The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant 20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes.
Definition
According to the Great American Songbook Foundation:
The "Great American Songbook" is the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century that have stood the test of time in their life and legacy. Often referred to as "American Standards", the songs published during the Golden Age of this genre include those popular and enduring tunes from the 1920s to the 1950s that were created for Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film.
Culture writer Martin Chilton defines the term "Great American Songbook" as follows: "Tunes of Broadway musical theatre, Hollywood movie musicals and Tin Pan Alley (the hub of songwriting that was the music publishers' row on New York's West 28th Street)". Chilton adds that these songs "became the core repertoire of jazz musicians" during the period that "stretched roughly from 1920 to 1960".
Although several collections of music have been published under the "Great American Songbook" title, the term does not refer to any actual book or specific list of songs. The Great American Songbook includes standards by Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, and Oscar Hammerstein II, among others.
In Alec Wilder's 1972 study, American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900–1950, the songwriter and critic lists and ranks the artists he believes belong to the Great American Songbook canon. A composer, Wilder emphasized analysis of composers and their creative efforts in this work.
Radio personality Jonathan Schwartz and singer Tony Bennett, both Songbook devotees, have both described this genre as "America's classical music".
List of songs
| Contents |
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| A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · R · S · T · U · V · W · Y · Z |
| Year | Song title | Composer(s) | Lyricist(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | "42nd Street" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1935 | "About a Quarter to Nine" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1944 | "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1957 | "An Affair to Remember (Our Love Affair)" | Harry Warren | Leo McCarey and Harold Adamson | |
| 1929 | "Ain't Misbehavin'" | Fats Waller | Andy Razaf | |
| 1927 | "Ain't She Sweet" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | |
| 1960 | "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1921 | "Ain't We Got Fun" | Richard A. Whiting | Raymond B. Egan and Gus Kahn | |
| 1924 | "Alabamy Bound" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Bud Green | |
| 1911 | "Alexander's Ragtime Band" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1921 | "All by Myself" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1934 | "All I Do Is Dream of You" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1931 | "All of Me" | Gerald Marks | Seymour Simons | |
| 1954 | "All of You" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1939 | "All or Nothing at All" | Arthur Altman | Jack Lawrence | |
| 1939 | "All the Things You Are" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1957 | "All the Way" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1934 | "All Through the Night" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1947 | "Almost Like Being in Love" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1932 | "Alone Together" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
| 1925 | "Always" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1934 | "Anything Goes" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1946 | "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1932 | "April In Paris" | Vernon Duke | Yip Harburg | |
| 1957 | "April Love" | Sammy Fain | Paul Francis Webster | |
| 1956 | "Around the World" | Victor Young | Harold Adamson | |
| 1931 | "As Time Goes By" | Herman Hupfeld | Herman Hupfeld | |
| 1941 | "At Last" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1946 | "Autumn Leaves" | Joseph Kosma | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1934 | "Autumn In New York" | Vernon Duke | Vernon Duke | |
| 1949 | "Baby, It's Cold Outside" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
| 1949 | "Bali Ha'i" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1929 | "Basin Street Blues" | Spencer Williams | Glenn Miller | |
| 1942 | "Be Careful! It's My Heart" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1935 | "Begin the Beguine" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1959 | "The Best Is Yet to Come" | Cy Coleman | Carolyn Leigh | |
| 1927 | "The Best Things in Life Are Free" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
| 1940 | "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1930 | "Beyond the Blue Horizon" | Richard A. Whiting | Leo Robin | |
| 1930 | "Bidin' My Time" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1924 | "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | |
| 1962 | "Big Spender" | Cy Coleman | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1926 | "The Birth of the Blues" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
