1940s Wedding Songs with Swinging Big Bands & Jazz

Updated on June 8, 2022 | Written by Matthew Campbell

The 1940s saw the US entering WWII as well as ending it. Ticker tape parades and famous kisses celebrated victories in Europe and Japan.

Emerging from that war changed the mood of the country and gave birth (literally) to the Boomer Generation.

The songs of the 1940s make us feel good, want to get off our chairs, and dance all night long.

That’s why they are the perfect decade to add to your wedding reception playlist!

You will enjoy a list of the most popular and unique 1940s songs for your wedding day.

Every couple’s music tastes are different. Thus, we selected wedding songs from the 1940s that include many different music styles.

 

 
Let’s start with the most popular right now.

Top 10 1940s Songs

1. “Paper Doll” by Mills Brothers
2. “Moonlight Cocktail” by Glenn Miller
3. “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” by The King Cole Trio
4. “Sentimental Journey” by Les Brown & Doris Day
5. “Ballerina” by Vaughn Monroe
6. “Near You” by Francis Craig with Bob Lamm
7. “Stardust” by Artie Shaw
8. “As Time Goes By” by Dooley Wilson
9. “Chattanooga Choo Choo” by Glenn Miller
10. “Swinging on a Star” by Bing Crosby

Listen to 1940s Wedding Songs

Best 1940s Songs For Your Wedding

We’ve calculated our favorite 1940s songs to get people on the dance floor at your wedding. Did we miss your favorite?

My Wedding Songs is a reader-supported website. As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases. Song downloads are provided for DJs and couples to support music artists. Thank you for stopping by!

1940s Jazz Wedding Songs

Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Margaret Whiting & Johnny Mercer
1949, Jazz

Say, lend me a coat – It’s up to your knees out there
You’ve really been grand – I thrill when you touch my hand
Why don’t you see – How can you do this thing to me?

A Tree In The Meadow – Margaret Whiting
1948, Jazz

I will always remember
The love in your eye
The day you carved upon that tree
“I love you till I die”

Anniversary Song – Al Jolson
1946, Jazz

Angels were singing a hymn to your charms
Two hearts gently beating, murmuring low
“Darling, I love you so”

Lover Man (Oh Where Can He Be) – Billie Holiday
1945, Jazz

Hugging and a kissing
Oh, what we’ve been missing
Lover man, oh, where can you be

Groovin’ High – Dizzy Gillespie
1945, Jazz

Rum And Coca-Cola – The Andrews Sisters
1945, Jazz

Drinkin’ rum and Coca-Cola
Go down Point Koomahnah
Both mother and daughter
Workin’ for the Yankee dollar

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive – Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters
1944, Jazz

You’ve gotta accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between

‘Round Midnight – Thelonious Monk
1944, Jazz

Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin’ I need you, lately I find
You’re out of my heart
And I’m out of my mind

I’m Making Believe – Ella Fitzgerald and The Ink Spots
1944, Jazz

I’ll whisper “Good night”, turn out the light, and kiss my pillow
Making believe it’s you

Black, Brown and Beige – Duke Ellington
1943, Jazz

Paper Doll – The Mills Brothers
1943, Jazz

When I come home at night she will be waiting
She’ll be the truest doll in all this world
I’d rather have a Paper Doll to call my own
Than have a fickle-minded real live girl

God Bless the Child – Billie Holiday
1942, Jazz

Empty pockets don’t ever make the grade
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that’s got his own

A Night in Tunisia – Dizzy Gillespie
1942, Jazz

Take The ‘A’ Train – Duke Ellington
1941, Jazz

Frenesi – Artie Shaw
1940, Jazz

Nuages – Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli
1940, Jazz

I’ll Be Seeing You – Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
1940, Jazz

I’ll be seeing you in ev’ry lovely summer’s day
In everything that’s light and gay
I’ll always think of you that way

In The Blue of Evening – Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
1940, Jazz

In the blue of evening
Night winds above whisper “I love you”
Then we will find romance
In the blue of evening

