by Amy Gold
The number one songs of the 1960s, which total 204, are listed in the table below in descending order by the total number of weeks they stayed on the Billboard Pop/Rock charts. Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry" tops the list at 23 weeks, and at the bottom is the Beatles' "Penny Lane" which was on the charts for only 10 weeks. During the 1960s, a record was set by Chubby Checker's "The Twist" for being the only song of the rock and roll era to ever top the charts twice.
By far, the band with the most #1 hits in the 1960s was the Beatles. This seminal group made lasting changes to the American musical landscape, along with many other top charting British Invasion bands and artists that included the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, the Mindbenders, Freddie and the Dreamers, the New Vaudeville Band, the Troggs, Manfred Mann, Peter and Gordon, Lulu, Donovan, and Petula Clark.
Elvis Presley, the top artist of the 1950s, continued to top the charts throughout the 1960s. Other top acts from the 1950s who also had at least one #1 hit in the 1960s were Pat Boone, the Everly Brothers, Percy Faith and His Orchestra, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra (his #1 hits from the 1960s included "Somethin' Stupid" (1967), performed as a duet with daughter Nancy Sinatra). A top teen idol from the late 1950s, Ricky Nelson topped the charts in 1961 with "Travelin' Man." Shortly thereafter, he shortened his first name to Rick and continued to record a long string of hits up through the early 1970s. Lawrence Welk topped the charts only once with "Calcutta" in 1960, but he had a long string of chart hits dating back to 1938 and a huge following due to his immensely popular TV show. The great Louis Armstrong, who had a very long string of hits dating back to 1926, also topped the charts only once (with "Hello Dolly!" in 1964).
In the early 1960s, girl groups and solo female singers with a girl group sound were all the rage. Top charting acts included the Shirelles, the Angels, the Marvellettes, Shelley Fabares, Lesley Gore, Little Peggy March, the Chiffons, the Crystals, the Dixie Cups, and the Shangri-Las. Little Eva started a dance craze with "Loco-motion," a song that later also topped the charts for Grand Funk. Surf rock was also very popular at that time, and the top charting groups were the Beach Boys, the Tornadoes, and Jan and Dean. Besides Chubby Checker, early 1960s teenagers also danced to the tunes of Joey Dee and the Starliters, Del Shannon, Dion, Gary (U.S.) Bonds, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, the Marcels, and Bobby Lewis.
Movie music of the 1960s had its fair share of top charting songs that included these movie title themes: "The Happening" (the Supremes), "The Theme From 'A Summer Place'" (Percy Faith and His Orchestra), "Love Theme From 'Romeo And Juliet'" (Henry Mancini and His Orchestra), and "To Sir, With Love" (Lulu). The movies, "Blue Velvet" (1986), "Ode To Billie Joe" (1976), and Harper Valley P.T.A." (1978), were all inspired by songs of the same name that topped the charts in 1963, 1967 and 1968, respectively. "The Graduate" (1967) became a permanent pop culture fixture due in large part to the many songs by Simon and Garfunkel that made up the film score, many of which became top chart hits.
Motown was a large part of the musical landscape of the mid-late 1960s. The Motown group with the largest number of #1 hits was, by far, Diana Ross and the Supremes. Other top charting Motown acts were Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Four Tops, and the Jackson 5, many of which went on to score #1 hits in the 1970s and beyond. Non-Motown R&B bands and artists who also topped the charts included Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin (a.k.a. "the Queen of Soul"), Archie Bell and the Drells, and Percy Sledge, whose heartfelt "When A Man Loves A Woman" also topped the charts years later for Michael Bolton. The late 1960s also gave birth to blue-eyed soul as heard in the Rascals and the Box Tops.
The 1960s was a time of music experimentation and a number of different rock genres originated during that era, especially in the latter part of the decade. Rock bands that topped the charts included the Doors, the Byrds, the Turtles, the Association, the Lemon Pipers, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Mamas and the Papas, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and ? (Question Mark) and the Mysterians. Other top late-1960s pop-rock bands included the Monkees and Tommy James and the Shondells.
