Sit yourself down in the music room, browse the play list, and enjoy reminiscing over your favorite Vaughn Monroe tune, or thrill to discover a new song that strikes a chord with you.

Comment. You may even want to contribute to the discussion about songs that are on the play list, or request an additional song. In either case, email your own personal notes or reflection on the subject.

Play list. There are 38 separate recordings on the play list. At present, they are in no particular order, except as requested with the newest request at the top of the list.

Click the name of the person commenting on the song to reveal their comments in collapsible outline form. Click on the name again, and the outline disappears. (This may not be recognized by all browsers, in which case all comments will appear uncollapsed.)

Legend for Play List

Orchestral Arrangement

Brass Arrangement

50's/60's Pickup Bands

Latin Flair

Western

Novelty

College Fight Songs

1. Claire Schwartz
   • This is a fine sampling of the classically trained and youthful Monroe voice. Thanks to Paul Hemmer - Radio Dubuque for sending this 78 recording to us!

1. JozaTexan

   • Wow ... was just transported back in time to late '49 or early '50 when most all folks had a radio for entertainment. Heard many Vaughn Monroe songs but had a favorite ... Riders in the Sky. Must have played it over a dozen times.
     
     My memory has become faulty with age but in scanning down the list of music, there seemed to be a couple of songs missing. One was Mule Train. (Really hate to admit it but Frankie Laine put a little more heart in his version of Mule Train.) Am also thinking that Vaughn Monroe sang Moriah. At least I can hear his voice in my less than dependable memory bank.
     
     As you probably know, Vaughn made only two movies. I was able to tape them some years ago. Unfortunately, the tape sprouted legs and walked off. Was glad to be able to hear Mexicali Trail again from one of the movies.
     
     Loved your website.

1. Dan Mugan

   • I have a request for your play list, which I enjoy listening to while I work on my computer. I would like to hear "Where Or When" the old Rogers and hart tune, which Vaughn did so well.

1. John Flood

   • This is a request from Australia.

1. John Strupith

   • This is a nice web site.  I remember listening to my step-father's records as a young boy. One of my favorites, and I don't see it listed here, was "Bamboo." Another was "Single Saddle." I guess those are probably lost forever. Vaughn Monroe was probably one of the greatest vocalist  ever . Thank you for providing this page....John

1. Arlene Nagy
   • Could you put on  Mountain Laurel--one of my MANY favorites.

1. Evan Edwards
   • Some web surfing led me to your website. I don't know if it was a big hit, but Vaughn did a song "And So It Ended." It was written by my late father Jack Edwards and his sister Joan Edwards. Joan Edwards died in 1981, and my dad, Jack Edwards, in 1983. "And So It Ended" is a beautiful love song and it is available on at least one of Vaughn's CDs.
   • I am not a Vaughn expert, but just listening to "And So It Ended" and the other songs on his CD makes it very clear: they don't make them like Vaughn Monroe any more. What an extraordinary talent he was!

1. Bob Barback
   • Where is the old WWII number "When the Lights Go On Again (All Over The World) -- one of his best.

1. Dan Mugan
   • I would like to see a song from Vaughn's western included. I speak here of "Mexicali Trail." The theme runs through the picture but as I recall only sung partially in the movie. It's sentimental and sweet and one that my wife especially enjoys.

1. Claire Schwartz
   • We've received past requests for more Ziggy Talent, but the trouble is coming across a good sound recording of the songs for which Ziggy provided vocals (besides "Maharaja"). Here is a lively "Russian" tune taken from cassette tape (Ajazz C-1645). Notice the reference to Vaughn Monroe in the verse of the song!

1. David Jackson
   • I'd like to hear the song "My Devotion" by Vaughn Monroe. Thank you.
2. Claire Schwartz
   • This is one of the first songs I heard Vaughn sing when I discovered that he was a singing bandleader and not just a singing cowboy. Everything clicks in both the RCA and the Dot recordings when Vaughn Monroe sings this song. I believe it had more than a small role in influencing my devotion and admiration for the troubadour.