Body and Soul – Coleman Hawkins
1939, Jazz

In a Sentimental Mood – Duke Ellington
1935, Jazz

1940s Pop Wedding Songs

Rag Mop – The Ames Brothers
1949, Pop

I say R-A
R-A-G
R-A-G-G
Rag
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop

Buttons And Bows – Dinah Shore
1949, Pop

Let’s vamoose where gals keep usin’
Those silks and satins and linen that shows
And I’m all yours in buttons and bows

Dear Hearts And Gentle People – Dinah Shore
1949, Pop

I feel so welcome each time that I return
That my happy heart keeps laughin’ like a clown
I love the dear hearts and gentle people
Who live and love in my home town

I Can Dream, Can’t I? – The Andrews Sisters
1949, Pop

But I can dream, can’t I?
Can’t I adore you
Although we are oceans apart?

I’ll Dance At Your Wedding – Buddy Clark & Ray Noble & His Orchestra
1947, Pop

I’ll dance at your wedding, I won’t miss that wedding
I’ll dance at your wedding, am I gonna shine
At your wedding and mine

Peg O’ My Heart – Buddy Clark
1947, Pop

Peg o’my heart
I love you, don’t let us part
I love you, I always knew it would be you

La Vie En Rose – Edith Piaf
1947, Pop

He tell me love words
Everyday words
And it does something to me
He has entered in my heart

Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly – Dinah Shore
1946, Pop

They ain’t had any learnin’
Still, they’re happy as can be
Doin’ what comes naturally

Day By Day – Frank Sinatra
1946, Pop

I find that day by day you’re making all my dreams come true
And (so) come what may I want you to know
I’m (that I am) yours alone, and I’m in love (in love) to stay
As we go through the years day by day

Five Minutes More – Frank Sinatra
1946, Pop

Give me five minutes more, only five minutes more
Let me stay, let me stay in your arms
Here am I, begging for only five minutes more

Oh! What It Seemed To Be – Frank Sinatra
1946, Pop

It was just a wedding in June, that’s all that it was
But, oh, what it seemed to be
It was like a royal affair with everyone there
‘Cause you said, “Yes, I do” to me

Prisoner Of Love – Perry Como
1946, Pop

She’s in my dreams awake or sleeping
Upon my knees to her I’m creeping
My very life is in her keeping
I’m just a prisoner of love

Till The End Of Time – Perry Como
1945, Pop

Till the wells run dry
And each mountain disappears
I’ll be there for you, to care for you

I’ll Walk Alone – Dinah Shore
1944, Pop

I’ll always be near you
Wherever you are
Each night
In every prayer
Just whisper, I’ll hear you
No matter how far
So close your eyes
And I’ll be there

Dearly Beloved – Rita Hayworth
1942, Pop

Dearly beloved, how clearly I see
Somewhere in Heaven you were fashioned for me
Angel eyes knew you
Angel voices led me to you

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – The Andrews Sisters
1941, Pop

He was our boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B
And when he plays boogie woogie bugle he was buzy as a bzzz bee
And when he plays he makes the company jump eight to the bar

1940s Big Band Wedding Songs

Cruising Down The River – Blue Barron
1949, Big Band

Cruising down the river on a Sunday afternoon
With one you love, the sun above waiting for the moon

I’m Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover – Art Mooney
1948, Big Band

One leaf is sunshine, the second is rain
Third is the roses that grow in the lane
No need explaining, the one remaining
Is somebody I adore

Twelfth Street Rag – Pee Wee Hunt
1948, Big Band

Ballerina – Vaughn Monroe
1947, Big Band

Dance on and on and on
A thousand people here have come to see the show
As ’round and ’round you go
So ballerina, dance

Symphony – Benny Goodman And His Orchestra
1946, Big Band

Then we kiss
And it’s clear to me
When you’re near to me
You are my symphony

I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm – Les Brown And His Orchestra
1946, Big Band

