What, you may ask, was the No. 1 record on December 7, 1941, the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, precipitating WWII? Why it was “Chattanooga Choo Choo” by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.
The song was written by Harry Warren (music) and Mack Gordon (words) and was originally featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade.
Sun Valley Serenade is the first of the only two movies featuring The Glenn Miller Orchestra (the other is 1942’s Orchestra Wives). Besides “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, other Glenn Miller tunes in the film are “Moonlight Serenade”, “It Happened in Sun Valley”, “I Know Why (And So Do You)”, and “In the Mood”.
The musical film starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, Lynn Bari, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as dancing by the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge. “Chattanooga Choo Choo” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.
The No. 1 ranking of the song is according to Billboard Magazine and was based on the 10 best selling records of the past week at a selection of national retailers from New York to Los Angeles.
“Chattanooga Choo Choo” became the #1 song across the United States on December 7, 1941, and remained there for nine weeks. The flip side of the single was “I Know Why (And So Do You)”, which was actually the A side. Funny how that works.
It was released on the RCA Bluebird label. This is the clip form Sun Valley Serenade.