| 1948 | "Black Coffee" | Sonny Burke | Paul Francis Webster | |
| 1934 | "Blame It on My Youth" | Oscar Levant | Edward Heyman | |
| 1953 | "Blue Gardenia" | Lester Lee | Bob Russell | |
| 1934 | "Blue Moon" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1926 | "Blue Room" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1926 | "Blue Skies" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1941 | "Blues in the Night" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1930 | "Body and Soul" | Johnny Green | Edward Heyman | |
| 1941 | "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" | Don Raye | Hughie Prince | |
| 1933 | "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1944 | "The Boy Next Door" | Hugh Martin | Ralph Blane | |
| 1926 | "Breezin' Along with the Breeze" | Haven Gillespie | Haven Gillespie, Seymour Simons, and Richard Whiting | |
| 1932 | "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" | Jay Gorney | Yip Harburg | |
| 1947 | "But Beautiful" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
| 1930 | "But Not for Me" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1928 | "Button Up Your Overcoat" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
| 1948 | "Buttons and Bows" | Jay Livingston | Ray Evans | |
| 1967 | "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" | Jimmy Webb | Jimmy Webb | |
| 1926 | "Bye Bye Blackbird" | Ray Henderson | Mort Dixon | |
| 1962 | "Call Me Irresponsible" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1962 | "Can't Get Used to Losing You" | Doc Pomus | Mort Shuman | |
| 1929 | "Can't We Be Friends?" | Kay Swift | Paul James | |
| 1933 | "(The) Carioca" | Vincent Youmans | Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn | |
| 1922 | "Carolina in the Morning" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
| 1938 | "Change Partners" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1941 | "Chattanooga Choo Choo" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1935 | "Cheek to Cheek" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1945 | "The Christmas Song" | Mel Tormé | Robert Wells | |
| 1959 | "Climb Every Mountain" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1958 | "Come Fly with Me" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1946 | "Come Rain or Come Shine" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1954 | "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1928 | "Crazy Rhythm" | Irving Caesar | Joseph Meyer and Roger Wolfe Kahn | |
| 1931 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
| 1930 | "Dancing on the Ceiling" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1939 | "Darn That Dream" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Eddie DeLange | |
| 1945 | "Day by Day" | Axel Stordahl | Paul Weston | |
| 1939 | "Day In, Day Out" | Rube Bloom | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1963 | "Days of Wine and Roses" | Henry Mancini | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1942 | "Dearly Beloved" | Jerome Kern | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1933 | "Deep Purple" | Peter DeRose | Mitchell Parish | |
| 1949 | "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" | Jule Styne | Leo Robin | |
| 1959 | "Do-Re-Mi" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1932 | "Don't Blame Me" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1934 | "Don't Fence Me in" | Cole Porter | Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter | |
| 1940 | "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" | Duke Ellington | Bob Russell | |
| 1962 | "Don't Make Me Over" | Burt Bacharach | Hal David | |
| 1964 | "Don't Rain on My Parade" | Jule Styne | Bob Merrill | |
| 1942 | "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" | Sam H. Stept | Lew Brown and Charles Tobias | |
| 1944 | "Dream" | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1931 | "Dream a Little Dream of Me" | Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt | Gus Kahn | |
| 1933 | "Easter Parade" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1937 | "Easy Living" | Ralph Rainger | Leo Robin | |
| 1959 | "Edelweiss" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1928 | "Embraceable You" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1959 | "Everything's Coming Up Roses" | Jule Styne | Stephen Sondheim | |
| 1944 | "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1930 | "Exactly Like You" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1938 | "Falling in Love With Love" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1924 | "Fascinating Rhythm" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1939 | "Fine and Mellow" | Billie Holiday | Billie Holiday | |
| 1936 | "A Fine Romance" | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1954 | "Fly Me to the Moon" | Bart Howard | Bart Howard | |
| 1937 | "A Foggy Day" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1937 | "The Folks Who Live On the Hill" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1940 | "Fools Rush In" | Rube Bloom | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1931 | "For All We Know" | J. Fred Coots | Sam M. Lewis | |
| 1945 | "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" | William "Pat" Best | Ivory "Deek" Watson | |
