See also: 1936 in music, other events of 1937, 1938 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

Events

• January 21 - Paul Sacher conducts the world premiere of Béla Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta in Basel
• June 2 - The incomplete version of Alban Berg's opera Lulu is premiered in Zurich (it is later completed in a version premiered in 1979)
• Perry Como begins singing with the Ted Weems orchestra
• Frankie Laine fills Como's vacated position with the Freddie Carlone band
• Hank Williams' musical career begins
• Sonny Boy Williamson's musical career begins
• Renato Carosone obtains his pianoforte diploma and starts his musical career
• Natalino Otto introduces Italy

Published popular music

• "Afraid To Dream" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
• "After You" w.m. Sam Coslow & Al Siegel
• "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" w. Gus Kahn m. Bronislaw Kaper & Walter Jurmann
• "All You Want To Do Is Dance" w. Johnny Burke m. Arthur Johnston
• "Always And Always" w. Bob Wright & Chet Forrest m. Edward Ward
• "Am I In Love?" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Azure" Duke Ellington
• "Beginner's Luck" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "Blossoms On Broadway" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "Blue Hawaii" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight)" w. Johnny Mercer m. Bernard Hanighen
• "Boo-Hoo" w. Edward Heyman m. John Jacob Loeb & Carmen Lombardo
• "Broken Hearted Clown" w.m. Don Pelosi, Harry Leon
• "By Myself" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
• "Camel Hop" m. Mary Lou Williams
• "Can I Forget You?" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
• "Caravan" w. Irving Mills m. Juan Tizol & Duke Ellington
• "Carelessly" w. Charles Kenny & Nick Kenny m. Norman Ellis
• "Cause My Baby Says It's So" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Dear Mr Gable (You Made Me Love Me)" w. Joseph McCarthy m. James V. Monaco with extra lyrics Roger Edens
• "Did Anyone Ever Tell You?" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh. Introduced by Virginia Bruce in the film When Love Is Young
• "Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?" w.m. Jimmy Kennedy & Michael Carr
• "Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals" m. Raymond Scott
• "The Dipsy Doodle" w.m. Larry Clinton
• "The Donkey Serenade" w. Robert Wright, George Forrest m. Rudolf Friml & Herbert Stothart
• "Down With Love" E. Y. "Yip" Harburg, Harold Arlen
• "Dusk In Upper Sandusky" m. Larry Clinton & Jimmy Dorsey
• "Easy Living" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "Everybody Sing" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown
• "A Foggy Day" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "The Folks Who Live On The Hill" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
• "Foolin' Myself" w. Jack Lawrence m. Peter Tinturin
• "For Dancers Only" w. Don Raye & Vic Schoen m. Sy Oliver
• "The Girl On The Police Gazette" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "God's Country" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
• "Gone With The Wind" w. Herb Magidson m. Allie Wrubel
• "Goodnight Angel" w. Herb Magidson m. Allie Wrubel
• "Harbour Lights" w. Jimmy Kennedy m. Hugh Williams
• "Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting
• "Have You Met Miss Jones?" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Heigh-Ho" w. Larry Morey m. Frank Churchill
• "High, Wide And Handsome" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
• "Home Town" w.m. Jimmy Kennedy & Michael Carr
• "I Can Dream, Can't I?" w. Irving Kahal m. Sammy Fain
• "I Can't Be Bothered Now" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "I Double Dare You" w. Jimmy Eaton m. Terry Shand
• "I Know Now" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "I See Your Face Before Me" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
• "I Used To Be Colour Blind" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "I Was Doing All Right" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "I Wish I Were In Love Again" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "I'd Rather Be Right" w. Lorenz Hart M. Richard Rodgers
• "If It's The Last Thing I Do" w.m. Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin
• "I'll Take Romance" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Ben Oakland
• "I'm Like A Fish Out Of Water" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting
• "I'm Wishing" w. Larry Morey m. Frank Churchill
• "In The Still Of The Night" w.m. Cole Porter
• "It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane" w. Edgar Leslie m. Joe Burke
• "It's Raining Sunbeams" w. Sam Coslow m. Frederick Hollander
• "It's The Natural Thing To Do" w. Johnny Burke m. Arthur Johnston
• "It's Wonderful" w. Mitchell Parish m. Stuff Smith
• "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" w.m. Irving Berlin sung by Dick Powell & Alice Faye (in the film "On the Avenue")
• "I've Hitched My Wagon To A Star" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting
• "Johnny One Note" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "The Joint Is Jumpin"' w. Andy Razaf m. Fats Waller & James C. Johnson
• "The Lady Is A Tramp" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Lambeth Walk" w. Douglas Furber, L. Arthur Rose m. Noel Gay
• "Leaning On A Lamp Post" w.m. Noel Gay
• "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "Let's Dance At The Make Believe Ballroom" Andy Razaf, Paul Denniker
• "Lisbon Antigua (In Old Lisbon)" w. Harry Dupree m. Raul Portela, J. Galhardo & A. Do Vale
• "Love Is Good For Anything That Ails You" Cliff Friend, Matt Malneck
• "Love Is Here To Stay" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "Me And My Girl" w.m. Noel Gay & Douglas Furber
• "The Meanest Thing You Ever Did Was Kiss Me" w.m. Al Lewis, Murray Mencher & Charles Newman
• "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" w.m. Cliff Friend & Dave Franklin
• "Moanin' In The Mornin' " w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
• "The Mood That I'm In" w.m. Abner Silver & Al Sherman
• "The Moon Got In My Eyes" w. Johnny Burke m. Arthur Johnston
• "The Moon Of Manakoora" w. Frank Loesser m. Alfred Newman
• "Moonlight On The Campus" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting
• "My Fine Feathered Friend" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh
• "My Funny Valentine" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Nice Work If You Can Get It" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "On The Sentimental Side" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
• "Once In A While" w. Bud Green m. Michael Edwards
• "One O'Clock Jump" m. Count Basie
• "One Song" w. Larry Morey m. Frank Churchill
• "Peter And The Wolf" m. Sergei Prokofiev
• "A Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner" m. Raymond Scott
• "Remember Me?" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Rosalie" w.m. Cole Porter
• "Sail Along, Silvery Moon" w. Harry Tobias m. Percy Wenrich
• "A Sailboat In The Moonlight" w.m. John Jacob Loeb & Carmen Lombardo
• "Satan Takes A Holiday" m. Larry Clinton
• "Sentimental and Melancholy" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard Whiting
• "September In The Rain" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Shall We Dance?" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "Sing Me A Song With Social Significance" w.m. Harold Rome
• "Slap That Bass" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "Slumming On Park Avenue" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "So Rare" w. Jack Sharpe m. Jerry Herst
• "Some Day My Prince Will Come" w. Larry Morey m. Frank Churchill
• "Somebody Else is Taking My Place" w.m. Dick Howard, Russ Morgan & Bob Ellsworth
• "South Rampart Street Parade" m. Ray Bauduc & Bob Haggart
• "Stop! You're Breaking My Heart" w. Ted Koehler m. Burton Lane
• "Sweet Leilani" w.m. Harry Owens
• "Swing High, Swing Low" w. Ralph Freed m. Burton Lane
• "Ten Pretty Girls" w.m. Will Grosz & Jimmy Kennedy
• "Thanks For The Memory" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "That Old Feeling" w. Lew Brown m. Sammy Fain
• "That's What I Like 'Bout The South" w.m. Andy Razaf
• "Then It Isn't Love" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "There's A Gold Mine In The Sky" w.m. Charles Kenny & Nick Kenny
• "There's A Lull In My Life" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
• "They All Laughed" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "They Can't Take That Away From Me" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "Things Are Looking Up" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "This Year's Kisses" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Tomorrow Is Another Day" w. Gus Kahn m. Bronislaw Kaper & Walter Jurmann from the film A Day at the Races
• "Too Marvellous For Words" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting
• "The Toy Trumpet" w. Sidney D. Mitchell & Lew Pollack m. Raymond Scott
• "Triplets" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
• "Trusting My Luck" Maurice Sigler, Arthur Johnston
• "Twilight In Turkey" m. Raymond Scott
• "Vieni, Vieni" w. (It & Fr) George Koger & Henri Varna (Eng) Rudy Vallee m. Vincent Scotto
• "Wake Up And Live" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
• "Walter, Walter" w.m. W. E. Haines, J. Harper & Eugene Butler
• "When Love Is Young" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh. Introduced by Virginia Bruce in the film When Love Is Young
• "Where Or When" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green in the musical Babes In Arms
• "Whispers In The Dark" w. Leo Robin m. Frederick Hollander. Introduced by Connie Boswell in the film Artists And Models
• "Whistle While You Work" w. Larry Morey m. Frank Churchill sung by Adrienne Caselotti in the animated film Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
• "With A Smile And A Song" w. Larry Morey m. Frank Churchill sung by Adrienne Caselotti in the animated film Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
• "You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming" w.m. Dave Franklin & Cliff Friend

