The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart published since August 1958 by Billboard magazine which ranks the best-performing singles in the United States. In 1961, it was compiled based on a combination of sales and airplay data sourced from surveys of retail outlets and playlists submitted by radio stations respectively. During the year, 22 different singles spent time at number one.
In the issue of Billboard dated January 2, Elvis Presley was at number one with "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", the song's sixth week in the top spot. Presley returned to number one in March with "Surrender" and was the only act with two chart-toppers in 1961. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was displaced from the top of the chart by "Wonderland by Night" by Bert Kaempfert, the first Hot 100 entry for the German bandleader and his only number one. Another bandleader, Lawrence Welk, who at the time starred in his own variety show on the ABC television network, gained his only Hot 100 chart-topper with "Calcutta" in February. Between the two bandleaders' chart-toppers, the Shirelles topped the Hot 100 for the first time with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". It was the first Hot 100 number one by a girl group. In April and May, the Marcels, Del Shannon, and Ernie K-Doe all topped the listing for their first and only time with "Blue Moon", "Runaway", and "Mother-in-Law" respectively. "Running Scared" gave Roy Orbison his first Hot 100 number one in June; in 1987, the influential singer known for his melodramatic style was among the earliest inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In June, Pat Boone spent his only week at number one on the Hot 100, when "Moody River" topped the chart, although between 1955 and 1957 he had taken five songs to number one on the separate sales, airplay, and jukebox play charts, which Billboard had published prior to the creation of the consolidated listing. "Moody River" was replaced in the top spot by "Quarter to Three" by U.S. Bonds. The singer, whose real name is Gary Anderson, reportedly had his stage name chosen without his knowledge; soon after "Quarter to Three" topped the Hot 100, his first name was appended and he had further success as Gary U.S. Bonds. The year's longest-running number one was "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis, which spent seven weeks in the top spot in July and August. It was Lewis's first single to enter the Hot 100; despite the success he achieved with "Tossin' and Turnin'", his chart career was short-lived and his final Hot 100 entry came the following year. Between August and October, Joe Dowell, The Highwaymen, Bobby Vee, and Dion all topped the chart for the first time. In November, Jimmy Dean reached number one on the Hot 100 for the first and only time with "Big Bad John". The song was a triple chart-topper, also reaching the peak position on Billboards easy listening and country charts. The Marvelettes and the Tokens both reached number one for the first time in December. The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" was the first number-one pop single on the influential Motown record label. It is one of several of 1961's number ones to have been included on iterations of Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, along with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Runaway", "Hit the Road Jack" by Ray Charles, and "Runaround Sue" by Dion.
Chart history
+Issue dateTitleArtist(s)42"Are You Lonesome Tonight?"43"Wonderland by Night"44"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"45"Calcutta"46"Pony Time"47"Surrender"48"Blue Moon"49"Runaway"50"Mother-in-Law"51"Travelin' Man"52"Running Scared"51 (re)"Travelin' Man"53"Moody River"54"Quarter to Three"55"Tossin' and Turnin'"56"Wooden Heart"57"Michael"58"Take Good Care of My Baby"59"Hit the Road Jack"60"Runaround Sue"Dion61"Big Bad John"62"Please Mr. Postman"63""
Notes
Number-one artists + List of number-one artists by total weeks at number one Weeks at No. 1 Artist 7 Bobby Lewis 5 Jimmy Dean 4 Del Shannon 3 Bert Kaempfert Chubby Checker Elvis Presley The Marcels Bobby Vee 2 The Shirelles Lawrence Welk Ricky Nelson U.S. Bonds The Highwaymen Ray Charles Dion The Tokens 1 Ernie K-Doe Roy Orbison Pat Boone Joe Dowell The Marvelettes
See also 1961 in music List of Billboard number-one singles List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1961 List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles from 1958 to 1969
References
Works cited