Chart events
- “Piano Concerto in B Flat” by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra reached number one on the US chart on October 4, 1941. The recording was based on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto.
- „In the Blue of Evening“ by Frank Sinatra reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart.
- I'll Walk Alone reached No. 1 on the US Billboard pop chart.
- Frankie Laine’s recording of “That Lucky Old Sun” reaches No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Pop chart.
- The Weavers reached No. 1 on the chart with the song “Goodnight Irene”.
- Roy Brown and His Mighty Mighty Men reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B Best Sellers chart with “Hard Luck Blues”. Brown also wrote “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, a 1948 hit for Wynonie Harris that is regarded by many rock historians as a precursor to the rock ’n’ roll era and was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1954.
- Mantovani and His Orchestra were at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Song From The Moulin Rouge” from the film of the same name. It was the first instrumental recording to reach No. 1 on the UK chart.
- Frankie Laine reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the song “I Believe”.
- Guy Mitchell took "Look At That Girl" to No. 1 on the UK singles chart. It was his second UK chart-topper that year, and as an internationally successful singer of the 1950s, he sold more than six million singles.
- Stan Freberg reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Pop chart with “St. George and the Dragonet.”
- Stan Freberg's “St. George And The Dragonet” reached number one on the U.S. chart.
- The Crew-Cuts' version of “Sh-Boom”, also known as “Life Could Be a Dream”, reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart and began a seven-week run at the top.
- British music magazine New Musical Express expanded its weekly singles chart from the Top 12 to the Top 20. The rankings were compiled by telephone surveys of approximately twenty record shops about their best-selling records. The growing popularity of the chart led other magazines, including Record Mirror and Melody Maker, to publish their own charts.
- Don Cornell was at No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Hold My Hand.” The BBC banned the song because of the words “kingdom of heaven.”
- “A Fool for You” by Ray Charles and his group reached No. 1 on the R&B chart.
- Chuck Berry's “Maybellene” entered the Billboard Top 100 at No. 13, two weeks after reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard R&B chart, and later climbed to No. 5. The song is now regarded as one of the pioneering rock 'n' roll singles.
- Elvis Presley released the single “I Forgot to Remember to Forget / Mystery Train”, which later became his first No. 1 hit. It remained at the top of the country chart for five weeks.
- “Maybellene” by Chuck Berry debuted on the charts.
- The song “Ain't That A Shame” reached No. 10 on the US pop chart and became the first R&B song to reach the Top 10. Three weeks later, Pat Boone's cover version reached No. 1.
- Chuck Berry reached No. 5 on the U.S. pop chart with "Maybellene", while the song spent eleven weeks at No. 1 on the rhythm and blues chart.
- Chuck Berry spent his third week at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Maybellene”.
- Mitch Miller reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 with “The Yellow Rose of Texas”. The song originated in 1853; Miller was also an influential A&R executive and producer who openly opposed rock ’n’ roll.
- Canadian vocal group The Four Lads made their Billboard Top 100 debut with “Moments to Remember”. The song became their biggest hit, reaching No. 2 during a 25-week chart run and launching a series of twelve Top 40 hits.
- “I Forgot to Remember to Forget” reached No. 2 on the Memphis chart. After RCA Victor acquired the recording, it became Elvis's first significant national release and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country and Western chart in February 1956, where it remained for a total of 39 weeks. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Most Played by Jockeys chart and brought him his first significant national publicity.
- Chuck Berry remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Maybellene,” which had already spent ten weeks at the top.
- The Four Aces reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” the first American recording to reach No. 1 that had been specifically written for a film. The song reached No. 2 in the UK and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956.
- The Platters scored their second U.S. No. 1 pop hit with "My Prayer," staying at the top for 5 weeks. The song was originally based on the 1926 French composition "Avant de Mourir."
- Doris Day was at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera).” It was her second UK No. 1 hit.
- Doris Day began a six-week run at No. 1 on the UK chart with “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”
- Richard Goodman and Bull Buchanan, recording as Buchanan and Goodman, entered the charts with “Flying Saucer.” It was the first song to use the “Break In” technique, in which excerpts of other hits are inserted into a recording. The song later reached No. 3.
