Here are the #1 pop songs of 1916. It’s interesting to me that there is a war song and two patriotic songs on the list because the United States had not yet gone to war in Europe for what became World War I until April of 1917.
M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means The World To Me) – Henry Burr (Victor), 6 weeks at #1. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007. My mother used to sing the chorus around our house; the song came out a decade before she was born, so she must have learned it from her family.
Good-Bye, Good Luck, God Bless You (Is All That I Can Say) – Henry Burr (Victor), 6 weeks at #1
Hello, Hawaii, How Are You – Prince’s Orchestra (Columbia), 5 weeks at #1; instrumental. I could not find this recording on YouTube or the Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR), though I came across versions by other artists. This is Hello, Hawaii! – Medley Fox Trot, played by the Victor Military Band from 1916, which includes “Hello, Hawaii, How Are You”, “When You’re Down in Louisville” and “That Soothing Symphony”.
The Sunshine Of Your Smile – John McCormick (Victor), 4 weeks at #1
There’s A Long, Long Trail – James F. Harrison and James Reed (Victor), 3 weeks at #1
Turn Back The Universe And Give Me Yesterday – Orpheus Quartet (Victor), 3 weeks at #1. /This song can be heard in an episode of “Boardwalk Empire.”
Born Israel Beilin (also transliterated as Bailin)
The Girl On The Magazine – Henry MacDonough (Victor), 3 weeks at #1. Written by Irving Berlin. From the musical comedy, “Stop! Look! Listen!”
If I Knock The ‘L’ Out Of Kelly (It Would Still Be Kelly To Me) – Marguerite Farrell (Victor), 3 weeks at #1
I Sent My Wife To The Thousand Isles – Al Jolson (Columbia), 3 weeks at #1; comedy. The song was featured in the show “Robinson Crusoe, Jr”. Words by Andrew B. Sterling & Ed Moran.
Ireland Must Be Heaven, For My Mother Came From There – Charles Harrison (Victor), 3 weeks at #1
There’s A Quaker Down In Quaker Town – Henry Burr and Albert Campbell (Victor), 3 weeks at #1
Oh How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wacki Woo (That’s Love In Honolulu) – Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan (Victor), 2 weeks at #1; comedy
Somewhere A Voice Is Calling – John McCormack (Victor), 2weeks at #1. Recorded in 1914.
Keep The Home Fires Burning (Till The Boys Come Home) – James F. Harrison (Victor), 2 weeks at #1. Singer Frederick Wheeler also frequently recorded under the pseudonym ‘James F. Harrison.’ It was especially popular in wartime England,
The Star-Spangled Banner – Prince’s Orchestra (Columbia), 2 weeks at #1; instrumental arranged by John Philip Sousa
America (My Country ‘Tis Of Thee)- Columbia Mixed Double Quartette (Columbia), 2 weeks at #1
The Lights Of My Home Town– Peerless Quartet (Victor), 2 weeks at #1
I Love A Piano – Billy Murray (Victor), 1 week at #1. This Irving Berlin tune was introduced in the revue “Stop! Look! Listen!” Judy Garland performed it in the film “Easter Parade” (1948).
Pretty Baby – Billy Murray (Victor), 1 week at #1. A song with a complicated history. You may recall this tune from “every party has a pooper, that’s why we invited you.”