What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I’ve got my love to keep me warm

That’s My Desire – Sammy Kaye
1946, Big Band

To spend one night with you, in our old rendezvour
And reminisce with you
That’s my desire

The Old Lamp-Lighter – Sammy Kaye
1946, Big Band

For he recalled when dreams were new
He loved someone who loved him too
Who walks with him alone in memory

Artistry in Rhythm – Stan Kenton
1946, Big Band

I’m Beginning To See The Light – Harry James Orchestra
1945, Big Band

I never made love by lantern-shine
I never saw rainbows in my wine
But now that your lips are burning mine
I’m beginning to see the light

My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time – Les Brown
1945, Big Band

And what do you know
He looked at me in a different light
My dreams are getting better all the time

There! I’ve Said It Again – Vaughn Monroe
1945, Big Band

I’ve tried to drum up
A phrase that would sum up
All that I feel for you
But what good are phrases
The thought that amazes
Is you love me, and it’s heavenly

Solo Flight – Charlie Christian & Benny Goodman Orchestra
1944, Big Band

Besame Mucho (Kiss Me Much) – Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
1944, Big Band

Each time I cling to your kiss, I hear music divine
Bésame mucho
Hold me my darling and say that you’ll always be mine

Sentimental Journey – Les Brown Band
1944, Big Band

Never thought my heart could be so yearning
Why did I decide to roam?
I gotta take this sentimental journey
Sentimental journey home

Opus No. 1 – Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
1944, Big Band

I’ve Heard That Song Before – Harry James
1943, Big Band

It seems to me I’ve heard that song before
It’s from an old familiar score
I know it well, that melody

Jersey Bounce – Benny Goodman and His Orchestra
1942, Big Band

Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) – Glenn Miller Orchestra
1942, Big Band

Don’t go walking down lovers’ lane with anyone else but me
Anyone else but me, anyone else but me
No! No! No!

Moonlight Cocktail – Glenn Miller Orchestra
1942, Big Band

Stir for a couple of hours ’til dreams come true
Adds to the number of kisses, it’s up to you
Moonlight Cocktail, need a few

Sleepy Lagoon – Harry James
1942, Big Band

The memory of this moment of love
Will haunt me forever
A tropical moon, a sleepy lagoon
And you

Jingle, Jangle, Jingle – Kay Kyser And His Orchestra
1942, Big Band

I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle
As I go ridin’ merrily along
And they sing, “Oh, ain’t you glad you’re single”
And that song ain’t so very far from wrong

Flying Home – Lionel Hampton
1942, Big Band

To spend one night with you in our old rendezvous

And reminisce with you that’s my desire
To meet where gypsies play, down in that dim cafe
And dance ’till break of day that’s my desire

Stardust – Artie Shaw
1941, Big Band

Is in the stardust of a song
Beside a garden wall
When stars are bright
You are in my arms

Elmer’s Tune – Glenn Miller Orchestra
1941, Big Band

Why are the stars always winkin’ and blinkin’ above?
What makes a fellow start thinkin’ of fallin’ in love?
It’s not the season, the reason is plain as the moon
It’s just Elmer’s tune

Jukebox Saturday Night – Glenn Miller Orchestra
1941, Big Band

Money we really don’t need bad
We make out alright
Lettin’ the other guy feed that
Jukebox Saturday night

Chattanooga Choo Choo – Glenn Miller
1941, Big Band

She’s gonna cry
Until I tell her that I’ll never roam
So Chattanooga choo choo
Won’t you choo-choo me home?

