Subject: RE: Number One Hits While We Were In High School
Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 15:44:03 -0500
From: "Sharpe, Thomas R." [SharpeT@missouri.edu]
To: ALL
Okay. Terry Fuchs, I need your help! A drum roll please...Perhaps some cymbals!
If this affects you the way it did me in compiling it, it will stay in your
head for several days!
Below are the Number One Hits from August, 1958 until June, 1962.
Thanks, Terry.
| PEAKWEEK | TITLE OF SONG | ARTIST |
| 8/4/58 | POOR LITTLE FOOL | Ricky Nelson |
| 8/18/58 | NEL BLU DIPINTO DI BLU (VOLARE) | Domenico Modugno |
| 8/25/58 | LITTLE STAR | The Elegants |
| 8/25/58 | BIRD DOG | The Everly Brothers |
| 9/29/58 | IT’S ALL IN THE GAME | Tommy Edwards |
| 11/10/58 | IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE | Conway Twitty |
| 11/17/58 | TOM DOOLEY | The Kingston Trio |
| 12/01/58 | TO KNOW HIM, IS TO LOVE HIM | The Teddy Bears |
| 12/22/58 | THE CHIPMUNK SONG | The Chipmunks |
| 1/19/59 | SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES | The Platters |
| 2/9/59 | STAGGER LEE | Lloyd Price |
| 3/9/59 | VENUS | Frankie Avalon |
| 4/13/59 | COME SOFTLY TO ME | The Fleetwoods |
| 5/11/59 | THE HAPPY ORGAN | Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez |
| 5/18/59 | KANSAS CITY | Wilbert Harrison |
| 6/1/59 | THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS | Johnny Horton |
| 7/13/59 | LONELY BOY | Paul Anka |
| 8/10/59 | A BIG HUNK O’ LOVE | Elvis Presley |
| 8/24/59 | THE THREE BELLS | The Browns |
| 9/21/59 | SLEEP WALK | Santo & Johnny |
| 10/5/59 | MACK THE KNIFE | Bobby Darin |
| 11/16/59 | MR. BLUE | The Fleetwoods |
| 12/14/59 | HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER | Guy Mitchell |
| 12/28/59 | WHY | Frankie Avalon |
| 1/4/60 | EL PASO | Marty Robbins |
| 1/18/60 | RUNNING BEAR | Johnny Preston |
| 2/8/60 | TEEN ANGEL | Mark Dinning |
| 2/22/59 | THE THEME FROM “A SUMMER PLACE” | Percy Faith |
| 4/25/60 | STUCK ON YOU | Elvis Presley |
| 5/23/60 | CATHY’S CLOWN | Everly Brothers |
| 6/27/60 | EVERYBODY’S SOMEBODY’S FOOL | Connie Francis |
| 7/11/60 | ALLEY-OOP | Hollywood Argyles |
| 7/18/60 | I’M SORRY | Brenda Lee |
| 8/8/60 | ITSY BITSY TINY WEENY YELLOW POLKADOT BIKINI | Brian Hyland |
| 8/15/60 | IT’S NOW OR NEVER | Elvis Presley |
| 9/19/60 | THE TWIST(re-entered #1 position in 1962 for 2 more weeks) | Chubby Checker |
| 9/26/60 | MY HEART HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN | Connie Francis |
| 10/10/60 | MR. CUSTER | Larry Verne |
| 10/17/60 | SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME | The Drifters |
| 11/14/60 | GEORGIA ON MY MIND | Ray Charles |
| 11/21/60 | STAY | George Mason & The Zodiacs |
| 11/28/60 | ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT? | Elvis Presley |
| 1/9/61 | WONDERLAND BY NIGHT | Bert Kaempfert |
| 1/30/61 | WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW | The Shirelles |
| 2/13/61 | CALCUTTA | Lawrence Welk |
| 2/27/61 | PONY TIME | Chubby Checker |
| 3/20/61 | SURRENDER | Elvis Presley |
| 4/3/61 | BLUE MOON | The Marcels |
| 4/24/61 | RUNAWAY | Del Shannon |
| 5/22/61 | MOTHER-IN-LAW | Ernie K-Doe |
| 5/29/61 | TRAVELIN’ MAN | Ricky Nelson |
| 6/5/61 | RUNNING SCARED | Roy Orbison |
| 6/19/61 | MOODY RIVER | Pat Boone |
| 6/26/61 | QUARTER TO THREE | U.S. Bonds |
| 7/10/61 | TOSSIN’ AND TURNIN’ | Bobby Lewis |
| 8/28/61 | WOODEN HEART | Joe Dowell |
| 9/4/61 | MICHAEL | The Highwaymen |
| 9/18/61 | TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY | Bobby Vee |
| 10/9/61 | HIT THE ROAD JACK | Ray Charles |
| 10/23/61 | RUNAROUND SUE | Dion |
| 11/06/61 | BIG BAD JOHN | Jimmy Dean |
| 12/11/61 | PLEASE MR. POSTMAN | The Marvelettes |
| 12/18/61 | THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT | The Tokens |
| 1/13/62 | THE TWIST(first entered #1 position in 1960 for 1 week) | Chubby Checker |
| 1/27/62 | PEPPERMINT TWIST | Joey Dee & The Starliters |
| 2/17/62 | DUKE OF EARL | Gene Chandler |
| 3/10/62 | HEY! BABY | Bruce Channel |
| 3/31/62 | DON’T BREAK THE HEART THAT LOVES YOU | Connie Francis |
| 4/7/62 | JOHNNY ANGEL | Shelley Fabares |
| 4/21/62 | GOOD LUCK CHARM | Elvis Presley |
| 5/5/62 | SOLDIER BOY | The Shirelles |
| 5/26/62 | STRANGER ON THE SHORE | Mr. Acker Bilk |
| 6/2/62 | I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU | Ray Charles |
The King had 6: A Big Hunk O’ Love, Stuck on You, It’s Now or Never,
Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Surrender, and Good Luck Charm
Connie “Florida Orange Juice” Frances had 3: Everybody’s
Somebody’s Fool, My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own, and Don’t Break the
Heart That Loves You
Ray Charles had 3: Georgia on My Mind, Hit the Road Jack, and I Can’t Stop
Loving You
Ricky Nelson had 2: Poor Little Fool, and Travelin’ Man
The Everly Brothers had 2: Bird Dog, and Cathy’s Clown
Frankie Avalon had 2: Venus, and Why?
The Fleetwoods had 2: Come Softly to Me, and Mr. Blue
Chubby Checker had 2 (three if you count The Twist both times): The Twist, and
Pony Time
The Shirelles had 2: Will You Love Me Tomorrow?, and Soldier Boy
But then, who can forget To Know Him is to Love Him by The Teddy Bears? Or
Stagger Lee by Lloyd Price? Or Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin? Or my
melodramatic favorite, Teen Angel by Mark Dinning? I’m Sorry by Brenda
Lee? Or even Alley-Oop by the Hollywood Argyles? Or Blue Moon by The Marcells?
Or the song that won’t, Runaway by Del Shannon? Or Take Good Care of My
Baby by Bobby Vee? And oh, especially The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens? (A
weem-a-wep, a weem-a-wep, aweem-a-wep…) Or The Duke of Earl by Gene
Chandler? (Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl, Duke Duke,...) And think of all
those great songs that didn’t make it to Number One!
I’m fond of telling people that, in my view, the three finest pieces of
music ever written are Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Ave Maria,
and.......Peggy Sue!
Hope you enjoy this.
Tom