1. Barry Walters
   • There isn't a whole lot that I know about this song other than it was recorded by Lang-Worth and distributed to radio stations that purchased their transcription services. To my knowledge it was never released commercially. Two other songs on the same record were released several year later. "In My Dreams" in 1947 and "Don't Lie To Me" in 1948.
2. Herb Wasserman
   • The song as sung by Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest with the Harry James Orchestra has always been one of my favorite band recordings. It was a pleasant surprise to learn from Barry Walters that there was a Vaughn Monroe recording of this song from Lang Worth transcriptions.

1. Arlene Nagy
   • This is one of my very favorites--that Vaughn does (of course I have so many favorites!) This song is so special. The way Vaughn sings it is just great. Once again, thank you for the VMAS.

1. Arlene Nagy
   • I wonder if I could request an additional song to be played on the play list. I really enjoy the play list and also the monthly feature with the photos and songs. My song request is "Begin The Beguine." Thank you so much, and keep up the great work in the Appreciation Society.

1. Claire Schwartz
   • This is Vaughn's first recording of "Ballerina" for RCA-Victor and it became one of his million sellers. He recorded it three more times during his career: Again for RCA in 1958 and released on the "There I Sing/Swing It Again" LP, then for Dot on "His Greatest Hits" LP released in 1963, and finally a very different version arranged by Johnny Mandel for United Artists and released as a single sometime during the 1960s.
2. Richard DeMarco
   • As a teenager, I recall a song Vaughn recorded--a song named "Dance, Ballerina, Dance." I could not find it anywhere on the song list.
3. B.L. Hodes
   • I need to send a birthday greeting to a relative. "Dance, Ballerina, Dance" was her favorite.

1. David Keller
   • This is a great website!! I talked briefly with Vaughn in late 1943 or very early 1944 when he and his band played for dancing at the Century Room of the Hotel Commodore in NYC. He had amazingly colorful blue eyes and was a very good looking fellow. When his band roared in (first time) from the midwest (I think Chicago?) he opened at the N.Y. Paramount - possibly it was 1942 - give or take a year. One of his big hits was Vaughn singing "Pagliacci" - which was an excerpt from the opera. This was before he got the fun title of "The Moose"!

1. Manny Stutt
   • Vaughn Monroe was the best --he is all but forgotten. When I ask people, which I do often, if they ever heard of  Vaughn Monroe, they look at me like I am crazy. How about "Racing with the Moon." I love the way he sang this song. As you guessed, I am 76  years old. The young people today missed out on a wonderful singer.
2. Marjory (Butler) Teachout
   •  Hi... In 1953, 6 months after the end of the Korean War and just 8 years after WW 2, e were stationed with the USAF at Yakota AFB in Japan. My twin sister and I were just 12. We spent many (nearly every) night at the officers club as we lived off base and my parents enjoyed the "night-club" scene. We went for meals and the band, the purpose of this email. The band, called the Kampai Kings, was comprised of all Japanese musicians and a vocalist, and few spoke more than a few words of English. They sang phonetically. The band "leaser" and my parents became very close and we visited his home frequently. His name was Johnny Watson, and he told us the story of co-writing "Racing With The Moon." I just listened to it in your music room and it made me cry... My mom died in 2003 and it was her favorite song. I thought you might like to hear this story. John was a great person and we enjoyed him and his music very much. He even had a "Dixieland Jazz" band on Sundays. Have a great listening day...

1. Mike Kord
   • I would really like to find a copy of "Hound Dog" as I remember it from the movie I saw at the Daisy Theatre in Indianapolis as a youngster.  I heard it  in a movie when I was a kid and never forgot it. I saw the movie several times. We went every Saturday whether we had seen the movie before or not! They don't play his work on the radio any more. That's sad as he was so-o-o good at his craft.
2. Daryl Kreiling
   • Thanks for the Vaughn Monroe, Hound Dog. As Mike Kord commented, I too remember this song from the movies. I saw it in a little town, Minatare, Nebraska. Thanks Again.

1. Rosie Steiner
   • Oh thank you so much! My Mom dated a very special man before my Dad won her heart. They were very close but my Dad came into the picture. She said every time she went to a dance, her old friend would ask her to dance to their song, which was "Something Sentimental." My Dad died in 1980 along with my 3 year old son in a boating accident. Nearly all of my Mom's old friends have died except for the other gentleman. He tried, after all the years, and both having been married to other people, to get back with my Mom but she wouldn't.....said she couldn't because my Dad would be in the front seat between them on every date, but they still have this song together. Her friend has recently been sent to a nursing home. I took her to visit him and I was thinking how nice it would be to have their song for them the next time we go to visit.

