After starting the list in 1950, it’s time to discuss the most prominent music of 1951 in different languages. For example, this year, among the best songs of 1951, the melodies and lyrics of Howlin’ Wolf, Nat King Cole, Antonio Machín, José De Aguilar, Nilla Pizzi, Silvana Mangano, and Tomás De Antequera stand out. A good mix of music from various countries, in various languages, providing a good sample of the type of music that was heard in the Western world. Perhaps the French language is missed a bit, which enjoyed significant dominance and prominence during this decade and especially in the previous ones, but that in this specific year has not found its place on our list.
If you want to see from the beginning which were the 1950s songs chosen among our top 100 favorite songs, visit the playlist to listen to not only our favorite 1951 music hits, but all the songs from the decade. There, you can listen to and discover the tracks in Spanish, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese, primarily, that were hits in 1951 or at the time, as well as other lesser-known yet equally memorable tracks. If, on the other hand, you want to know which songs follow this year 1951, we invite you to discover more at the end of the article.
Playlist with 1951 hit songs and of all the decade
Top songs of 1951 in English
Howlin’ Wolf – Moanin’ At Midnight
Title and artists have never combined so well. Howlin’ Wolf is one of the greatest blues musicians in history, not only a pioneer of the electric and rock genres but also a unique artist with an irreplaceable presence and personality in music.
Nat King Cole – Unforgettable
Another great. The king gifted us in 1951 with one of his many masterpieces, at a time when many artists were covering the same song, he made them stand out above the average; just listen to his versions of Spanish-language tracks, with that distinctive accent, and yet generally much more remarkable than other versions of the same song.
Top songs of 1951 in Spanish (and other Romance languages)
Antonio Machín – Tengo Una Debilidad
In 1947, he already triumphed in Spain with “Angelitos Negros,” “Dos Gardenias,” “Toda Una Vida,” or “Espérame En El Cielo,” songs with which Antonio Machín left a lasting impression in the memory of all Spaniards, always with his maracas.
José De Aguilar – María Cristina Me Quiere Gobernar
The singer of the Real Madrid anthem hasn’t gone down in history just for that, although his anthem is sung every weekend and “María Cristina Me Quiere Gobernar” with luck, someone sings it at home. A few years ago, a version of this song by Vieja Trova Santiaguera appeared in an advertisement, and that’s because this is another song with multiple versions, and this version is not the first one.
Nilla Pizzi – Grazie Dei Fiori
Everyone loved Italian actresses and singers in the ’50s and ’60s. Nilla Pizzi was a singer known as the Queen of San Remo due to the number of hits she achieved during these years at the festival held in San Remo, where she debuted with this track, and where the festival also made its debut, a milestone, therefore, in an era when such festivals were interesting and prestigious.
Silvana Mangano – Anna (El Negro Zumbón)
Another Italian example of what was mentioned in the previous song. Silvana Mangano was an actress, beauty queen, associated with the most renowned figures of the time, and participated in some of the most unforgettable Italian cinema and neorealism films, such as “Bitter Rice,” a film she starred in, where she proved to be a great actress. “Anna (El Negro Zumbón)” is a song that appears in the film “Anna,” hence this explanation. Nevertheless, the image belongs to the film “Teorema,” directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Tomás De Antequera – Romance De La Reina Mercedes
We conclude 1951 with a Spanish ballad. Tomás De Antequera, the name says it all. One of the kings of “copla,” although possibly not as remembered as others from his generation, this is one of his best and most accessible tracks for an outsider of the genre.
As a bonus:
(Madrid, 1987) Novelist by vocation, SEO specialist by profession. Music lover, cinephile and reading lover, but in “amateur” mode.