- The soundtrack album to the musical drama Carousel reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart.
- Elvis Presley released the double-sided single “Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog.” Both songs reached No. 1 on the US chart and together remained there for a record 11 weeks. The record was not broken until 1992 by Boyz II Men's “End of the Road.”
- Elvis Presley reached No. 1 on the US pop chart with “Don't Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog,” where the songs remained for eleven weeks.
- The Platters reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart with "My Prayer" for a 2-week run.
- The Five Satins made their chart debut on the Billboard R&B chart with “In the Still of the Night”, which they recorded in the basement of a church in New Haven, Connecticut. It was originally released as the B-side of “The Jones Girl” on the small Standard label, but after significant local success it was reissued by Ember Records. The single reached No. 3 on the R&B chart and No. 24 on the pop chart and sold more than one million copies. The song is often credited with popularizing the term “doo-wop” because of its distinctive “doo-wop, doo-wah” refrain.
- The Platters' “My Prayer” was at No. 1 on the US R&B chart.
- All ten songs in the British singles chart Top 10 came from American artists, including Elvis Presley, The Platters, Doris Day, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and Gogi Grant.
- Elvis Presley's “Love Me Tender” entered the Billboard retail-sales chart, where it remained for 19 weeks, including five weeks at number one, and sold more than three million copies. The song was written for his first film, and its melody was adapted from the 1861 song “Aura Lee” from the period of the American Civil War.
- Elvis Presley's single "Blue Moon" reached number 55 on the US chart.
- The single “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
- Debbie Reynolds reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with the song “Tammy” from the film Tammy and the Bachelor. The song received a gold record and became the year's best-selling single. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to “All the Way” from The Joker Is Wild.
- Debbie Reynolds’ “Tammy” reached number one, where it remained for five weeks.
- Paul Anka reached number one on the UK singles chart with “Diana”. It was his only UK chart-topper and also the first UK number-one hit by a teenage solo artist. At the time of the success he was only a few days short of his 16th birthday, and he wrote the song about his brother's babysitter.
- The title song from the film “Tammy and the Bachelor”, simply titled “Tammy” in Debbie Reynolds' version, was No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 and Cashbox's best-selling records chart. Debbie was accompanied only by piano on the single, while the film version featured a full orchestra.
- Paul Anka began a nine-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Diana”.
- On September 2, 1957, Elvis Presley had several chart successes at the same time: the EP “Loving You Vol. II” reached number 18 on the US chart, the soundtrack EP “Love Me Tender” reached number 22, and the song “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” reached number one on the R&B chart.
- Elvis Presley was at No. 1 on the UK chart with his first soundtrack album, Loving You. The album also reached No. 1 in the US, where it remained at the top for 10 weeks.
- Elvis Presley finished second to Pat Boone in a music poll conducted by NME magazine.
- Elvis' Christmas Album reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart for four consecutive weeks despite Irving Berlin's campaign against Elvis's blues-influenced version of “White Christmas.”
- Little Richard's “Keep A Knockin',” featuring saxophonist Grady Gaines, entered the Billboard Top 40. It reached No. 8 and remained on the chart for 12 weeks; for Richard, it was his seventh entry on the US pop chart during the previous two years.
- Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The record also topped the R&B and Country charts, was later ranked No. 61 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Songs of All Time and was added to the National Recording Registry in 2005.
- “Chances Are” reaches No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart. More than two million copies are sold, and in 1998 the song is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
- Billboard combined the existing sales, jukebox, and radio charts into the unified Hot 100. The first song to top the new chart was “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson.
- “Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin reached No. 3 on the U.S. chart.
- Ricky Nelson became the first artist to top the newly created U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Poor Little Fool.”
- The Coasters remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart for an eleventh week with “Searchin'.”