| 1950 | "From This Moment On" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1930 | "Georgia on My Mind" | Hoagy Carmichael | Stuart Gorrell | |
| 1930 | "Get Happy" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
| 1951 | "Getting to Know You" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein | |
| 1929 | "Glad Rag Doll" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | |
| 1936 | "Glad to Be Unhappy" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1936 | "The Glory of Love" | Billy Hill | Billy Hill | |
| 1938 | "God Bless America" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1933 | "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1937 | "Gone with the Wind" | Allie Wrubel | Herb Magidson | |
| 1939 | "Good Morning" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1931 | "Guilty" | Richard A. Whiting | Gus Kahn | |
| 1937 | "The Gypsy in My Soul" | Clay Boland | Moe Jaffe | |
| 1951 | "Half as Much" | Curley Williams | Curley Williams | |
| 1943 | "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" | Harold Arlen | Yip Harburg | |
| 1930 | "Happy Days Are Here Again" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | |
| 1949 | "Happy Talk" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1924 | "Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah)" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow, and Charles Bates | |
| 1937 | "Have You Met Miss Jones?" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1944 | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Hugh Martin | Ralph Blane | |
| 1938 | "Heart and Soul" | Hoagy Carmichael | Frank Loesser | |
| 1933 | "Heat Wave" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1937 | "Heigh-Ho" | Frank Churchill | Larry Morey | |
| 1964 | "Hello, Dolly!" | Jerry Herman | Jerry Herman | |
| 1951 | "Hello, Young Lovers" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1953 | "Here's That Rainy Day" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
| 1960 | "Hey, Look Me Over" | Cy Coleman | Carolyn Leigh | |
| 1929 | "Honey" | Haven Gillespie | Haven Gillespie, Seymour Simons, and Richard Whiting | |
| 1929 | "Honeysuckle Rose" | Fats Waller | Andy Razaf | |
| 1937 | "Hooray for Hollywood" | Richard A. Whiting | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1941 | "How About You?" | Burton Lane | Ralph Freed | |
| 1946 | "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" | Burton Lane | Yip Harburg | |
| 1932 | "How Deep is the Ocean?" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1940 | "How High the Moon" | Morgan Lewis | Nancy Hamilton | |
| 1927 | "How Long Has This Been Going On?" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1936 | "I Can't Escape from You" | Richard A. Whiting | Leo Robin | |
| 1936 | "I Can't Get Started" | Vernon Duke | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1928 | "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1939 | "I Concentrate on You" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1956 | "I Could Have Danced All Night" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1940 | "I Could Write a Book" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1933 | "I Cover the Waterfront" | Johnny Green | Edward Heyman | |
| 1939 | "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1931 | "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" | Fred E. Ahlert | Roy Turk | |
| 1932 | "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" | Victor Young | Ned Washington and Bing Crosby | |
| 1958 | "I Enjoy Being a Girl" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1944 | "I Fall in Love Too Easily" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1931 | "I Found a Million Dollar Baby" | Harry Warren | Mort Dixon and Billy Rose | |
| 1934 | "I Get a Kick Out of You" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1934 | "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1930 | "I Got Rhythm" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1932 | "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
| 1944 | "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1929 | "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
| 1942 | "I Had the Craziest Dream" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1951 | "I Have Dreamed" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1941 | "I Know Why (And So Do You)" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1962 | "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" | George Cory | Douglass Cross | |
| 1933 | "I Like the Likes of You" | Vernon Duke | Yip Harburg | |
| 1934 | "I Only Have Eyes for You" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1941 | "I Remember You" | Victor Schertzinger | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1937 | "I See Your Face Before Me" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
| 1951 | "I Talk to the Trees" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1939 | "I Thought About You" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1959 | "I Wanna Be Around" | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer and Sadie Vimmerstadt | |
