1941 provided one last great burst of creativity before things got turned upside down when The United States entered the war after the December 7 bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The music world was further sidelines by a musician’s strike that stretched from 1942 to 1944, leaving precious little new music to accompany our war effort. Here are a few of the biggest and best recordings from the months before the war came to us.

Featured tracks include:

Amapola – Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat – Freddy Martin

Stardust – Artie Shaw

A String of Pearls – Glenn Miller

Chattanooga Choo Choo – Glenn Miller

You Made Me Love You – Harry James Orchestra

Take the ‘A’ Train – Duke Ellington

Trav’lin Light – Billie Holiday

All For You – Nat King Cole Trio

For Me and My Girl – Judy Garland and Gene Kelly

Night and Day – Frank Sinatra

Brazil – Xavier Cougat

Sweet Lorraine – Nat King Cole