- Bill Haley attempted to follow up his hit “Skinny Minnie” with “Lean Jean.” The recording reached only No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Elvis Presley's “Hard Headed Woman” became the first rock'n'roll single to receive RIAA Gold certification. At the time, a Gold single required documented US sales of at least one million copies.
- Domenico Modugno's Italian classic "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" reached No. 1 on the newly established US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It spent a total of 5 non-consecutive weeks at the top, becoming the first foreign-language song to conquer the chart and ending up as Billboard's Song of the Year.
- The Kalin Twins reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with their version of “When”. The song also topped the charts in France and the Netherlands and reached the Top 5 in North America that year.
- The Staten Island group The Elegants reached number one on the US singles chart with “Little Star”, a reworking of the melody of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. For the next 18 months they promoted the song through television appearances and concerts, but their subsequent recordings “Please Believe Me”, “True Love Affair” and “Little Boy Blue” failed to repeat its success.
- Tommy Edwards moved from number 96 to number 40 on the US chart with “It's All In The Game”.
- Tommy Edwards reached No. 1 on the US Billboard chart with “It’s All in the Game”.
- “Rockin' Robin” by Bobby Day reached No. 1 on the rhythm and blues chart.
- “Tom Dooley” by The Kingston Trio climbed from No. 83 to No. 37 on the U.S. chart.
- Elvis Presley's album King Creole reached No. 2 on the US album chart.
- The single "Tears on My Pillow" reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Little Anthony and the Imperials' biggest hit. Over the following seven years, the group scored six more hits, including "Goin' Out of My Head" and "Hurt So Bad", both of which reached the Top 10.
- “A Big Hunk O' Love” became Elvis Presley’s 14th consecutive gold record.
- Lloyd Price reached No. 1 on the US chart with “Stagger Lee”.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “A Big Hunk O' Love.” The song was recorded during Elvis’s only recording session while serving in the US Army, in four takes, with the released version assembled from the third and fourth takes.
- Fats Domino entered the Billboard singles chart with “I Want to Walk You Home,” which later climbed to No. 8. Although he had 18 million-selling singles during his career, he never reached No. 1.
- Brook Benton reached No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Thank You Pretty Baby.”
- “The song “There Goes My Baby” performed by The Drifters with Ben E. King reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart and No. 2 on Billboard. The recording was among the first to combine orchestral strings with a Black vocal group and later ranked No. 196 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs.
- Elvis Presley had the song “A Big Hunk O’ Love” at No. 1 on the chart for a second consecutive week, bringing his career total to 60 weeks at the top.
- The Browns began a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with „The Three Bells“. The song also reached No. 1 in Australia and No. 6 in the U.K. It was an English version of the 1945 French song „Les Trois Cloches“.
- Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife” debuted at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 30. It came from the 1928 German play “Three Penny Opera”, later became Darin’s biggest hit, reached No. 1 and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
- “A Big Hunk O’ Love” became Elvis Presley’s fourteenth consecutive gold record. The recording was made in Nashville during his military service and was Presley’s first hit without guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black.
- The Browns entered the Billboard Top 40 with their country version of “The Three Bells”. The recording later reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, the country chart and, surprisingly, the Billboard R&B chart.
- Craig Douglas reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with his own version of Sam Cooke's hit “Only Sixteen”. Born Terence Perkins, he worked as a milkman before becoming a professional singer, earning him the nickname “Singing Milkman”.
- Lloyd Price returned to No. 1 on the rhythm & blues chart with “I’m Gonna’ Get Married”.
- Paul Anka moved up the chart from No. 67 to No. 41 with “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”.
- Bobby Darin's “Mack the Knife” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 5, beginning its first six-week period at the top. After a brief interruption, it returned to No. 1 and spent a total of nine weeks there. The recording won the Grammy for Record of the Year, and Bobby Darin won the Grammy for Best New Artist; in 2003 the song was ranked No. 251 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs.
- Nina Simone's debut single “I Loves You Porgy” reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, her highest position on the chart.
- Jerry Keller reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Here Comes Summer.” Although it was his only major hit, he later worked as a singer of television advertising jingles during the 1970s and 1980s.