1. Claire Schwartz
   • This selection is an early recording in Vaughn's career with a much more operatic vocal to it. The song was written by Cole Porter for the 1937 MGM movie "Rosalie" starring Eleanor Powell and Nelson Eddy. It is one of my favorites, and a real treasure to have a Vaughn Monroe version of it.
2. Herb Wasserman
   • I first saw this song on an LP over 25 years ago in a record store in what was to become the upscale neighborhood of Soho.  I was attracted to  its being done with Jack Marshard prior to the establishment of the Vaughn Monroe Orchestra.  By the time I decided to buy it, the LP was no longer in stock and I did not remember the name so that I could look for it. I found it on a Cole Porter CD about  5 years ago.  Cole Porter is supposedly Vaughn's favorite composer.

1. Mark Marvald
   • My dad will be in heaven. He says he has been looking for this song for 50 years. When I played the Spanish version for my dad, who is 77 years old, he wept at the joy of hearing a song that he had not heard in over 50 years. Thank you for making that possible. He is the type of man who does everything for everyone, and it is really hard to get him what he enjoys, so this was indeed a rare pleasure for me to have something to give to him, thanks to you.
2. Pete Ruppert - LYRICS IN SPANISH
   • I always loved Vaughn Monroe, and I have an original LP of his, "The Monroe Doctrine," which I bought in fall of '75. On it is "Salud, Dinero, Y Amor." The lyrics are different than those of Rodolfo Sciammarella, the writer. I understand Spanish, but some words do not match the lyrics here.  I think Vaughan Monroe was given a modified version, or, made an error when singing the song. This is the verse he was supposed to be singing, but instead of "siempre tiene" he sings something I don't understand:
   • El que tenga un amor,
     Que lo cuide, que lo cuide.
     La salud y la platita,
     Que no la tire, que no la tire.
     Hay que guardar, eso conviene
     Que aquel que guarda, siempre tiene.
     El que tenga un amor,
     Que lo cuide, que lo cuide.
     La salud y la platita,
     Que no la tire, que no la tire.
3. Claire Schwartz
   • The lyrics Vaughn sings in this 1940 recording for the Bluebird label are consistent with the lyrics printed above. The Langworth Transcription recording made in November 1943 was used for "The Monroe Doctrine" LP.

1. Claire Schwartz
   • This song was requested by  Pierre-Andre Labeau of Belgium. This song reminds me a lot of "Dusty Road," which is another extremely beautiful and touching hard-luck song with an early African-American feel to it.

1. Claire Schwartz
   • Vaughn's "country" sound, reminiscent of Johnny Horton (Battle of New Orleans) and Furlin Husky (North to Alaska). I think he pulls it off with great result.
2. Ron Malecki
   • I just wanted to thank you for your site. Though I'm not a great fan of Vaughn Monroe, I was very pleased to find the song "Valley Forge" in your Music Room. While he wrote many songs, "Valley Forge" was the only song written by Ronald J. Malecki, my father, that was ever recorded by a major artist. I don't know the details of the song (recording date, etc.) I remember listening to the 45s of the song as a young boy. Though one of my sisters may still have a copy somewhere, it's been at least 25 years since I have heard it. Thank you again for the memories.

1. Diana Brumn
   • I have been trying to find this song for years for my mother. She remembers no words, only "ne naw na na". She thinks it's a lullaby-- definitely Vaughn Monroe. At one time she had it on a 78 record.

1. Bob McDonnell
   • I was curious about Mr. Monroe after hearing "Riders In The Sky", but that is not the first time I have heard him. The first time I heard Mr. Monroe was "Let It Snow."
2. Merlyn Albaugh
   • I saw Vaughn Monroe in Clear Lake, Iowa at the Surf Ballroom in 1949 or 1950. What an evening! He could set a mood that no other singer could match. I feel "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" was one of his top songs, and I am so glad I found your website as it certainly brings back an evening I will always remember.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow with vocals by Vaughn Monroe as recorded on the DOT record label from the album "Vaughn Monroe--His Greatest Hits."