| 1928 | "I Wanna Be Loved by You" | Herbert Stothart | Bert Kalmar | |
| 1925 | "I Want to Be Happy" | Vincent Youmans | Irving Caesar | |
| 1960 | "If Ever I Would Leave You" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1945 | "If I Loved You" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1939 | "If I Only Had a Brain" | Harold Arlen | Yip Harburg | |
| 1950 | "If I Were a Bell" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
| 1966 | "If My Friends Could See Me Now" | Cy Coleman | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1943 | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | Walter Kent | Kim Gannon | |
| 1938 | "I'll Be Seeing You" | Sammy Fain | Irving Kahal | |
| 1924 | "I'll See You in My Dreams" | Isham Jones | Gus Kahn | |
| 1934 | "I'll String Along with You" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1944 | "I'm Beginning to See the Light" | Duke Ellington | Don George | |
| 1935 | "I'm in the Mood for Love" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1945 | "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" | Duke Ellington | Mack David | |
| 1921 | "I'm Just Wild About Harry" | Eubie Blake | Noble Sissle | |
| 1925 | "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" | Ray Henderson | Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young | |
| 1940 | "Imagination" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
| 1926 | "In a Little Spanish Town" | Mabel Wayne | Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young | |
| 1935 | "In a Sentimental Mood" | Duke Ellington | Manny Kurtz | |
| 1951 | "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" | Hoagy Carmichael | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1937 | "In the Still of the Night" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1955 | "Innamorata" | Harry Warren | Jack Brooks | |
| 1932 | "Isn't It Romantic?" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1935 | "It Ain't Necessarily So" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1926 | "It All Depends on You" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
| 1944 | "It Could Happen to You" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
| 1931 | "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" | Duke Ellington | Irving Mills | |
| 1924 | "It Had to Be You" | Isham Jones | Gus Kahn | |
| 1941 | "It Happened in Sun Valley" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1945 | "It Might as Well Be Spring" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1940 | "It Never Entered My Mind" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1948 | "It's a Most Unusual Day" | Jimmy McHugh | Harold Adamson | |
| 1953 | "It's All Right with Me" | Cole Porter | Harold Adamson | |
| 1936 | "It's De-Lovely" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1935 | "It's Easy To Remember" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1933 | "It's Only a Paper Moon" | Harold Arlen | E.Y. Harburg and Billy Rose | |
| 1930 | "I've Got a Crush on You" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1937 | "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1932 | "I've Got the World on a String" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
| 1936 | "I've Got You Under My Skin" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1962 | "I've Got Your Number" | Cy Coleman | Carolyn Leigh | |
| 1956 | "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1920 | "The Japanese Sandman" | Richard A. Whiting | Raymond B. Egan | |
| 1938 | "Jeepers Creepers" | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1938 | "Jumpin' at the Woodside" | Count Basie | Eddie Durham | |
| 1956 | "Just in Time" | Jule Styne | Betty Comden and Adolph Green | |
| 1935 | "Just One of Those Things" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1933 | "Keep Young and Beautiful" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1942 | "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1935 | "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" | Harry Ruby | Bert Kalmar and Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1937 | "The Lady is a Tramp" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1940 | "The Last Time I Saw Paris" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1945 | "Laura" | David Raksin | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1930 | "Lazy River" | Sidney Arodin | Hoagy Carmichael | |
| 1945 | "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1937 | "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1928 | "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1936 | "Let's Face the Music and Dance" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1933 | "Let's Fall in Love" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
| 1932 | "Let's Put Out the Lights (and Go to Sleep)" | Herman Hupfeld | Herman Hupfeld | |
| 1944 | "Like Someone in Love" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
| 1935 | "Little Girl Blue" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1930 | "Little White Lies" | Walter Donaldson | Walter Donaldson | |
| 1944 | "Long Ago (and Far Away)" | Jerome Kern | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1919 | "Look for the Silver Lining" | Jerome Kern | B.G. DeSylva | |