- One-hit wonder Jerry Keller reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with "Here Comes Summer."
- “Here Comes Summer” by Jerry Keller reached number one on the UK singles chart. In the United States, it reached number 14 earlier that year.
- The first Berry Gordy recording for the newly founded Motown Records, The Miracles' “Bad Girl,” entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 98. It remained on the chart only briefly and was later recognized as a doo-wop classic.
- Johnny Kidd & The Pirates reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Shakin' All Over" on August 4, 1960, the official archival chart date for this number-one debut.
- The soundtrack album to the 1958 film “South Pacific” reached No. 1 on the UK album chart.
- Brian Hyland reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Best Sellers chart with "Itsy Bitsy, Teenie Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". In the U.K., the song reached No. 8.
- Cliff Richard & The Shadows reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Please Don't Tease.” The song also topped the charts in India, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway that year.
- With the song “It's Now or Never”, he began a five-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and also reached No. 1 in the UK. The song was based on the Italian song “O Sole Mio” and was his first postwar number-one hit. More than 20 million copies were sold worldwide.
- The Shadows reached number one on the UK singles chart with their version of Jerry Lordan's “Apache”. It was the first of their five UK number-one singles.
- The instrumental song “Apache”, credited to The Shadows, replaced Cliff Richard and The Shadows' “Please Don't Tease” at No. 1 on the UK chart. Cliff Richard contributed by playing the Chinese drum at the beginning and end of the recording.
- Elvis Presley's song "It's Now or Never" was in its third week at No. 1, while "Kiddio" by Brook Benton took the No. 1 spot on the Easy Listening chart.
- Annette Funicello's “Pineapple Princess” entered the US Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number 11. According to the source, it was her fifth and final Top 40 hit on the chart.
- “Stay” by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on October 2, 1960, and climbed to No. 1 on November 21, 1960. At 1:38, it became the shortest song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; various sources also give its length as 1:36–1:37.
- The novelty song “Mr. Custer” by Larry Verne reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the R&B chart. It tells the story of an American cavalryman trying to avoid fighting the Sioux at Little Bighorn in 1876. Verne's version did not chart in the UK, but a successful cover version by Charlie Drake did.
- The Highwaymen reach No. 1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the African-American spiritual “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore.”
- The song “Save the Last Dance for Me” reached number one on the US Billboard pop chart.
- Eden Kane, born Richard Graham Starstedt, reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “Well I Ask You.”
- “Shakin' All Over” by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart.
- Patsy Cline se skladbou „I Fall To Pieces“ dosáhla 1. místa v Billboard Hot C&W Sides a 12. místa v Billboard Hot 100. Skladbě trvalo více než šest měsíců od vydání, než dosáhla vrcholu.
- Lonnie Donegan achieved his biggest American hit with “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour on the Bedpost Overnight”, which reached No. 5.
- Fourteen-year-old Helen Shapiro became the youngest female artist to reach No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “You Don’t Know.” Her first four singles all reached the Top 3 in the UK.
- The song “Right Or Wrong” entered the Billboard Pop chart and later reached number 29.
- The Highwaymen’s million-selling recording “Michael (Row the Boat Ashore)”, their version of the African-American spiritual, reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart. The five Wesleyan University students achieved another hit the following year with “Cotton Fields” and split up in 1964 after a run of 12 consecutive singles that failed to chart.
- Bobby Lewis was at No. 1 for the seventh consecutive week with “Tossin' And Turnin'”.
- Elvis Presley began a three-week run at No. 1 on the US album chart with “Something For Everybody”, his sixth US No. 1 album.
- Joe Dowell reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with his version of “Wooden Heart”. The song is best known for its use in Elvis Presley’s 1960 film “G.I. Blues”, which gave Elvis a UK No. 1 hit. Among those who contributed to Dowell’s recording were Floyd Cramer on piano, The Anita Kerr Singers, The Jordanaires, and Ray Stevens on organ. The song remained at the top of the US chart for one week.