1. Claire Schwartz
   • I was corrected by James Stewart that this is NOT the recording used in the "Die Hard" movie as I originally thought. Vaughn's 1958 recording from his LP "There I Sing, Swing It Again" is the "Die Hard" version.
2. Melanie Brown
   • Society Members: I am sure you get this every Christmas time, and I am sympathetic, having done music retail. But, I have never found anyone who knew if Vaughn Monroe recorded more than one version of "Let It Snow." The "Die Hard" version seems different. Maybe it's just production or digital enhancement. Please enlighten. You have a wonderful site, but I cannot appreciate all of it through my Mac.
3. Soren Hauge
   • My wife and I have seen the famous action films, "Die Hard" with Bruce Willis, and we love the tunes in two of the films where Vaughn Monroe sings "Let It Snow, Let It Snow." This has opened our eyes for his special tune and atmosphere, and it has brought us here to your website. We would like to ask you if you know which recording it is, from where Monroe sings in the films. It is clearly not the recording with accompanying choir. We have tried many places, but have no answers. If you could help us informing about the recording, and if it is available, we would appreciate it very much.

1. Jerry Furris

   • My Dad ran a luncheonette during the period that this tune was popular.  It was located  adjacent to a bowling alley and it had a mammoth juke box.  This song was a constant play (along with Tommy Dorsey's Opus #l).  I worked with him there, and was around 1l and set up pins in the alleys to make extra money (10cents a game). This version of the song, versus one by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters, captured my attention and was one of first songs that made me a fan of Vaughn Monroe from then on.  His version was a better one as far as I was concerned. Thanks.

1. Sharon Kelts

   • For a number of years I have been trying to find out anything about a lullaby that my mother sang to us as children. It is the Chocolate Choo Choo and now I see that Vaughn sang it.  I know the song from heart but want to know if I can find a copy of the music anywhere. What is the history of the song, who wrote it? My grandchildren love this song and I want to reprint it as a poster with illustrations. Many thanks!

2. Tinker Rautenberg

   •  Incidentally, last year (2002) I sang with my guitar the song  "The Chocolate Choo Choo" --- I no longer have the record, as I have been singing that song with my guitar for years as a lullaby. I remember when we recorded it for RCA Victor and also the first time we performed it --- at Hershey Park, Hershey, PA.

There, I Said It Again with vocals by Vaughn Monroe and the Norton Sisters. December 21, 1944 recording.

1. Lou Kohnen
   • "There, I've Said It Again," written in 1941 by Redd Evans and Dave Mann and recorded by Vaughn Monroe and his orchestra in 1943, quickly became associated with Vaughn and became a golden, million record seller for him in 1944.  Although recorded decades later by Bobby Vinton, the song remains eternally linked with Vaughn.  It has a permanent place on the list of the most popular songs of World War 2 and is still a frequently requested number on the very popular "Oldies" AM stations throughout the USA.  It remains near the top of my Vaughn Monroe favorites. 
2. Claire Schwartz

   • This was one of the first songs I heard Vaughn Monroe sing after I discovered that he was more than a singing cowboy crooning "Mule Train" and "Mexicali Trail" on film. I was quite surprised by this discovery, and favorably impressed. What continues to captivate me is the rich timbre of his voice and his smooth execution of the musical phrasings.

3. John Wira

   • I was in the eleventh grade in High School  in 1946, when during a lunch break, a group of us were gathered outside a side entrance to the school. Another student had brought a wind-up record player to school. One of the songs I heard that day was Vaughn Monroe's recording of "There, I've Said It Again," and I was hooked.

4. Samuel Mann

   • My dad, Dave Mann, wrote the music for "There I've Said it Again." The way it became a hit is funny. "Rum and Coca Cola" was the A side and 300,000 copies were shipped to juke boxes all over the country. After the first few days of "Rum and Coca Cola" airplay and juke use, the writer of the song, some guy in Cuba, slapped an injunction on the publisher, who thought the tune was in the public domain. To avoid taking a bath on the disc, the juke owners simply flipped it over, and the rest is history! Dad loved to tell this story, emphasizing the aspect of luck in the music business. He was indeed lucky. This tune spent 8 weeks near the top of the 1945 Lucky Strike Hit Parade, and was a smash not only in the USA, but worldwide, later, when Bobby Vinton recorded it in 1963. In fact, that latter recording was the last #1 song prior to the British Invasion of Feb 1964. "I Want to Hold Your Hand," by the Beatles, knocked the Vinton rendition out of the top slot.

