EVERY Billboard #1 hit discussion thread 1958-Present

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by alphanguy, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    Ok... next we have "Volare" by Domenico Modugno. This song topped the charts in non consecutive weeks from August 18-24, and again from September 1 - September 28, 1958. This song also took third place in the 1958 Eurovision song contest.

     
  2. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    And here is a live performance from Ed Sullivan:
     
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  3. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    :edthumbs: for Ricky Nelson and his great band. Good song too!
    Volare is nice 'cos it's a great Italian song.
     
  4. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    It was the first Grammy Record Of The Year, if I'm not mistaken.
     
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  5. Manapua

    Manapua Forum Resident

    Location:
    Honolulu
    I came to know this song through Bobby Rydell's cover and that's still the version I prefer. His was a more swinging, pop record but that's just my opinion.
     
  6. thecdguy

    thecdguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    I was just about to say the same thing. I like both versions a lot, but I still always think of Bobby's version first. (Probably because it's sung in English).
     
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  7. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    Dean Martin did a mixed English-Italian cover in 1958 that peaked at #12. That version is the one that inspired Bobby Rydell's remake. Six years would pass before Dino's next big hit, which hit #1, so it'll eventually be posted here.
     
  8. Finchingfield

    Finchingfield Forum Resident

    Location:
    Henrico, Va
    You are correct, Tim!

    The following is information overkill, but it's also worth noting that the Top 100 chart evolved several times until the Hot 100 replaced it on 8-4-58. And when it did appear, its source data was very similar to what the original Top 100 source data had been.

    The original Top 100 was a combination of the other 3 charts, dealer best sellers, disk jockeys, and juke boxes. Here's the note from the first Top 100 chart in the 11-12-55 Billboard issue:

    A list of the Top 100 Record Sides in the nation according to a Combined Tabulation of Dealer, Disk Jockey and Juke Box Operator replies to The Billboard’s weekly popular record Best Seller and Most Played surveys. Its purpose is to provide Disk Jockeys with additional programming material and to give trade exposure to Newer records just beginning to show action in the field.​

    The Juke Box chart ended on 6-17-57, and in the next issue 6-24-57 the Top 100 note was changed to reflect this:

    A list of the Top 100 Record Sides in the nation according to a Combined Tabulation of Dealer unit sales and Disk Jockey replies to The Billboard’s weekly popular record Most Played survey. Its purpose is to provide Disk Jockeys with additional programming material and to give trade exposure to Newer records just beginning to show action in the field.​

    The very next week 7-1-57, the chart title was changed from "The Top 100" to "Top 100 Sides," and the note at the top was revised to the following, implying the Disk Jockey chart (still being published) had now been taken out of the equation:

    A list of the top 100 record sides in the nation according to a tabulation of dealer unit sales. Its purpose primarily is to provide disk jockeys with additional programming material and to give trade exposure to newer sides just beginning to show action in the field. It Is Not A Record Sales Chart.​

    And then the very next week 7-8-57 , the note at the top was revised yet again:

    This is a tabulation of dealer unit sales listed according to the specific side requested by customers. No attempt is made to add sides together to reflect actual record sales. It is therefore a tabulation of sides or songs, and not records. This fact, together with longer four-week survey periods, explains variation between the top 30 sides as reflected in this chart, and top 30 record sellers as reflected in “Best Sellers in Stores.”​

    Then the "Best Sellers in Stores" chart was expanded from 30 to 50 positions, and in the 1-4-58 issue the note at the top of the "Top 100 Sides" chart was tweaked to reflect this:

    This is a tabulation of dealer individual record sales listed according to the specific side requested by customers. No attempt is made to add sides together to reflect actual record sales. This is, therefore, a tabulation of sides or songs, and not records. This is the reason for any possible variation that occurs between the top 50 sides as reflected in this chart, and the top 50 record sellers as reflected in the “Best Sellers in Stores” chart.​

    Now comes the first Hot 100 chart in issue 8-4-58. The note for this reads as follows, a combo of jockeys, jukes, and sales (as was the first Top 100 chart):

    These 100 sides are listed in order of their national popularity, as determined by weekly local studies prepared for The Billboard in markets representing a cross-section of the United States. These studies take into consideration such factors as disk jockey plays, juke box activity and record sales.​

    In the 10-20-58 issue, the Hot 100 note has been tweaked to the following, implying they're back to sales only:

    These 100 sides are listed in order of their national popularity, as determined by weekly local studies prepared for The Billboard in markets representing a cross-section of the United States. These studies reflect sales registered for each disk up to press time.​

    This note continued up thru the 5-11-59 issue.

