70 Years Ago: Dorsey Dethrones Bing

On January 16 1943, after an unprecedented 11 week stay at the top of the charts which began in late October 1942, Bing Crosby and ‘White Christmas’ finally relinquished control of the #1 slot to a new challenger.  The song was ‘There Are Such Things’ and the performer was Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.  A dramatic and melancholy reworking of an earlier hit by Dorsey, this time out the song went all the way to #1 – even minus Dorsey’s then-lead vocalist, the future ‘Chairman Of The Board,’ Frank Sinatra.

Published in 1942, ‘There Are Such Things’ quickly became a popular standard with many artists recording their own different versions, including Jerry Vale, Count Basie and Sarah Vaughn among others.

Listen to the original RCA Victor #1 hit recording of ‘There Are Such Things’ below:

This post by Collin Makamson, Red Ball Express Coordinator @ The National WWII Museum