TV lures folks indoors and the second Petrillo Ban bars musicians from cutting records—again! But labels get creative with new tech and overseas recording, indies fill the gap with leftfield hits, and it’s the first British Invasion as London Records floods the zone with imports. Meanwhile, Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee and Kay Kyser score their last #1s, Vaughn Monroe surges, Dixieland roars back and three of the top four female newcomers in a college poll are Black.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs that spent most of their chart runs in the year

1. Dick Haymes
2. Art Mooney & His Orchestra
3. Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• The Andrews Sisters (7)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 35.7

#1 Songs   List of #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1

1. Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra, vocal Vaughn Monroe & The Moon Maids – Ballerina (December ’47, 8 wks)
2. Art Mooney & His Orchestra – I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover (February, 4 wks)
3. Peggy Lee with Dave Barbour & The Brazilians – Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me) (March, 9 wks)
4. Ken Griffin at the Organ, vocal Jerry Wayne – You Can’t Be True Dear (May, 1 wk)
5. King Cole – Nature Boy (May, 6 wks)
6. Kay Kyser & His Orchestra, vocal Gloria Wood – Woody Wood-Pecker (July, 7 wks)
7. Al Trace & His New Orchestra, vocal Bob Vincent – You Call Everybody Darlin’ (August, 6 wks)
8. Pee Wee Hunt & His Orchestra – Twelfth Street Rag (August, 6 wks)
9. Margaret Whiting – A Tree in the Meadow (October, 1 wk)
10. Dinah Shore & Her Happy Valley Boys – Buttons and Bows (November, 10 wks)