    So while the Top 100 / Hot 100 was (and is) constantly evolving, both the original Top 100 and Hot 100 used a combination of best sellers, disk jockeys, and juke boxes.

    It would not be inconsistent to restart this thread from the first Top 100 chart on 11-12-55 so as to get the 1956 beginning of the Elvis era in here. And / or go back to 1-1-55 and get the pre-rock era stuff before Rock Around The Clock hit the peak in July, 1955. But then you'd have to decide which chart to use for Jan - Nov 1955, Best Sellers, Disk Jockeys, or Juke Boxes. Joel Whitburn defaults to Best Sellers...

    Now back to our originally scheduled programming, in living color, on NBC...
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2016
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  9. Hey Vinyl Man

    Hey Vinyl Man Another bloody Yank down under...

    As late as the late '80s, Nelson was third only to Elvis and the Beatles in terms of the number of top 40 hits. Probably not the name most people would have guessed, but...
     
  10. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    I have to say, I also know Bobby Rydell's version best, perhaps because I started listening to radio in 1972, and his version by that time had "supplanted" this one on american radio, the same way Marie Osmond's hits supplanted the same versions by Anita Bryant.
     
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  11. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    And here is Bobby's version, which peaked at #4. It's an unusual thing for a song to hit the top 10 more than once.
     
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  12. Slokes

    Slokes Cruel But Fair

    Location:
    Greenwich, CT USA
    "Volare" was a funny hit in several ways. It's not at all rock 'n' roll, but very much a supper-club throwback to the era of light-pop songs which dominated the decade pre-Elvis. And it's in another language, which was highly unusual for a #1 hit, even though there were many Italian-American singers of note who sang in Italian.

    I think there's only been that one hit single in Italian, plus another in French ("Dominique"), another in Japanese ("Sukiyaki," not the original lyric in that case), a Spanish one ("Macarena"), and a German one ("Rock Me, Amadeus.") There are foreign instrumentals that have made it to #1, but foreign languages are a huge barrier usually. "Volare" is one of the first that made it over.

    I know the song less from the radio than from a car commercial for the Plymouth Volare which used the song's chorus repeatedly, and is stuck in my head to this day.
     
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  13. 389 Tripower

    389 Tripower Just a little south of Moline

    Location:
    Moline, IL USA
    I Dig the Billboard Hits!!
    :-popcorn:
     
  14. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    I myself don't know why foreign language is a such a barrier for chart hits in the USA... but you certainly had the lions share of them happening in the 1958-65 time period. In Europe, crossover language hits are a common occurence.
     
  15. frog12

    frog12 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
  16. 389 Tripower

    389 Tripower Just a little south of Moline

    Location:
    Moline, IL USA
    I was thinking Ricardo Montalban!
    Wrong car - he did the Cordoba.
     
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  17. george nadara

    george nadara Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    A greater percentage of Europeans are multilingual.
     
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  18. I found this thread a bit too late but I want to comment on Ricky Nelson. Besides everything that has already been said about him, I really like the great differences between a 1958 "Heart Throb" pop artist, and today's version of the same basic thing. Ricky was well mannered, well spoken, polite, well dressed, could sing well, and play too. No auto tune for Ricky and no TMZ expose either.
     
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  19. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    The actual title of Domenico Modugno's hit is "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu."
     
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  20. greelywinger

    greelywinger Osmondia

    Location:
    Dayton, Ohio USA
    EVERY Billboard #1 hit in my collection 1958-2001