String Of Pearls – Glenn Miller
1941, Big Band

Some wear a crown of thorns
Some wear out their welcome
But somewhere over the rainbow
I will wear my string of pearls

You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want To Do It) – Harry James And His Orchestra
1941, Big Band

Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, gimmie what I cry for
You know you’ve got the brand of kisses
That I’d die for
You know you made me love you

Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy) – Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra
1941, Big Band

Amapola, my pretty little poppy
You’re like that lovely flower so sweet and heavenly
Since I found you, my heart is wrapped around you
And loving you, it seems to beat a rhapsody

Green Eyes – Jimmy Dorsey
1941, Big Band

Those cool and limpid green eyes -a pool wherein my love lies
So deep that in my searching for happiness
I fear that they will ever haunt me, all through my life they’ll taunt me
But will they ever want me?
Green eyes, I love you

Maria Elena – Jimmy Dorsey
1941, Big Band

Maria Elena say that we will never part
Maria Elena take me to your heart
A love like mine is great enough for two
To share this love is really all I ask of you

Daddy – Sammy Kaye
1941, Big Band

Hey, daddy, I want a diamond ring, bracelets, everything
Daddy, you oughta get the best for me lee-ya lee-ya

Imagination – Glenn Miller Orchestra
1940, Big Band

It’s just your imagination rolling over the past
It can change your mind completely
It’s just my imagination running wild and too fast
But I know it won’t defeat me

Pennsylvania 6-5000 – Glenn Miller
1940, Big Band

We don’t say “how are you”
And very seldom ask “what’s new?”
Instead we start and end each call with
“Baby confidentially I love you”

Tuxedo Junction – Glenn Miller
1940, Big Band

Come on down, forget your care
Come on down, you’ll find me there
So long town, I’m heading for
Tuxedo Junction now

The Breeze And I – Jimmy Dorsey
1940, Big Band

Ours was a love song that seemed constant as the moon
Ending in a strange, mournful tune
And all about me, they know you have departed without me

I’ll Never Smile Again – Tommy Dorsey
1940, Big Band

I’m so in love with you
I’ll never thrill again
To somebody new

Amor – Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra
1940’s, Big Band

Amor, amor, amor
This word so sweet, that I repeat, means I adore you
Amor, amor, my love

Brazil – Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra
1940’s, Big Band

Recalling thrills of our love,
There’s one thing I’m certain of
Return I will to old Brazil

In The Mood – Glenn Miller Orchestra
1939, Big Band

Now the light is with us and you’re right in the groove
You were only hungry for some musical food
You’re positively, absolutely in the mood

Auld Lang Syne – Guy Lombardo
1928, Big Band

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne

1940s Vocal Wedding Songs

Again – Doris Day
1949, Vocal

Again,
This couldn’t happen
Again
This is that once
In a lifetime
This is the thrill divine

Some Enchanted Evening – Ezio Pinza
1949, Vocal

Some enchanted evening, someone may be laughing
You may hear her laughing across a crowded room
And night after night, as strange as it seems
The sound of her laughter will sing in your dreams

To Each His Own – Eddy Howard
1946, Vocal

If a flame is to grow there must be a glow
To open each door there’s a key
I need you, I know, I can’t let you go
Your touch means too much to me

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah – James Baskett
1946, Vocal

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!

I Love You – Bing Crosby
1944, Vocal

It’s spring again and birds on the wing again
Start to sing again the old melody
I love you, that’s the song of songs
And they all belongs to you and me

Sunday, Monday or Always – Bing Crosby
1943, Vocal

If you’re satisfied
I’ll be at your side
Sunday, Monday or always

Be Careful It’s My Heart – Bing Crosby
1942, Vocal

Remember it’s my heart
The heart with which so willingly I part
It’s yours to take to keep or break
But please, before you start
Be careful, it’s my heart

As Time Goes By – Dooley Wilson
1942, Vocal

It’s still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by

Only Forever – Bing Crosby
1940, Vocal

How long would it take me
To be near if you beckon?
Offhand I would figure
Less than a second

When You Wish Upon A Star – Cliff Edwards
1940, Vocal

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

I’ll Get By (As Long as I Have You) – Dick Haymes
1940, Vocal

Poverty
May come to me, it’s true
But what care I
Say, I’ll get by
As long as I have you

1940s R&B Wedding Songs

Nature Boy – Nat King Cole
1948, R&B

The greatest thing you’ll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return