As rock music was evolving and branching out, traditional pop continued to flourish on the charts. Chart topping bands and artists that hearkened to earlier times included Bobby Vinton, Ray Charles, Steve Lawrence, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, the Four Seasons, the Righteous Brothers, Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra, and David Rose and His Orchestra.
Other types of pop and rock music also flourished throughout the 1960s, including folk, novelty tunes, country pop, and protest songs, all of which are fairly well represented by the number one songs of the 1960s.
Back to: Top Songs By Decade
Notes: C#1 = COUNTRY #1; AC#1 = ADULT CONTEMPORARY #1
| SONG | ARTIST | CHART DEBUT DATE | R&B #1 | C #1 | AC #1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I'm Sorry | Brenda Lee | 5/30/1960 | |||
| Tossin' And Turnin' | Bobby Lewis | 4/24/1961 | |||
| Please Mr. Postman | The Marvelettes | 9/4/1961 | |||
| Hello, Dolly! | Louis Armstrong | 2/15/1964 | |||
| Sugar, Sugar | The Archies | 7/26/1969 | |||
| Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head | B.J. Thomas | 11/1/1969 | |||
| The Theme From "A Summer Place" | Percy Faith And His Orchestra | 1/11/1960 | |||
| The Twist | Chubby Checker | 11/13/1961 | |||
| Stranger On The Shore | Mr. Acker Bilk | 3/17/1962 | |||
| It's Now Or Never | Elvis Presley | 7/18/1960 | |||
| Will You Love Me Tomorrow | The Shirelles | 11/21/1960 | |||
| Hey Jude | The Beatles | 9/14/1968 | |||
| Everyday People | Sly And The Family Stone | 11/30/1968 | |||
| I Want You Back | Jackson 5 | 11/15/1969 | |||
| Everybody's Somebody's Fool | Connie Francis | 5/9/1960 | |||
| The Twist | Chubby Checker | 8/1/1960 | |||
| Save The Last Dance For Me | The Drifters | 9/5/1960 | |||
| Stay | Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs | 10/3/1960 | |||
| Peppermint Twist - Part I | Joey Dee And The Starliters | 11/20/1961 | |||
| I Can't Stop Loving You | Ray Charles | 5/5/1962 | |||
| He's A Rebel | The Crystals | 9/8/1962 | |||
| Love Is Blue | Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra | 1/6/1968 | |||
| Cathy's Clown | The Everly Brothers | 4/18/1960 | |||
| My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own | Connie Francis | 8/15/1960 | |||
| Wonderland By Night | Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra | 11/14/1960 | |||
| Calcutta | Lawrence Welk | 12/12/1960 | |||
| Runaway | Del Shannon | 3/6/1961 | |||
| Running Scared | Roy Orbison | 4/10/1961 | |||
| Michael | The Highwaymen | 7/10/1961 | |||
| The Stripper | David Rose And His Orchestra | 5/12/1962 | |||
| Go Away Little Girl | Steve Lawrence | 11/10/1962 | |||
| Light My Fire | The Doors | 6/3/1967 | |||
| To Sir, With Love | Lulu | 9/9/1967 | |||
| Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures) | The 5th Dimension | 3/8/1969 | |||
| I Can't Get Next To You | The Temptations | 8/16/1969 | |||
| Leaving On A Jet Plane | Peter, Paul And Mary | 10/25/1969 | |||
| Stuck On You | Elvis Presley | 4/4/1960 | |||
| Are You Lonesome To-night? | Elvis Presley | 11/14/1960 | |||