| 1923 | "Louisville Lou (That Vampin' Lady)" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | |
| 1930 | "Love for Sale" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1955 | "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing" | Sammy Fain | Paul Francis Webster | |
| 1938 | "Love Is Here to Stay" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1931 | "Love Is Sweeping the Country" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1932 | "Love Is the Sweetest Thing" | Ray Noble | Ray Noble | |
| 1945 | "Love Letters" | Victor Young | Edward Heyman | |
| 1931 | "Love Letters in the Sand" | J. Fred Coots | Nick Kenny and Charles Kenny | |
| 1928 | "Love Me or Leave Me" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
| 1937 | "Love Walked In" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1932 | "Lover" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1941 | "Lover Man" | Jimmy Davis | Ram Ramirez | |
| 1928 | "Lover, Come Back to Me" | Sigmund Romberg | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1950 | "Luck Be a Lady" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
| 1952 | "Lullaby of Birdland" | George Shearing | George David Weiss | |
| 1935 | "Lullaby of Broadway" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1935 | "Lulu's Back In Town" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1939 | "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" | Harold Arlen | Yip Harburg | |
| 1932 | "Mad About the Boy" | Noël Coward | Noël Coward | |
| 1928 | "Makin' Whoopee" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
| 1953 | "The Man that Got Away" | Harold Arlen | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1925 | "Manhattan" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1924 | "The Man I Love" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1927 | "Me and My Shadow" | Al Jolson | Billy Rose | |
| 1955 | "Memories Are Made of This" | Terry Gilkyson and Richard Dehr | Frank Miller | |
| 1930 | "Memories of You" | Eubie Blake | Andy Razaf | |
| 1954 | "Midnight Sun" | Lionel Hampton | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1932 | "Mimi" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1931 | "Minnie the Moocher" | Cab Calloway | Irving Mills and Clarence Gaskill | |
| 1935 | "Miss Brown to You" | Richard A. Whiting | Leo Robin | |
| 1934 | "Miss Otis Regrets" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1954 | "Misty" | Erroll Garner | Johnny Burke | |
| 1950 | "Mona Lisa" | Jay Livingston | Ray Evans | |
| 1930 | "Mood Indigo" | Duke Ellington | Irving Mills | |
| 1961 | "Moon River" | Henry Mancini | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1934 | "Moonglow" | Will Hudson and Irving Mills | Eddie DeLange | |
| 1942 | "Moonlight Becomes You" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
| 1944 | "Moonlight in Vermont" | John Blackburn | Karl Suessdorf | |
| 1939 | "Moonlight Serenade" | Glenn Miller | Mitchell Parish | |
| 1929 | "More Than You Know" | Vincent Youmans | Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu | |
| 1945 | "The More I See You" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1935 | "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1925 | "Mountain Greenery" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1959 | “Mr. Goldstone, I Love You” | Jule Styne | Stephen Sondheim | |
| 1930 | "My Baby Just Cares for Me" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
| 1927 | "My Blue Heaven" | Walter Donaldson | George A. Whiting | |
| 1949 | "My Dream Is Yours" | Harry Warren | Ralph Blane | |
| 1959 | "My Favorite Things" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1949 | "My Foolish Heart" | Victor Young | Ned Washington | |
| 1937 | "My Funny Valentine" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1938 | "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1927 | "My Heart Stood Still" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1918 | "My Mammy" | Walter Donaldson | Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis | |
| 1953 | "My One and Only Love" | Guy Wood | Robert Mellin | |
| 1935 | "My Romance" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1925 | "My Yiddishe Momme" | Lew Pollack | Jack Yellen | |
| 1928 | "Nagasaki" | Harry Warren | Mort Dixon | |
| 1938 | "The Nearness of You" | Hoagy Carmichael | Ned Washington | |
| 1967 | "Never My Love" | Don Addrisi | Dick Addrisi | |
| 1931 | "Nevertheless" | Harry Ruby | Bert Kalmar | |
| 1944 | "New York, New York" | Leonard Bernstein | Betty Comden and Adolph Green | |
| 1937 | "Nice Work if You Can Get it" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1932 | "Night and Day" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1931 | "Of Thee I Sing" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1918 | "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1943 | "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1911 | "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" | Seymour Brown | Nat D. Ayer | |
| 1927 | "Ol' Man River" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1946 | "The Old Lamp-Lighter" | Nat Simon | Charles Tobias | |