Get Your Kicks On Route 66 – Nat King Cole
1946, R&B

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on route sixty-six

I Love You For Sentimental Reasons – Nat King Cole
1946, R&B

I love you
And you alone were meant for me
Please give your loving heart to me
And say we’ll never apart

Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t (My Baby) – Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
1944, R&B

Is you, is or, is you ain’t my baby
Maybe baby’s found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby true

I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire – The Ink Spots
1941, R&B

I’ve lost all ambition for worldly acclaim
I just want to be the one you love
And with your admission that you feel the same
I’ll have reached the goal I’m dreaming of

1940s Country Wedding Songs

Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy – Red Foley
1949, Country

He’s a great big bundle o’ joy
He pops the boogie woogie rag
The Chattanoogie shoe-shine boy

Near You – Francis Craig Orchestra
1947, Country

Make my life worthwhile
By telling me that I’ll
Spend the rest of my days near you

New San Antonio Rose – Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
1940, Country

For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone
Deep within my heart lies a melody,
A song of old San Antone

1940s Blues Wedding Songs

Boogie Chillen’ – John Lee Hooker
1948, Blues

When I got there, I say, “Yes, people”
They was really havin’ a ball!
Yes, I know
Boogie Chillin

Good Rockin’ Tonight – Wynonie Harris
1948, Blues

I heard the news, there’s good rockin’ tonight
Gonna hold my baby as tight as I can
Tonight she’ll know I’m a mighty man

Caldonia – Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
1945, Blues

Caldonia! Caldonia!
What make your big head so hard?
I love you, I love you just the same
Crazy bout that woman ’cause Caldonia is her name

G.I. Jive – Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
1944, Blues

This is the G. I. Jive
Man alive
They give you a private tank
That features a little device called “fluid drive”
Jack, if you still survive

1940s Folk Wedding Songs

This Land Is Your Land – Woody Guthrie
1940, Folk

I roamed and rambled and I’ve followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
All around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

1940s Bluegrass Wedding Songs

Foggy Mountain Breakdown – Earl Scruggs
1949, Bluegrass

Do you have a favorite 1940s wedding song? Please share the song below and why it is special to you.

What Makes the 1940s Songs Special?

When you think of 1940s songs, you likely think of swing and big bands. Jazz became popular and its swing became the pop music of that era. The 1940s gave birth to rock and roll — not yet accepted by the masses.

Popular big band artists from the 1940s include Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey (brothers), Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie.

The 1940s jazz artists include Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra. A form of jazz called scat also became popular with artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, scat music “is a jazz vocal style using emotive, onomatopoeic, and nonsense syllables instead of words in solo improvisations on a melody.”

The Culture Shift in the 1940s

The 1940s was stricken with the war ending with the finality of dropping the first nuclear bomb. This decade saw women going to work while men were off fighting a war. The war also got America out of the depression by creating many jobs. Popular film stars included actors Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, and Humphrey Bogart. An invention prominent in the music industry took place in 1949 with the rpm 45 records. Although television’s debut was in 1939, commercial television with 13 stations became available to the public in 1947.

Radio was the main source of news, music, and entertainment in the 1940s. Pin-up girls became icons with enlisted men, such as Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable. A new look for women was introduced after the war ended – feminine dresses with long, full skirts, and tight waists. Men’s fashion was at its apex with their zoot suits. It’s difficult to separate culture, fashion, and music. So, what makes the music special?

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Swing Dancing and The Jitterbug

From the upbeat sounds came a widely popular dance style – the Jitterbug. For a younger military generation, the Jitterbug overtook the slower waltz and foxtrot which were seen as boring and outdated. However, in the mid to late 1940s, the Jitterbug style recreated itself. It became easier to dance and regenerated itself as the beginning of rock and roll.

Swing became a very popular dance style in the 1940s. Swing dance types include lindy hop, east coast swing, and west coast swing. Two other popular dances of the Best 1940s music were the jive, part of swing, and tap dancing.

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About Matthew Campbell