- John Leyton began a three-week run at No. 1 on the British singles chart with "Johnny Remember Me". The BBC later banned it from airplay because of its unsettling sound and gloomy lyrics.
- Joe Dowell’s version of “Wooden Heart”, originally associated with Elvis Presley, entered the US chart.
- “ Tossin' and Turnin' ” by Bobby Lewis spent its tenth week at number one.
- Bobby Vee's “Take Good Care of My Baby” moved from number 23 to number six on the chart.
- Elvis Presley's single “(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame” moved from number 66 to number 32 and became the fastest-rising song on the chart.
- The Highwaymen began a two-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” also known as “Michael.” It was a million-selling, gold-certified single and an adaptation of a 19th-century African-American spiritual originally sung by enslaved people on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. The version by the Wesleyan University quintet from Middletown, Connecticut, earned a gold record for sales of one million copies.
- The Marvelettes' debut single “Please Mr. Postman” debuted on the charts.
- The song “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)” reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became Lonnie Donegan’s biggest American hit. In the UK, it had already reached No. 3 two years earlier.
- “Take Good Care of My Baby” by Bobby Vee spent its third week at No. 1. Dick & DeeDee were at No. 2, Roy Orbison moved up with “Crying,” and Ray Charles moved from No. 13 to No. 4 with “Hit the Road, Jack.” Elvis Presley also moved upward with “Little Sister.”
- “Michael” by the Highwaymen spent its fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.
- Ray Charles reached No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Hit the Road, Jack.”
- Ray Charles reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Pop chart with “Hit the Road Jack.”
- The Shadows reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Kon-Tiki.”
- Ray Charles started a two-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart with "Hit the Road Jack." The song reached No. 6 in the UK, also topped the charts in New Zealand and Sweden, and earned Charles a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. It became one of his signature songs and was ranked No. 387 on Rolling Stone's 2010 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
- The American folk group The Highwaymen reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Michael." It was their only UK Top 40 hit. The group members were American college students who went their separate ways after graduating.
- After eight previous Billboard Top 40 songs, Neil Sedaka reached No. 1 on the US chart for the first time with “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.” It spent two weeks at the top of Billboard and also two weeks at No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers Chart. It reached No. 7 in the UK.
- Tony Bennett released the single “Once Upon A Time” with “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” on the B-side. When DJs began playing the B-side, “San Francisco” climbed to No. 19 on the chart and later earned Bennett Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Solo Vocal Performance.
- Bobby Vinton began his fourth week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with “Roses Are Red (My Love).”
- Carole King's first single “It Might As Well Rain Until September” debuted on the chart.
- Producer Don Kirshner of Dimension Records gave singer Eva Boyd a chance and had her re-record Gerry Goffin and Carole King's “The Loco-Motion”. The recording reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Best Sellers and number two in the UK.
- Little Eva reached number one on the US singles chart with “The Loco-Motion”, written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, after nine weeks on the chart. She had previously worked as a nanny for King and Goffin's daughter, and the song had originally been offered to Dee Dee Sharp, who turned it down. In 1974 the same song also reached number one in a version by Grand Funk Railroad.
- Peter, Paul & Mary moved from number 90 to number 59 with “If I Had A Hammer”.
- New Jersey doo-wop group The Duprees reached the Billboard Top 40 with “You Belong to Me” and later reached number seven. During the following year and a half they had three more chart hits.
- Bobby Vinton reached No. 1 for the fourth week with “Roses Are Red (My Love)” on the Easy Listening chart.
- Elvis Presley's single “Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello” reached No. 55 in the United States.
- The instrumental song Telstar by The Tornados, named after the communications satellite, reached number one on the UK singles chart and began a five-week run at the top. The song was written and produced by Joe Meek and became the first major hit by a British group to also reach number one in the US. It sold at least five million copies worldwide.
- The Beatles' single "Love Me Do" entered the UK singles chart for the first time and reached No. 17. When it was reissued and promoted for its 20th anniversary in 1982, it climbed to No. 4 in the UK. It was released in the United States in April 1964 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 30 that year.
