100 Years of Song – Music From Every Year Gardner MA Has Been A City
This page is intended to review the Top Songs from 1923 to 2022, the first 100 years of Gardner MA as a City. As you listen to some of the songs you’ll notice that as society has changed over time, so has the music. Popular music styles have varied widely and song topics run the gamut.
Songs Presented For the Purposes of Intellectual Review
One song was chosen per year. As hundreds of songs are released each year, this was not an easy task.
There are many, many hundreds of songs we didn’t choose. Factors taken into consideration were the ratings or music chart position of the songs at the time they came out, plus in a lot of cases, how much lasting popularity an individual song maintained over time. In any case, you should get an idea of how music changed over the 100 years Gardner has been the Chair City.
Jump to: 1920s —- 1930s —- 1940s —- 1950s —- 1960s —- 1970s —- 1980s —- 1990s —- 2000s —- 2010s —- 2020s —-
1920s
1923- Billy Jones – Yes We Have No Bananas
1924- Uncle Dave Mason – Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy
1925 – Ethel Waters – Dinah
1926 – Al Jolson – When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along
1927 – Jack Smith – Me and my Shadow
1928 – Helen Kane – I Wanna Be Loved By You
1929 – Rudy Vallee – Honey
1930s
1930 – Ben Selvin – Happy Days are Here Again
1931 – Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians – I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In a Five and Ten Cent Store)
1932 – Bing Crosby – Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
1933 – Eddie Duchin – Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?
1934 – Ray Noble – The Very Thought of You
1935 – Rudy Vallee – Stewart Sisters Vocal – On the Good Ship Lollipop
also 1935 – Glen Gray – Blue Moon
1936 – Robert Johnson – Crossroads Blues
1937 – Guy Lombardo – Boo-Hoo (original version without echo)
1938 – Bunny Berigan – I Can’t Get Started – (Victor version)
1939 – Judy Garland – Over the Rainbow (Decca version)
1940s
1940 – Glenn Miller – In the Mood
1941 – Glenn Miller – Elmer’s Tune
1942 – Bing Crosby – White Christmas
1943 – Mills Brothers – Paper Doll
1944 – Dinah Shore – I’ll Walk Alone
1945 – Andrews Sisters – Rum and Coca-Cola
1946 – Perry Como – Prisoner of Love
1947 – Woody Guthrie – This Land Is Your Land
1948 – Art Mooney – I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover
1949 – Gene Autry – Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
1950s
1950 – Nat King Cole – Mona Lisa
1951 – Les Paul and Mary Ford – How High the Moon
1952 – Al Martino – Here in My Heart
1953 – Patti Page – How Much is That Doggy in the Window?
1954 – The Chordettes – Mr. Sandman
1955 – Bill Haley & His Comets – (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock
1956 – Elvis Presley – Hound Dog
1957 – Buddy Holly – That’ll Be the Day
1958 – Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode
1959 – The Platters – Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
1960s
1960 – Chubby Checker – The Twist
1961 – Ben E. King – Stand by Me
1962 – Bobby Vinton – Roses are Red
1963 – Paul & Paula – Hey Paula
1964 – Roy Orbison – Oh, Pretty Woman
1965 – The Rolling Stones – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
1966 – Beach Boys – Good Vibrations
1967 – The Beatles – All You Need is Love
1968 – Mary Hopkin – Those Were the Days
1969 – Tommy James and The Shondells – Crimson and Clover
1970s
1970 – Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water
1971 – John Lennon – Imagine
1972 – Don McLean – American Pie
1973 – Tony Orlando & Dawn – Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘round the Old Oak Tree
1974 – Bachman-Turner Overdrive – You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
1975 – 10CC – I’m Not in Love
1976 – Abba – Dancing Queen
and also in 1976 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
1977 – Eagles – Hotel California
1978 – Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
1979 – Chic – Le Freak
1980s
1980 – Queen – Another One Bites the Dust
1981 – Olivia Newton- John – Let’s Get Physical
1982 – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll
1983 – Irene Cara – Flashdance… What a Feeling
1984 – Stevie Wonder – I Just Called to Say I Love You
1985 – USA for Africa – We are the World
1986 – Whitney Houston – The Greatest Love of All
1987 – U2 – With or Without You
1988 – Bobby McFerrin – Don’t Worry Be Happy
1989 – Madonna – Like a Prayer
1990s
1990 – MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This
1991 – Bryan Adams (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
1992 – Eric Clapton – Tears in Heaven
1993 – Meatloaf – I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)
1994 – All-4-One – I Swear
1995 – Seal – Kiss From a Rose
1996 – Celine Dion – Because You Loved Me
1997 – Elton John – Candle in the Wind ‘97
1998 – Aerosmith – I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
1999 – The Backstreet Boys – I Want it That Way
2000s
2000 – N Sync – Bye, Bye, Bye
2001 – Alicia Keys – Fallin’
2002 – Avril Lavigne – Complicated
2003 – The Black Eyed Peas – Where is the Love
2004 – Usher – Yeah!
2005 – Daniel Powter – Bad Day
2006 – Justin Timberlake – Sexyback
2007 – Fergie – Big Girls Don’t Cry
2008 – Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl
2009 – Lady GaGa – Poker Face
2010s
2010 – Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are
2011 – Rhianna and Calvin Harris – We Found Love
2012 – Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
2013 – Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
2014 – Sam Smith – Stay With Me
2015 – Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud
2016 – Justin Bieber – Love Yourself
2017 – The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – Something Just Like This
2018 – Drake – God’s Plan
2019 – Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road
2020’s
2020 – The Weeknd – Blinding Lights
2021 – Dua Lipa – featuring DaBaby – Levitating
2022 – Harry Styles – As It Was
January 1, 2023 – Gardner’s official Centennial as a City
The Music of its future has yet to be written.