| Pony Time | Chubby Checker | 1/23/1961 | |||
| Travelin' Man | Ricky Nelson | 4/24/1961 | |||
| Wooden Heart | Joe Dowell | 6/26/1961 | |||
| Big Bad John | Jimmy Dean | 10/2/1961 | |||
| The Loco-Motion | Little Eva | 6/30/1962 | |||
| Big Girls Don't Cry | The 4 Seasons | 10/20/1962 | |||
| Telstar | The Tornadoes | 11/3/1962 | |||
| You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' | The Righteous Brothers | 12/12/1964 | |||
| The Letter | The Box Tops | 8/12/1967 | |||
| Incense And Peppermints | Strawberry Alarm Clock | 9/30/1967 | |||
| Judy In Disguise (With Glasses) | John Fred And His Playboy Band | 11/25/1967 | |||
| (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay | Otis Redding | 1/27/1968 | |||
| Love Child | Diana Ross And The Supremes | 10/19/1968 | |||
| Crimson And Clover | Tommy James And The Shondells | 12/14/1968 | |||
| Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye | Steam | 10/18/1969 | |||
| Come Together | The Beatles | 10/18/1969 | |||
| Someday We'll Be Together | Diana Ross And The Supremes | 11/8/1969 | |||
| Alley-Oop | Hollywood Argyles | 5/30/1960 | |||
| Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini | Brian Hyland | 7/4/1960 | |||
| I Want To Be Wanted | Brenda Lee | 9/12/1960 | |||
| Moody River | Pat Boone | 5/1/1961 | |||
| Quarter To Three | Gary (U.S.) Bonds | 5/22/1961 | |||
| Take Good Care Of My Baby | Bobby Vee | 8/7/1961 | |||
| The Lion Sleeps Tonight | The Tokens | 11/13/1961 | |||
| Duke Of Earl | Gene Chandler | 1/13/1962 | |||
| Hey! Baby | Bruce Channel | 1/27/1962 | |||
| Johnny Angel | Shelley Fabares | 3/3/1962 | |||
| Roses Are Red (My Love) | Bobby Vinton | 6/9/1962 | |||
| Hey Paula | Paul And Paula | 12/29/1962 | |||
| He's So Fine | The Chiffons | 2/23/1963 | |||
| So Much In Love | The Tymes | 6/1/1963 | |||
| Fingertips - Pt. 2 | Stevie Wonder | 6/22/1963 | |||
| Blue Velvet | Bobby Vinton | 8/10/1963 | |||
| Deep Purple | Nino Tempo And April Stevens | 9/14/1963 | |||
| Sugar Shack | The Fireballs | 9/21/1963 | |||
| I'm Leaving It Up To You | Dale And Grace | 10/5/1963 | |||
| I Want To Hold Your Hand | The Beatles | 1/18/1964 | |||
| She Loves You | The Beatles | 1/25/1964 | |||
| My Guy | Mary Wells | 4/4/1964 | |||
| I Get Around | The Beach Boys | 5/23/1964 | |||
| Oh, Pretty Woman | Roy Orbison And The Candy Men | 8/29/1964 | |||
| Mr. Lonely | Bobby Vinton | 10/31/1964 | |||
| Downtown | Petula Clark | 12/19/1964 | |||
| Lightnin' Strikes | Lou Christie | 12/25/1965 | |||
| Strangers In The Night | Frank Sinatra | 5/7/1966 | |||
| 96 Tears | ? (Question Mark) And The Mysterians | 9/3/1966 | |||
| Reach Out I'll Be There | Four Tops | 9/3/1966 | |||
| Last Train To Clarksville | The Monkees | 9/10/1966 | |||
| Poor Side Of Town | Johnny Rivers | 9/17/1966 | |||
| Winchester Cathedral | The New Vaudeville Band | 10/29/1966 | |||
| I'm A Believer | The Monkees | 12/10/1966 | |||
| Happy Together | The Turtles | 2/11/1967 | |||
| Honey | Bobby Goldsboro | 3/23/1968 | |||
| Tighten Up | Archie Bell And The Drells | 3/30/1968 | |||