| 1946 | "Ole Buttermilk Sky" | Hoagy Carmichael | Jack Brooks | |
| 1965 | "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)" | Burton Lane | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1947 | "On Green Dolphin Street" | Bronisław Kaper | Ned Washington | |
| 1945 | "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1934 | "On the Good Ship Lollipop" | Richard A. Whiting | Sidney Clare | |
| 1956 | "On the Street Where You Live" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1930 | "On the Sunny Side of the Street" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1943 | "One for My Baby" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1962 | "Our Day Will Come" | Mort Garson | Bob Hilliard | |
| 1944 | "Out of This World" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1939 | "Over the Rainbow" | Harold Arlen | E.Y. Harburg | |
| 1929 | "Pagan Love Song" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1931 | "Paradise" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1956 | "The Party's Over" | Jule Styne | Betty Comden and Adolph Green | |
| 1936 | "Pennies From Heaven" | Arthur Johnston | Johnny Burke | |
| 1964 | "People" | Jule Styne | Bob Merrill | |
| 1943 | "People Will Say We're in Love" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1936 | "Pick Yourself Up" | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1940 | "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
| 1942 | "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
| 1919 | "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1930 | "Puttin' on the Ritz" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1953 | "Rags to Riches" | Richard Adler | Jerry Ross | |
| 1962 | "Ramblin' Rose" | Joe Sherman | Noel Sherman | |
| 1929 | "Rockin' Chair" | Hoagy Carmichael | Hoagy Carmichael | |
| 1959 | “Rose's Turn” | Jule Styne | Stephen Sondheim | |
| 1944 | "'Round Midnight" | Thelonious Monk | Bernie Hanighen | |
| 1944 | "Rum and Coca-Cola" | Lionel Belasco | Morey Amsterdam | |
| 1927 | "'S Wonderful" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1934 | "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" | J. Fred Coots | Haven Gillespie | |
| 1953 | "Satin Doll" | Duke Ellington | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1944 | "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1932 | "Say It Isn't So" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1922 | "Second Hand Rose" | Grant Clarke. | James F. Hanley | |
| 1973 | “Send In the Clowns” | Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | |
| 1944 | "Sentimental Journey" | Les Brown and Ben Homer | Bud Green | |
| 1935 | "September in the Rain" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1938 | "September Song" | Kurt Weill | Maxwell Anderson | |
| 1942 | "Serenade in Blue" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1965 | "The Shadow of Your Smile" | Johnny Mandel | Paul Francis Webster | |
| 1951 | "Shall We Dance?" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1935 | "She's a Latin from Manhattan" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1929 | "She's (He's) Funny That Way" | Neil Moret | Richard A. Whiting | |
| 1929 | "A Ship Without a Sail" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1929 | "Singin' in the Rain" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1941 | "Skylark" | Hoagy Carmichael | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1937 | "Slap That Bass" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1948 | "Slow Boat to China" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
| 1933 | "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" | Jerome Kern | Otto Harbach | |
| 1948 | "So in Love" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1949 | "Some Enchanted Evening" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1924 | "Somebody Loves Me" | George Gershwin | Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva | |
| 1937 | "Someday My Prince Will Come" | Frank Churchill | Larry Morey | |
| 1926 | "Someone to Watch Over Me" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1966 | "Somethin' Stupid" | C. Carson Parks | C. Carson Parks | |
| 1951 | "Something Wonderful" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1954 | "Something's Gotta Give" | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1927 | "Sometimes I'm Happy" | Vincent Youmans | Irving Caesar | |
| 1957 | "Somewhere" | Leonard Bernstein | Stephen Sondheim | |
| 1932 | "The Song Is You" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1928 | "Sonny Boy" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
| 1932 | "Sophisticated Lady" | Duke Ellington | Irving Mills | |
| 1959 | "The Sound of Music" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1939 | "South American Way" | Jimmy McHugh | Al Dubin | |
| 1930 | "Spring Is Here" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1925 | "Squeeze Me" | Fats Waller | Andy Razaf | |
| 1922 | "Stairway to Paradise" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin and Buddy DeSylva | |
| 1939 | "Stairway to the Stars" | Matty Malneck and Frank Signorelli | Mitchell Parish | |
| 1956 | "Standing on the Corner" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
