What is List of Billboard number-one singles of the 1940s?
{{US number-one singles by decade}} This article is about the '''US number-one songs chart held during the 1940s'''. ''Billboard'' number-one singles chart (which preceded the Billboard Hot 100 chart), which was updated weekly by the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine, was the main singles chart of the American music industry since 1940 and until the Billboard Hot 100 chart was established in 1958. Before the [[Billboard Hot 100]] chart was established (in August 1958), which would solely be based on the sales data and [[heavy rotation|airplay]] on American radio stations, the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine used to published several weekly charts every time. Throughout most of the 1950s the magazine published the following three charts: *''Best Sellers in Stores'' – ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country. *''Most Played by Jockeys'' – ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys and radio stations. *''Most Played in Jukeboxes'' – ranked the most played songs in [[jukebox]]es across the United States. At that time, this chart used to be one of the most important channels for measuring the popularity of a song among the younger generation of listeners, as many US radio stations resisted adding [[rock 'n roll]] music to their playlists for many years. The list below includes the ''Best Sellers in Stores'' singles chart only (for the expanded detailed lists of the three charts, see articles of individual years in the Billboard charts). == Number ones == ;Key :{{Colorbox|#FFFF99|♪&nbsp;}} &ndash; [[List of Billboard Year-End number-one singles and albums|Number-one single of the year]] {|id=toc class=toc summary=Contents !{{MediaWiki:Toc}} |- |align=center|[[#1940|1940]]{{•}}[[#1941|1941]] [[#1942|1942]]{{•}}[[#1943|1943]]{{•}}[[#1944|1944]]{{•}}[[#1945|1945]]{{•}}[[#1946|1946]]{{•}}[[#1947|1947]]{{•}}[[#1948|1948]]{{•}}[[#1949|1949]]{{•}}[[List of Billboard numb