14 Horace Heidt & His Musical Knights - Sweet Someone [2:44]
1-15 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - In The Still Of The Night [3:24]
1-16 Benny Goodman;Benny Goodman and his orchestra - You Took The Words Right Out Of My Heart [3:15]
1-17 Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra;His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra - Mama That Moon Is Here Again [2:33]
1-18 Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra;His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra - Whistle While You Work [2:38]
1-19 Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra;His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra - Thanks For The Memory [3:28]
1-20 Artie Shaw & His New Music - Goodnight Angel [2:44]
1-21 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - I Can Dream Can't I [2:48]
1-22 Horace Heidt & His Musical Knights - Sweet As A Song [2:40]
1-23 Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians;Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians;His Royal Canadians - I See Your Face Before Me [3:08]
1-24 Red Norvo & His Orchestra;Mildred Bailey - Please Be Kind [2:32]
2-1 Horace Heidt - Ti-Pi-Tin [2:55]
2-2 Horace Heidt & His Musical Knights - Heigh-Ho [2:41]
2-3 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - You're An Education [2:42]
2-4 Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians;Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians;His Royal Canadians - Let's Sail To Dreamland [2:58]
2-5 Benny Goodman;Benny Goodman and his orchestra - It's Wonderful [3:10]
2-6 Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra - How'd Ja Like To Love Me [3:24]
2-7 Swing & Sway with Sammy Kaye - Love Walked In [3:05]
2-8 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - Always And Always [2:40]
2-9 Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra - I Fall In Love With You Every Day [2:55]
2-10 Fats Waller And His Rhythm;Fats Waller and His Rhythm - I Love To Whistle [2:41]
2-11 Bing Crosby - On The Sentimental Side [2:52]
2-12 Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra - At A Perfume Counter [3:14]
2-13 Benny Goodman;The Benny Goodman Orchestra - Don't Be That Way [3:19]
2-14 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - Cry Baby Cry [2:51]
2-15 Hudson Delange Orchestra - Sunday In The Park [3:16]
2-16 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - You Couldn't Be Cuter [2:29]
2-17 Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra;His Rippling Rhythm - Cathedral In The Pines [3:02]
2-18 Duke Ellington - I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart [3:07]
2-19 Horace Heidt & His Musical Knights - Love Light In The Starlight [2:52]
2-20 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - Bewildered [3:16]
2-21 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - You Leave Me Breathless [2:51]
2-22 Red Norvo & His Orchestra - Says My Heart [2:55]
2-23 Bing Crosby - Let Me Whisper [2:53]
2-24 Tommy Dorsey;Edythe Wright - Music, Maestro, Please [2:55]
2-25 Rudy Vallee& His Connecticut Yankees;Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees - Oh Ma Ma [2:57]
3-1 Horace Heidt & His Musical Knights - This Time It's Real [2:35]
3-2 Horace Heidt & His Musical Knights - My Margarita [2:52]
3-3 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - I Married An Angel [2:55]
3-4 Slim & Slam - Flat Foot Floogey [2:49]
3-5 Rudy Vallee& His Connecticut Yankees;Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees - Day Dreaming [3:27]
3-6 Ray Noble & His Orchestra;Tony Martin - I Hadn't Anyone Till You [3:01]
3-7 Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians;Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians;His Royal Canadians - Little Lady Make Believe [3:03]
3-8 Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra;Sammy Kaye And His Orchestra - When They Played The Polka [2:41]
3-9 Vincent Lopez & His Orchestra - There's Honey On The Moon [2:51]
3-10 Bing Crosby - When Mother Nature Sings Her Lullaby [3:08]
3-11 Hal Kemp & His Orchestra;his Orchestra - Where In The World [3:34]
3-12 Billie Holiday;Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra - I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away The Key) [2:00]
3-13 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - Now It Can Be Told [2:42]
3-14 Chick Webb And His Orchestra;Chick Webb and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - A-Tisket, A Tasket [2:37]
3-15 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - You Go To My Head [3:15]
3-16 Benny Goodman;The Benny Goodman Orchestra - What Goes On In My Heart [2:57]
3-17 Bing Crosby - I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams [2:38]
3-18 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - Stop Beatin' Around The Mulberry Bush [3:09]
3-19 Mildred Bailey & Her Orchestra - So Help Me (If I Don't Love You) [2:46]
3-20 Benny Goodman;The Benny Goodman Orchestra - I've Got A Date With A Dream [3:07]
3-21 Bing Crosby;Connee Boswell - Alexander's Ragtime Band [3:07]
3-22 Horace Heidt & His Musical Knights - Tu-Li Tulip Time [2:45]
3-23 Jan Garber And His Orchestra - Bambina [2:30]
4-1 Fred Astaire - Change Partners [3:08]
4-2 Russ Morgan;RUSS MORGAN;Jimmy Lewis - Lambeth Walk [2:37]
4-3 Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra;Ozzie Nelson & HIs Orchestra;his Orchestra - At Long Last Love [3:14]
4-4 Bing Crosby;Johnny Mercer - Small Fry [3:07]
4-5 Buddy Rogers & His Famous Swing Band - While A Cigarette Was Burning [2:14]
4-6 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - Heart And Soul [3:11]
4-7 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - My Reverie [3:26]
4-8 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;His Clambake Seven - My Own [3:13]
4-9 Swing & Sway;Sammy Kaye - All Ashore [3:02]
4-10 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - Summer Souvenirs [3:01]
4-11 Larry Clinton Orchestra;His Orchestra with Bea Wain - Who Blew Out The Flame [2:59]
4-12 Richard Himber & His Rhythmic Pyramids Orchestra - Day After Day [3:48]
4-13 Fats Waller And His Rhythm;Fats Waller and His Rhythm - Two Sleepy People [3:05]
4-14 Red Norvo & His Orchestra;Mildred Bailey - Have You Forgotten So Soon [2:46]
4-15 Artie Shaw & His Orchestra - Deep In A Dream [3:16]
4-16 The Mills Brothers - Sixty Seconds Get Together [2:42]
4-17 Bing Crosby - You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby [2:54]
4-18 Benny Goodman;The Benny Goodman Orchestra - This Can't Be Love [2:49]
4-19 Al Donahue & His Orchestra - Jeepers Creepers [2:15]
4-20 Eddy Duchin & His Orchestra;his Orchestra - (Don't Wait Till) The Night Before Christmas [2:38]
4-21 Benny Goodman;The Benny Goodman Orchestra - What Have You Got That Gets Me [2:40]
4-22 Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy;Andy Kirk & His Clouds Of Joy - I Won't Tell A Soul [3:13]
4-23 The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra;Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra;his Orchestra - You Got Me [2:39]