| I Heard It Through The Grapevine | Marvin Gaye | 11/23/1968 | |||
| Dizzy | Tommy Roe | 2/1/1969 | |||
| Honky Tonk Women | The Rolling Stones | 7/19/1969 | |||
| Suspicious Minds | Elvis Presley | 9/13/1969 | |||
| Blue Moon | The Marcels | 3/6/1961 | |||
| Mother-In-Law | Ernie K-Doe | 3/27/1961 | |||
| Runaround Sue | Dion | 9/25/1961 | |||
| Soldier Boy | The Shirelles | 3/24/1962 | |||
| Breaking Up Is Hard To Do | Neil Sedaka | 6/30/1962 | |||
| Sheila | Tommy Roe | 7/28/1962 | |||
| Sherry | The 4 Seasons | 8/25/1962 | |||
| Monster Mash | Bobby "Boris" Pickett | 9/8/1962 | |||
| I Will Follow Him | Little Peggy March | 3/23/1963 | |||
| If You Wanna Be Happy | Jimmy Soul | 3/30/1963 | |||
| Sukiyaki | Kyu Sakamoto | 5/11/1963 | |||
| My Boyfriend's Back | The Angels | 8/3/1963 | |||
| Love Me Do | The Beatles | 4/11/1964 | |||
| Everybody Loves Somebody | Dean Martin | 6/27/1964 | |||
| Where Did Our Love Go | The Supremes | 7/11/1964 | |||
| Come See About Me | The Supremes | 11/14/1964 | |||
| Help Me Rhonda | The Beach Boys | 4/17/1965 | |||
| I Can't Help Myself | Four Tops | 5/15/1965 | |||
| (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction | The Rolling Stones | 6/12/1965 | |||
| I Got You Babe | Sonny And Cher | 7/10/1965 | |||
| Hang On Sloopy | The McCoys | 8/14/1965 | |||
| Turn! Turn! Turn! | The Byrds | 10/23/1965 | |||
| Sounds Of Silence | Simon And Garfunkel | 11/20/1965 | |||
| These Boots Are Made For Walkin' | Nancy Sinatra | 1/22/1966 | |||
| Good Lovin' | The Young Rascals | 3/12/1966 | |||
| Cherish | The Association | 8/27/1966 | |||
| Good Vibrations | The Beach Boys | 10/22/1966 | |||
| Windy | The Association | 5/27/1967 | |||
| Ode To Billie Joe | Bobbie Gentry | 8/5/1967 | |||
| This Guy's In Love With You | Herb Alpert | 5/18/1968 | |||
| People Got To Be Free | The Rascals | 7/20/1968 | |||
| Love Theme From "Romeo And Juliet" | Henry Mancini And His Orchestra | 5/10/1969 | |||
| Wedding Bell Blues | The 5th Dimension | 9/27/1969 | |||
| Venus | The Shocking Blue | 12/13/1969 | |||
| Mr. Custer | Larry Verne | 8/29/1960 | |||
| Georgia On My Mind | Ray Charles | 9/26/1960 | |||
| Hit The Road Jack | Ray Charles | 9/11/1961 | |||
| Don't Break The Heart That Loves You | Connie Francis | 2/10/1962 | |||
| Good Luck Charm | Elvis Presley | 3/17/1962 | |||
| Walk Right In | The Rooftop Singers | 1/5/1963 | |||
| Walk Like A Man | The 4 Seasons | 1/26/1963 | |||
| Our Day Will Come | Ruby And The Romantics | 2/9/1963 | |||
| It's My Party | Lesley Gore | 5/11/1963 | |||
| Easier Said Than Done | The Essex | 6/8/1963 | |||
| Surf City | Jan And Dean | 6/15/1963 | |||
| Dominique | The Singing Nun | 11/9/1963 | |||
| There! I've Said It Again | Bobby Vinton | 11/30/1963 | |||
| Chapel Of Love | The Dixie Cups | 5/2/1964 | |||
| A Hard Day's Night | The Beatles | 7/18/1964 | |||
| Do Wah Diddy Diddy | Manfred Mann | 9/5/1964 | |||
| Baby Love | The Supremes | 10/3/1964 | |||
| My Girl | The Temptations | 1/16/1965 | |||
| Mr. Tambourine Man | The Byrds | 5/15/1965 | |||
