Tumultuous, divisive, and revolutionary are words commonly used to describe the social upheaval, political assassinations, and hippie culture of the 1960s.
And then there was the music.
Children born in the wake of World War II danced away from the hip-shaking soda-fountain rock n’ roll sound that dominated the (white) culture of the ‘50s, embracing a more rebellious and socially aware music, edgier for its time than the squarer stuff in their parents’ record collections.
It’s important to note, however, that the parents of Boomers were still in their late 30s and early 40s at the time, so many of the songs that spent the longest time near the top of the Billboard Top 100 chart in the 1960s were still focused on music that appealed to them. The kids might have been out there sweating to Jimi Hendrix but their parents were at home listening to Henry Mancini. (Check out the most popular song the year you were born.)
To determine the biggest pop hits of the 1960s, 24/7 Tempo reviewed performance data on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Songs were ranked based on an inverse score wherein a week at No. 1 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 worth 99 points, and so on, up to a week at No. 100 worth one point. Chart data is current through the week of August 20, 2022. (Christmas songs were not included.)
Out of the 25 biggest pop hits of the 1960s, based on how high and how long a song was a Billboard Top 100 hit, eight were released in 1960, including Brenda Lee’s “I’m Sorry” and Elvis Presley’s, “It’s Now or Never.” Five of these 25 “high and long” hits came out in 1962.
By the end of the decade, The Beatles had two hits – “Twist and Shout” in 1964 and “Hey Jude” in 1968 – that went to or near the top of the chart and stuck around for months. “Sunshine of Your Love” by the British rock band Cream made it to No. 5 in 1968 and remained on the chart for 26 weeks. (Those two songs were just the beginning for The Beatles, of course; they went on to top the list of the artists with the most No. 1 hits.)
25. Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, “Finger Poppin’ Time”
> Entered Hot 100: May 16, 1960
> Peak position on Hot 100: #7 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 26
24. Henry Mancini and His Orchestra, “Moon River”
> Entered Hot 100: October 9, 1961
> Peak position on Hot 100: #11 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 26
23. Mr. Acker Bilk, “Stranger on the Shore”
> Entered Hot 100: March 17, 1962
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 21
22. Elvis Presley with the Jordanaires, “It’s Now Or Never”
> Entered Hot 100: July 18, 1960
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 5 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 20
21. Cream, “Sunshine of Your Love”
> Entered Hot 100: January 13, 1968
> Peak position on Hot 100: #5 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 26
20. The Beach Boys, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
> Entered Hot 100: March 23, 1963
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 25
19. Connie Stevens, “Sixteen Reasons”
> Entered Hot 100: February 1, 1960
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 24
18. The Beatles, “Twist and Shout”
> Entered Hot 100: March 14, 1964
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 26
17. Johnny Horton, “North to Alaska”
> Entered Hot 100: September 19, 1960
> Peak position on Hot 100: #4 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 23
16. Ferrante & Teicher, “Exodus”
> Entered Hot 100: November 14, 1960
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 21
15. Percy Faith and His Orchestra, “The Theme From ‘A Summer Place'”
> Entered Hot 100: January 11, 1960
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 9 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 21
14. Chubby Checker, “Limbo Rock”
> Entered Hot 100: September 8, 1962
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 23
13. The Beatles, “Hey Jude”
> Entered Hot 100: September 14, 1968
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 9 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 19
12. Brenda Lee, “I’m Sorry”
> Entered Hot 100: May 30, 1960
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 23
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11. B.J. Thomas, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”
> Entered Hot 100: November 1, 1969
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 22
10. The Archies, “Sugar, Sugar”
> Entered Hot 100: July 26, 1969
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 22
9. Bobby Lewis, “Tossin’ and Turnin'”
> Entered Hot 100: April 24, 1961
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 7 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 23
8. Louis Armstrong and the All Stars, “Hello, Dolly!”
> Entered Hot 100: February 15, 1964
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 22
7. The Surfaris, “Wipe Out”
> Entered Hot 100: June 22, 1963
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 30
6. The Contours, “Do You Love Me”
> Entered Hot 100: August 11, 1962
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 34
5. Neil Sedaka, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do”
> Entered Hot 100: June 30, 1962
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 28
4. Ben E. King, “Stand By Me”
> Entered Hot 100: May 8, 1961
> Peak position on Hot 100: #4 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 35
3. Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers, “Monster Mash”
> Entered Hot 100: September 8, 1962
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 38
2. Chubby Checker, “The Twist”
> Entered Hot 100: August 1, 1960
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 39
1. The Righteous Brothers, “Unchained Melody”
> Entered Hot 100: July 17, 1965
> Peak position on Hot 100: #4 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 57