- Nat King Cole's song "Ramblin' Rose" remained at number one on the Easy Listening chart for a fifth week.
- The Beatles made their first appearance on the U.S. Billboard charts when their single “From Me to You” was listed at No. 125 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. In this issue of Billboard, the song title was misspelled.
- Elvis Presley was at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “(You're the) Devil in Disguise” during the week of August 1–7.
- Peter, Paul & Mary’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, beginning a five-week run at the top.
- The Beatles byli na prvním místě britského albového žebříčku se svým albem „Please Please Me“.
- V britském albovém žebříčku byli na prvních pěti místech „Please Please Me“ od The Beatles, „Greatest Hits“ od The Shadows, „Cliff’s Hit Album“ od Cliffa Richarda, soundtrack „West Side Story“ a album „It Happened At The World Fair“ od Elvise Presleyho.
- The Searchers reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Sweets for My Sweet" on August 8, 1963, when the chart was published showing the song at the top for the first time.
- Thirteen-year-old Little Stevie Wonder began a three-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Fingertips Part II”. It was the first live recording to reach the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart since Johnny Standley's 1952 comedy monologue “It's in the Book”. Stevie Wonder also became the youngest singer to reach the top of the US chart.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on the R&B chart with “(You’re The) Devil in Disguise.” The song reached No. 1 in several other countries.
- Peter, Paul & Mary spent their second week at No. 1 on the US chart with “Blowin’ In The Wind”.
- Andy Williams became the first artist to reach No. 1 on the newly created US Billboard 200, doing so with his eleventh studio album, Days of Wine and Roses.
- The song “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Peter, Paul & Mary remained at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week.
- Ben E. King's song “I Who Have Nothing” reached No. 29 and became his fifth solo Top 40 hit on Billboard since leaving The Drifters in May 1960. Successful versions were later recorded by Terry Knight and the Pack, Liquid Smoke, Sylvester and Tom Jones, among others.
- Wayne Newton's version of “Danke Schoen” reached No. 13 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart. The song was originally intended for Bobby Darin, but after Darin saw Newton perform at the Copacabana, he gave him the song to record.
- The Ronettes recorded their only Billboard Top 10 hit when their first recording for Phil Spector, “Be My Baby”, reached No. 2. None of their other recordings, including “Baby I Love You” (#24), “The Best Part of Breaking Up” (#39), “Do I Love You?” (#34) and “Walking In the Rain” (#23), reached the Top 20 in the US.
- “Bad to Me” reached No. 1 on the British singles chart. The song was officially credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting team; John Lennon later claimed it as his own and said he wrote it for Billy J. Kramer while on vacation in Spain. In a 1964 interview, however, he stated that Paul McCartney had also collaborated on the song. The following year, “Bad to Me” also reached the U.S. Top 10 in the version by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.
- In the US Top 10, besides Stevie Wonder at number two, Allan Sherman was at number three with “Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!”, The Four Seasons at number four with “Candy Girl”, and The Angels at number five with “My Boyfriend's Back”. Also in the Top 10 were Lesley Gore, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Surfaris, Kai Winding, Elvis Presley with “(You're The) Devil In Disguise”, and “Denise” by Randy & The Rainbows.
- Stevie Wonder became the first artist of the rock era to have both a number-one single (“Fingertips, Pt. 2”) and a number-one album (“The Twelve-Year-Old Genius”) simultaneously, while also being at number one on the R&B chart. “Fingertips” was in its fourth week at the top of the R&B chart.
- Darlene Love's biggest solo hit, „Wait Til’ My Bobby Gets Home“, entered the Billboard Top 40 and later reached No. 26. She achieved greater success with The Crystals, The Blossoms and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans.
- Stevie Wonder became the first artist to simultaneously hold No. 1 on the U.S. album and singles charts in the same week. His album „Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius“ topped the album chart and „Fingertips (Part 2)“ topped the singles chart; it was also the first live recording to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. „Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius“ was the last album released under the name „Little Stevie Wonder“; on subsequent albums he used only the name Stevie Wonder.
