Film Noir Music
Of The 40s

Sultry songs sung in small, smoky nightclubs dominate the film noir music landscape.

What's more, these songs usually aren't just decorative wallpaper; they are the heart and soul of the theme of the film. They often speak volumes more of subplot and character than the rest of the script.

Besides the nightclub songs, which were usually jazz, there are the theme songs in film noir music, with or without lyrics. These tend to have a bittersweet, melancholy or moody quality more often than not. The film scores and their composers aren't covered here; this is more about the individual songs.

Find info on film noir soundtrack compilations here.

Have you ever heard a haunting melody and say to yourself, " I know I heard that in an old black & white film once..."? This page is for those fans who want to look up the name of that song they heard, or the name of the film where they first heard that song.

The songs below are listed in order of the year the movie came out, starting with the earliest. On this page is film noir music of the 40s; for songs from the 50s, click here.

While by no means comprehensive, this film noir music list is just a start. You can download mp3s of some of the songs for about 99 cents from Amazon...hear samples below. (not all of these are directly from the movie, some are sung by others, but all evoke film noir music)

1943

JOURNEY INTO FEAR
"C'est Mon Coeur (Chagrin d'amour)", "Three Little Words" -- Harry Ruby & Bert Kalmar

1944

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY
"Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" -- Frank Loesser
"Always" -- Irving Berlin

PHANTOM LADY
"Chick-ee-Chick" -- lyric by Eddie Cherkose, music by Jacques PressSung by Aurora (in the film)

LAURA
"Laura" -- lyric by Johnny Mercer, music by David Raskin

1945

CONFLICT
"Tango Of Love" -- Curtis Bernhardt

JOHNNY ANGEL
"Memphis In June" -- Hoagy Carmichael & Paul Webster (Hoagy is in the film)

LADY ON A TRAIN
"Gimme A Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh?" -- Turk, Smith & Pinkhard

"Silent Night" -- Collier
"Night And Day" -- Cole Porter

1946

BLACK ANGEL
"Heartbreak", "I Wanted To Talk About", "Time Will Tell", "Continental Gentleman" -- Edgar Fairchild & Jack Brooks
Sung by June Vincent (who also acts in the film)

FALLEN ANGEL
"Slowly" -- David Raskin & Kermit Goell

GILDA
"Put The Blame On Mame",

"Amado Mio" -- Doris Fisher & Allan Roberts

NOCTURNE
"Nocturne" -- lyric by Mort Greene, music by Leigh Harlie
"Why Pretend", "A Little Bit Is Better Than None" -- Eleanor Rudolph

THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS
"Strange Love" -- Haynes & Lyons

1947

BODY AND SOUL
"Body And Soul" -- lyric by Edward Hewman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, music by Johnny Green

CALCUTTA
"This Is Madness" -- Bernie Wayne & Ben Raleigh

DEAD RECKONING
"Either It's Love Or It Isn't" --Allan Roberts & Doris Fisher

THE GANGSTER
"Paradise" -- Gordon Clifford & Nacio Herb Brown

NORA PRENTISS
"Would You Like A Souvenir?', "Who Cares What People Say?" -- lyric by Jack Scholl, music by Moe K. Jerome

1948

THE BIG CLOCK
"The Big Clock" -- Ray Evans & Jay Livingston
Performed by the Ernie Filice Quartet

I WALK ALONE
"Don't Call It Love" -- Ned Washington & Allie Wrubel
"Isn't It Romantic?", "It's Easy To Remember" -- Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
"My Ideal" -- Leon Robin, Richard Whiting, J. Newell Chase
"Heart And Soul", "Two Sleepy People" -- Frank Loesser & Hoagy Carmichael
"I'm Yours" -- E.Y. Harburg & Johnny Green
"You Leave Me Breathless" -- Fred Hollander & Ralph Freed
Performed by the Regency Three

KEY LARGO
"Moanin' Low" -- Howard Dietz & Ralph Rainger

LADY FROM SHANGHAI
"Please Don't Kiss Me" -- Allan Roberts & Doris Fisher

THEY LIVE BY NIGHT
"Your Red Wagon" -- Richard M. Jones, Don Raye, Gene de Paul

1949

THE BRIBE
"Situation Wanted" -- Nacio Herb Brown & William Katz

MOONRISE
"It Just Dawned On Me" -- William Lava & Harry Tobias
"Lonesome" -- William Lava & Theodore Strauss
Sung by David Street

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