Top hit recordings

• "That Old Feeling" by Shep Fields
• "Once In Awhile" by Tommy Dorsey
• "It Looks Like Rain in Cherry Blossom Lane" by Guy Lombardo
• "September In the Rain" by Guy Lombardo
• "The Dipsy Doodle" by Tommy Dorsey
• "Sweet Leilani" by Bing Crosby
• "The Moon Got In My Eyes" by Bing Crosby
• "Boo Hoo" by Guy Lombardo
• "Goodnight, My Love" by Benny Goodman
• "Whispers In the Dark" by Bob Crosby
• "Peace in the Valley" by Mahalia Jackson, gospel music hit written by Thomas A. Dorsey

Classical music

• Luciano Berio - Pastorale for piano
• Dmitri Shostakovitch - Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47

Opera

• Alban Berg - Lulu

Musical theater

• Babes In Arms (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) - Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on April 14 and ran for 289 performances
• Between The Devil Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on December 23 and ran for 93 performances
• I'd Rather Be Right (Rodgers & Hart) - Broadway production opened on November 2 at the Alvin Theatre and ran for 290 performances
• Me and My Girl (Noel Gay) - London production opened on December 16 at the Victoria Palace Theatre and ran for 1646 performances.
• On Your Toes London production opened at the Palace Theatre on February 5 and ran for 123 performances
• Pins And Needles Broadway revue opened at the Labor Stage Theatre on November 27 and ran for 1108 performances

Musical films

• The Broadway Melody Of 1938
• A Damsel In Distress
• A Day At The Races released June 11 starring the Marx Brothers and Allan Jones
• The Firefly
• Glamorous Night
• High, Wide And Handsome
• Maytime
• On The Avenue
• Shall We Dance
• Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs animated feature
• You Can't Have Everything
• You're A Sweetheart

Births

• January 4 - Grace Bumbry
• January 6 - Doris Troy
• January 8 - Shirley Bassey
• January 31 - Philip Glass, composer
• February 1 - Don Everly
• February 1 - Ray Dr. Hook Sawyer, Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
• February 10 - Don Wilson, The Ventures
• February 20 - Nancy Wilson
• February 27 - David Ackles
• March 17 - Adam Wade
• March 20 - Jerry Reed
• March 24 - Billy Stewart
• May 3 - Frankie Valli, The Four Seasons
• May 4 - Dick Dale
• May 5 - Johnnie Taylor
• May 9 - Sonny Curtis, The Crickets
• May 9 - Dave Prater, Sam & Dave
• May 15 - Trini Lopez
• May 22 - Kenny Ball, Kenny Ball & His Jazzman
• June 2 - Jimmy Jones
• June 4 - Freddy Fender
• June 7 - Neeme Järvi, conductor
• June 14 - Renaldo "Obie" Benson, The Four Tops
• June 15 - Waylon Jennings
• July 6 - Gene Chandler
• July 6 - Vladimir Ashkenazy
• July 22 - Chuck Jackson
• July 26 - Al Banks, The Turbans
• July 31 - Bonnie Brown, The Browns
• August 2 - Garth Hudson, The Band
• September 17 - Phil Cracolici, The Mystics
• October 21 - Norman Wright, Del Vikings
• October 24 - Santo Farina, Santo & Johnny
• October 31 - Tom Paxton
• November 2 - Earl Speedo Carroll, The Cadillacs, The Coasters
• November 6 - Eugene Pitt, The Jive Five
• November 7 - Mary Travers, Peter, Paul & Mary
• November 15 - Little Willie John
• November 19 - Ray Collins, The Mothers Of Invention
• November 30 - Paul Stookey, Peter, Paul & Mary
• November 30 - Frank Ifield
• December 14 - Warren Ryanes, The Monotones
• December 17 - Art Neville, The Neville Brothers
• December 25 - O'Kelly Isley, The Isley Brothers
• December 30 - John Hartford

Deaths

• March 12 - Charles-Marie Widor, composer
• March 29 - Karol Szymanowski, composer

+July 11 - George Gershwin, composer

• August 23 - Albert Roussel, composer
• September 26 - Bessie Smith, blues singer
• December 26 - Ivor Gurney, composer-poet