| 1927 | "Stardust" | Hoagy Carmichael | Mitchell Parish | |
| 1934 | "Stars Fell on Alabama" | Frank Perkins | Mitchell Parish | |
| 1944 | "Stella by Starlight" | Victor Young | Ned Washington | |
| 1948 | "Steppin' Out with My Baby" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1933 | "Stormy Weather" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
| 1944 | "Straighten Up and Fly Right" | Nat King Cole and Irving Mills | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1927 | "Strike Up the Band" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin and Millie Raush | |
| 1941 | "A String of Pearls" | Jerry Gray | Eddie DeLange | |
| 1934 | "Summertime" | George Gershwin | DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin | |
| 1943 | "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1925 | "Sweet Georgia Brown" | Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard | Kenneth Casey | |
| 1937 | "Sweet Leilani" | Harry Owens | Harry Owens | |
| 1928 | "Sweet Lorraine" | Cliff Burwell | Mitchell Parish | |
| 1944 | "Swinging on a Star" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
| 1939 | "Take the 'A' Train" | Billy Strayhorn | Joya Sherrill | |
| 1940 | "Taking a Chance on Love" | Vernon Duke | John La Touche and Ted Fetter | |
| 1941 | "Tangerine" | Victor Schertzinger | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1924 | "Tea for Two" | Vincent Youmans | Irving Caesar | |
| 1933 | "Temptation" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1962 | "Tender is the Night" | Sammy Fain | Paul Francis Webster | |
| 1955 | "(Love Is) The Tender Trap" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1957 | "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1938 | "Thanks for the Memory" | Ralph Rainger | Leo Robin | |
| 1925 | "That Certain Feeling" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1942 | "That Old Black Magic" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1937 | "That Old Feeling" | Sammy Fain | Lew Brown | |
| 1952 | "That's All" | Bob Haymes | Alan Brandt | |
| 1953 | "That's Amore" | Harry Warren | Jack Brooks | |
| 1952 | "That's Entertainment!" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
| 1942 | "There Will Never Be Another You" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1936 | "There's a Small Hotel" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1946 | "There's No Business Like Show Business" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1936 | "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" | Jack Strachey | Eric Maschwitz | |
| 1951 | "They Call the Wind Maria" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
| 1937 | "They Can't Take That Away from Me" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
| 1946 | "The Things We Did Last Summer" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1927 | "Thinking of You" | Harry Ruby | Bert Kalmar | |
| 1938 | "This Can't Be Love" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1968 | "This Guy's in Love with You" | Burt Bacharach | Hal David | |
| 1946 | "This Heart of Mine" | Harry Warren | Arthur Freed | |
| 1941 | "This Time the Dream's on Me" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1927 | "Thou Swell" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1930 | "Three Little Words" | Harry Ruby | Bert Kalmar | |
| 1931 | "The Thrill is Gone" | Ray Henderson | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1918 | "Till We Meet Again" | Richard A. Whiting | Raymond B. Egan | |
| 1947 | "Time After Time" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1930 | "Time on My Hands" | Vincent Youmans | Harold Adamson and Mack Gordon | |
| 1929 | "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" | Joe Burke | Al Dubin | |
| 1959 | “Together (Wherever We Go)” | Jule Styne | Stephen Sondheim | |
| 1948 | "Too Darn Hot" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1937 | "Too Marvelous for Words" | Richard A. Whiting | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1935 | "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1913 | "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" | Harry Carroll | Ballard MacDonald | |
| 1944 | "The Trolley Song" | Hugh Martin | Ralph Blane | |
| 1939 | "Tuxedo Junction" | Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, and Julian Dash | Buddy Feyne | |
| 1938 | "Two Sleepy People" | Hoagy Carmichael | Frank Loesser | |
| 1925 | "Ukulele Lady" | Richard A. Whiting | Gus Kahn | |
| 1955 | "Unchained Melody" | Alex North | Hy Zaret | |
| 1932 | "Underneath the Arches" | Bud Flanagan | Bud Flanagan and Reg Connelly | |
| 1951 | "Unforgettable" | Irving Gordon | Irving Gordon | |
| 1936 | "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" | Saul Chaplin | Sammy Cahn | |
| 1934 | "The Very Thought of You" | Ray Noble | Ray Noble | |
| 1963 | "Walk On By" | Burt Bacharach | Hal David | |
| 1936 | "The Way You Look Tonight" | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | |
| 1934 | "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" | María Grever | Stanley Adams | |
| 1926 | "What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry?" | Walter Donaldson | Abe Lyman | |