    1958
    The Everly Brothers -All I Have To Do Is Dream
    Ricky Nelson - Poor little Fool
    1960
    The Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown
    1961
    Ricky Nelson - Travelin' Man
    1962
    The Four Seasons - Sherry
    The Four Seasons - Big Girls Don't Cry
    1963
    The Four Seasons - walk Like A Man
    1964
    The Four Seasons - Rag Doll
    1965
    Gary Lewis & The Playboys - This Diamond Ring
    The Temptations - My girl
    Herman's Hermits - Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter
    Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)
    Herman's Hermits - I'm Henry VIII, I Am
    The Dave Clark Five - Over And Over
    1966
    The Mamas & The Papas - Monday, Monday
    Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
    Monkees - Last Train To Clarksville
    Monkees - I'm A Believer
    1967
    Monkees - Daydream Believer
    1969
    The Archies - Sugar, Sugar
    The Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You
    1970
    The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
    The Jackson 5 - ABC
    The Jackson 5 - The Love You save
    Carpenters - (They Long to Be) Close To You
    The Jackson 5 - I'll Be There
    The Partridge Family - I Think I Love you
    Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tears Of A Clown
    1971
    The Osmonds - One Bad Apple
    The Temptations - Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
    The Raiders - Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)
    Bee Gees - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
    Donny Osmond - Go Away Little Girl
    1972
    Michael Jackson - Ben
    Chuck Berry - My Ding-A-Ling
    The Temptations - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
    1973
    Grand Funk - We're An American Band
    Eddie Kendricks - Keep On Truckin' (Part 1)
    The Carpenters - Top Of The World
    1974
    John Denver - Sunshine On My Shoulders
    Grand Funk - The Loco-Motion
    John Denver - Annie's Song
    1975
    The Carpenters - Please Mr. Postman
    Frankie Valli - My Eyes Adored you
    John Denver - Thank God I'm A Country Boy
    Bee Gees - Jive Talkin'
    John Denver - I'm Sorry/Calypso
    1976
    Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night
    The Miracles - Love Machine (Part 1)
    The Four Seasons - December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)
    Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing
    1977
    ABBA - Dancing Queen
    Shaun Cassidy - Da Doo Ron Ron
    Andy Gibb - I Just Want To Be Your Everything
    Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love
    1978
    Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive
    Andy Gibb - (Love Is) Thicker Than Water
    Bee Gees - Night Fever
    Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing
    Frankie Valli - Grease
    1979
    Bee Gees - Too Much Heaven
    Bee Gees - Tragedy
    Bee Gees - Love You Inside Out
    Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
    1980
    Michael Jackson - Rock With You
    Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
    Queen - Another One Bites The Dust
    1981
    Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
    1983
    Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
    Michael Jackson - Beat It
    Paul McCartney And Michael Jackson - Say Say Say
    1984
    Duran Duran - The Reflex
    1985
    Duran Duran - A View To A Kill
    1986
    Janet Jackson - When I Think Of You
    1987
    Michael Jackson With Siedah Garrett - I Just Can't Stop Loving You
    Michael Jackson - Bad
    1988
    Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel
    Michael jackson - Man In The Mirror
    Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat
    Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana
    1989
    Debbie Gibson - Lost In Your Eyes
    New Kids On The Block - I'll Be Loving You (Forever)
    New Kids On The Block - Hangin' Tough
    Janet Jackson - Miss You Much
    1990
    Janet Jackson - Escapade
    New Kids On The Block - Step By Step
    Janet Jackson - Black Cat
    1991
    Janet Jackson - Love Will Never Do (Without You)
    Michael Jackson - Black Or White
    1993
    Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes
    Janet Jackson - Again
    1995
    Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone
    1997
    Hanson - MMMBop
    1998
    Janet Jackson - Together Again
    2000
    Janet Jackson - Doesn't Really Matter
    2001
    Janet Jackson - All For You

    Darryl
     
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  21. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    As best as I can tell, I have every Hot 100 #1 single on a 45, either original, reissue or import, until May 18, 1996.
     
  22. SonyTek

    SonyTek Forum Resident

    Location:
    Inland Empire, CA
    We need a Billboard "all #2s" thread. Many times (IMHO) the songs that peaked at #2 were preferable, and kept out of the #1 spot unfairly. Just one example, look at "You Light Up My Life", which held the #1 spot for 10 weeks back in 1977. Lots of good singles kept out as this song was massively overplayed, and I think many here would agree with me.

    Not to disparage all #1 songs, by the way, but sometimes it's more interesting when a song almost makes it up there...
     
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  23. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    Penny Lane / Release Me - probably the most extreme example
     
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  24. Manapua

    Manapua Forum Resident

    Location:
    Honolulu
    Imagine how poor Foreigner felt when Waiting For A Girl Like You got stuck at #2 for 10 weeks behind the juggernaut Physical!
     
  25. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    Carpenters career was largely made up of songs and albums that only made it to #2.

    @greelywinger , you're missing the two Herb Alpert #1's from your collection? ("This Guy's In Love With You" and "Rise")
     

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