| Help! | The Beatles | 8/7/1965 | |||
| My Love | Petula Clark | 12/25/1965 | |||
| The Ballad Of The Green Berets | SSgt. Barry Sadler | 2/5/1966 | |||
| (You're My) Soul And Inspiration | The Righteous Brothers | 3/5/1966 | |||
| When A Man Loves A Woman | Percy Sledge | 4/9/1966 | |||
| Sunshine Superman | Donovan | 7/30/1966 | |||
| You Can't Hurry Love | The Supremes | 8/13/1966 | |||
| Kind Of A Drag | The Buckinghams | 12/31/1966 | |||
| Somethin' Stupid | Nancy Sinatra And Frank Sinatra | 3/18/1967 | |||
| Groovin' | The Young Rascals | 4/22/1967 | |||
| Green Tambourine | The Lemon Pipers | 12/16/1967 | |||
| Mrs. Robinson | Simon And Garfunkel | 4/27/1968 | |||
| Harper Valley P.T.A. | Jeannie C. Riley | 8/24/1968 | |||
| In The Year 2525 (Exordium And Terminus) | Zager And Evans | 6/21/1969 | |||
| Surrender | Elvis Presley | 2/20/1961 | |||
| A World Without Love | Peter And Gordon | 5/9/1964 | |||
| Rag Doll | The 4 Seasons | 6/20/1964 | |||
| Leader Of The Pack | The Shangri-Las | 10/10/1964 | |||
| Ringo | Lorne Greene | 10/31/1964 | |||
| This Diamond Ring | Gary Lewis And The Playboys | 1/16/1965 | |||
| Stop! In The Name Of Love | The Supremes | 2/20/1965 | |||
| Get Off Of My Cloud | The Rolling Stones | 10/9/1965 | |||
| Over And Over | Dave Clark Five | 11/13/1965 | |||
| We Can Work It Out | The Beatles | 12/18/1965 | |||
| Monday, Monday | The Mamas And The Papas | 4/9/1966 | |||
| Hanky Panky | Tommy James And The Shondells | 6/4/1966 | |||
| You Keep Me Hangin' On | The Supremes | 10/29/1966 | |||
| Ruby Tuesday | The Rolling Stones | 1/21/1967 | |||
| Respect | Aretha Franklin | 4/29/1967 | |||
| Daydream Believer | The Monkees | 11/18/1967 | |||
| Grazing In The Grass | Hugh Masekela | 6/8/1968 | |||
| Hello, I Love You | The Doors | 7/6/1968 | |||
| Get Back | The Beatles With Billy Preston | 5/10/1969 | |||
| The House Of The Rising Sun | The Animals | 8/8/1964 | |||
| I Feel Fine | The Beatles | 12/5/1964 | |||
| I'm Telling You Now | Freddie And The Dreamers | 3/13/1965 | |||
| Game Of Love | The Mindbenders | 3/20/1965 | |||
| Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter | Herman's Hermits | 4/17/1965 | |||
| Ticket To Ride | The Beatles | 4/24/1965 | |||
| Back In My Arms Again | The Supremes | 5/1/1965 | |||
| Eve Of Destruction | Barry McGuire | 8/21/1965 | |||
| Yesterday | The Beatles | 9/25/1965 | |||
| Paint It, Black | The Rolling Stones | 5/14/1966 | |||
| Wild Thing | The Troggs | 6/25/1966 | |||
| Summer In The City | The Lovin' Spoonful | 7/16/1966 | |||
| Love Is Here And Now You're Gone | The Supremes | 1/28/1967 | |||
| The Happening | The Supremes | 4/8/1967 | |||
| All You Need Is Love | The Beatles | 7/22/1967 | |||
| Hello Goodbye | The Beatles | 12/2/1967 | |||
| Can't Buy Me Love | The Beatles | 3/28/1964 | |||
| Eight Days A Week | The Beatles | 2/20/1965 | |||
| I'm Henry VIII, I Am | Herman's Hermits | 7/3/1965 | |||
| I Hear A Symphony | The Supremes | 10/30/1965 | |||
| Paperback Writer | The Beatles | 6/11/1966 | |||
| Penny Lane | The Beatles | 2/25/1967 |