| 1929 | "What Is This Thing Called Love?" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1923 | "What'll I Do" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1952 | "When I Fall in Love" | Victor Young | Edward Heyman | |
| 1912 | "When I Lost You" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1940 | "When You Wish Upon a Star" | Leigh Harline | Ned Washington | |
| 1937 | "Where Are You?" | Jimmy McHugh | Harold Adamson | |
| 1937 | "Where or When" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1937 | "Whistle While You Work" | Frank Churchill | Larry Morey | |
| 1942 | "White Christmas" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
| 1923 | "Who's Sorry Now?" | Ted Snyder | Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar | |
| 1968 | "Wichita Lineman" | Jimmy Webb | Jimmy Webb | |
| 1934 | "Winter Wonderland" | Felix Bernard | Richard Bernhard Smith | |
| 1957 | "Witchcraft" | Cy Coleman | Carolyn Leigh | |
| 1930 | "With a Song in My Heart" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1937 | "With Plenty of Money and You" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1929 | "Without a Song" | Vincent Youmans | Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu | |
| 1949 | "A Wonderful Guy" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1930 | "Would You Like to Take a Walk?" | Harry Warren | Mort Dixon and Billy Rose | |
| 1925 | "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
| 1933 | "Yesterdays" | Jerome Kern | Otto Harbach | |
| 1934 | "You and the Night and the Music" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
| 1935 | "You Are My Lucky Star" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1932 | "You Are Too Beautiful" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1929 | "You Do Something to Me" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1938 | "You Go to My Head" | J. Fred Coots | Haven Gillespie | |
| 1946 | "You Make Me Feel So Young" | Josef Myrow | Mack Gordon | |
| 1938 | "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | |
| 1934 | "You Oughta Be in Pictures" | Dana Suesse | Edward Heyman | |
| 1940 | "You Stepped Out of a Dream" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1928 | "You Took Advantage of Me" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
| 1929 | "You Were Meant for Me" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
| 1934 | "You'd Be So Easy to Love" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1942 | "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1943 | "You'll Never Know" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
| 1945 | "You'll Never Walk Alone" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1933 | "Young and Healthy" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1953 | "Young at Heart" | Johnny Richards | Carolyn Leigh | |
| 1949 | "Younger Than Springtime" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
| 1930 | "You're Driving Me Crazy" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
| 1933 | "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
| 1931 | "You're My Everything" | Harry Warren | Mort Dixon and Joe Young | |
| 1928 | "You're the Cream in My Coffee" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
| 1934 | "You're the Top" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
| 1946 | "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" | Allie Wrubel | Ray Gilbert |
Revivals
In 1970, rock musician Ringo Starr surprised the public by releasing an album of Songbook songs from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, Sentimental Journey. Reviews were mostly poor or even disdainful, but the album reached number 22 on the US Billboard 200 and number 7 in the UK Albums Chart, with sales of 500,000.
It's a lot of songs that were my initiation to music. It's all the tracks that, when my mother and my father came home from the pub out [of] their heads, they'd sing all these songs.
— Ringo Starr
Other pop singers who established themselves in the 1960s or later followed with albums reviving songs from the Great American Songbook, beginning with Harry Nilsson's A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night in 1973 and continuing into the 21st century.[A] Linda Ronstadt (1983 through 1986), Rod Stewart (2002 through 2005), Bob Dylan (2015 through 2017) and Lady Gaga (2014 and 2021) made several such albums. Of Ronstadt's 1983 album, What's New, her first in a trilogy of standards albums recorded with arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle, Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote:
What's New isn't the first album by a rock singer to pay tribute to the golden age of pop, but is ... the best and most serious attempt to rehabilitate an idea of pop that Beatlemania and the mass marketing of rock LPs for teen-agers undid in the mid-'60s. During the decade prior to Beatlemania, most of the great band singers and crooners of the '40s and '50s codified a half-century of American pop standards on dozens of albums, many of them now long out-of-print.
See also
- Brill Building
- Great American Songbook Foundation
- Lounge music
- Show tunes
- Tin Pan Alley
- Traditional pop
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