5. Ken Porrey

   • "There, I Said It Again" is a true classic.  I was twelve years old in 1944 and remember my older sister bringing home her newly purchased "78" of Vaughn Monroe singing this great hit.  We played it over and over on the wind-up Victrola until it was completely worn out.  I have collected over fifteen different versions of this wonderful song over the years, the latest being by "Platinum," the recent Barbershop International Quartet Champs.  There still is none that compare to Vaughn's original hit however.

6. Bill Lampton

   • In 1951, I was a high school kid who fell in love with a wonderful
     Chattanooga girl.  In those days, we needed "our song."  Once we heard "There, I've Said It Again," we knew we had found the melody that represented our love for each other.  Whenever I hear that song, I think of how Liz and I identified with it.  Yes, we went our separate ways.  Still, the song has a grand memory for both of us.

Falling In Love With Love has Vaughn paired with with Metropolitan Opera star Patrice Munsel in a duet of this Rodgers and Hart classic. Recorded June 13, 1951.

1. Claire Schwartz

   • This is an interesting departure for Vaughn Monroe, and is quite different from his other songs with female vocalists such as Marilyn Duke and Betty Norton. The result is very successful. The two of them also recorded "With a Song in My Heart," but alas, there were to be no more such pairings.

1. Claire Schwartz
   • One of my very favorite western songs sung by Vaughn.

1. George Strasser

   • I remember as a kid going into my older brother's room (while he was out) to listen to Vaughn Monroe on his records. Two of my favorites were "Gee I Wish" and "It's My Lazy Day." I haven't heard those songs in years and it would be nice to hear them again.

1. Sanjaya Joshi
   • My father-in-law, an inactive Marine, suddenly remembered "The Rich Maharaja of Magador." This song was also listed in a list of "Songs that won the war."
2. Jack Malinowski
   • My father used to play the "Maharajah of Magador" song when we were kids.  He said he used to play the song during the war but didn't remember where he learned it from. My sisters used to dance to it in jest when he played it and it brings back fun memories. Thank you.
3. Bill Shope
   • In this era of "political correctness," I doubt if there's a radio station in the country that would play this song. Too bad! There are a lot of young people who would enjoy it.
4. Joe McGrath
   • I write to you from Ireland. My Father died on the 1st of May this year after a short battle with cancer. He was 75. He was a very sociable person and loved nothing better than a "singsong" in a pub with good friends and family. His party-piece was to sing "The Maharajah Of Magador." He would put a cloth on his head, tied at the four corners and enact the hand movements and head bowing appropriate to the chorus. We, his 6 children, never knew where the song came from. I did a Google search this morning and was absolutely thrilled to come across your website. I was even more delighted to find the words and even a recording of the song.

1. Wally Olsen
   • I'm Wally Olsen, one of the original MoonMen. How about getting the music for the original recording of Riders in the Sky?  I'm the top tenor sound!   Thanks.
2. Sonja Burton
   •  I just wanted to say that finding "Ghost Riders in the Sky" has been the best. As a small girl I would listen to Vaughn Monroe sing this one song for hours, and now I can do it again. I think I've seen almost all of his westerns more than once, and "Riders" is still the #1 on the list. Thank you for letting me enjoy it once again.
3. DiamondDave
   • In my research on Vaughn  I discovered that the guitar players on Ghost Riders were Don Costa and Bucky Pizzarelli recorded in 1949.
4. Ken Waldorf
   • I'm thrilled that there is this much on Vaughn Monroe. It is a found treasure. I listen to "Ghost Riders in the Sky" often. No one does it better than Vaughn. It is so powerful and thrilling.
5. Mike Piche
   • Brought me back to when I was six and would listen to him for hours, over and over, driving our landlady crazy. This is the first time I have heard him in years. Thanks for the memories.

1. Harry Bassilakis
   • Found your web site. Thank you. I am a  fan of  Vaughn's and have been searching for old records for some time. I also like the sound of his big band. One of my favorites is "Let's Have a Cigarette Together". I have a few old lp's and an old 78. It's great to know your out there. I play his music often in my 70 year old diner to many who remember them as old favorites, while trying to recruit new fans.. Thanks-- Quaker Diner, West Hartford, CT