Cruising Down the River is a 1949 popular recording song.

Words and music were by Eily Beadell and Nell Tollerton, two middle-aged women who wrote the song in 1945. It became the winner of a public songwriting competition held in the UK.

The recording by Russ Morgan was released by Decca Records as catalog number 24568. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 18, 1949 and lasted 22 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1. The song became one of the biggest hits of his career, as well as one his signature songs. The recording was actually a two-sided hit, as the flip side, "Sunflower," also reached #10 on the chart.

The recording by Blue Barron was released by MGM Records as catalog number 10346. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 21, 1949 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1.

The recording by Jack Smith was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 15372. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 25, 1949 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at #14.

The recording by Primo Scala and the Keynotes was released by London Records as catalog number 356. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on March 4, 1949 at #27, its only week on the chart.

The recording by Frankie Carle was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 38411. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on April 22, 1949 at #28, its only week on the chart.

It has been redone numerous times by various artists, including Connie Francis on her 1959 album My Thanks to You.