- The Ronettes reached No. 2 on the U.S. chart with „Be My Baby“, their only single to reach the Billboard Top 10.
- The Angels became the first white female group to reach No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart. "My Boyfriend's Back" began a three-week run at the top. Its writers Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer later wrote hits including "Sorrow", and as The Strangeloves had the U.S. No. 11 single "I Want Candy" in 1965. In the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 50 and also reached No. 1 in New Zealand that year.
- Bobby Vinton reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with “Blue Velvet”.
- Little Stevie Wonder spent his sixth week at No. 1 on the rhythm & blues chart with “Fingertips Pt. 2”.
- The Angels remained at No. 1 on the US chart with “My Boyfriend’s Back”.
- Billboard reported on the growing trend of hot-rod songs replacing surf songs. “Little Deuce Coupe” by The Beach Boys was at number 15 on the Billboard chart. Capitol Records supplied disc jockeys and retailers with a special glossary of terms used in hot-rod culture because of regional differences in automotive slang.
- “Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton spent its fifth consecutive week at the top of the Easy Listening chart.
- “Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Pop chart.
- Brian Poole and the Tremeloes reached number one on the UK singles chart with their version of “Do You Love Me.” It remained at the top for three weeks.
- Earl-Jean Reavis of The Cookies entered the Billboard Top 40 at No. 38 with "I'm Into Something Good", her highest chart position. Three months later, Herman's Hermits reached No. 13 with the same song.
- The soundtrack to Elvis Presley's film "Kissin' Cousins" reached No. 5 on the U.K. album chart.
- The Animals entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at No. 60 with “House of the Rising Sun”. The song later rose to No. 1 and became their only U.S. No. 1 hit.
- “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The recording became an international hit and also reached No. 1 in the US, Sweden, and Canada.
- Dean Martin's “Everybody Loves Somebody” knocked The Beatles' “A Hard Day's Night” from the No. 1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became his biggest hit and reached No. 11 in the UK. The song dated back to 1949 and had been unsuccessfully recorded by several other artists before Martin.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 16 on the U.S. chart with “Such A Night”.
- The Four Tops' “Baby I Need Your Loving” jumped from No. 90 to No. 54 on the U.S. chart.
- The Supremes achieved their first U.S. No. 1 single when “Where Did Our Love Go” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. It was the first of five consecutive No. 1 singles for the group and also the first of their twelve total U.S. No. 1 hits. The song also reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, No. 3 in the United Kingdom, and No. 1 in Canada and New Zealand. Holland–Dozier–Holland originally wrote it for The Marvelettes, who rejected it because they thought it sounded too childish. At the top of the Billboard Hot 100, The Supremes replaced Dean Martin with “Everybody Loves Somebody”; The Beatles were at No. 3 with “A Hard Day's Night”.
- Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" spent its fifth week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.
- The Honeycombs reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with their debut single "Have I the Right?", which became their first and only career number-one hit. Produced by the legendary Joe Meek, the track became a massive international success, also topping the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Sweden, while peaking at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and selling over two million copies worldwide.
- The Supremes remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart with "Where Did Our Love Go".
- Elvis Presley's single “Such a Night” reached number 13 in the UK.
- The Rolling Stones scored their first UK number-one single with “It's All Over Now,” which one source says was released around this date.
- The Animals reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “House of the Rising Sun,” beginning a three-week run at the top. It became their only US number-one single and later topped the charts in Canada, Finland, Spain and the UK. The record label had originally listed a shorter running time to make the song more suitable for radio airplay.
- The Beatles reached number 12 on the US singles chart with “And I Love Her,” while “If I Fell” was listed at number 92 according to the source. A second record gives number 53 for “If I Fell.” The Beatles performed “And I Love Her” outside the EMI studios only once.
- The Supremes' song "Baby Love" entered the music charts.
- Roy Orbison reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Oh, Pretty Woman.” It was his third UK single to top the chart, and the song's title was inspired by his wife Claudette.
- Manfred Mann held the #1 position with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy." Martha & the Vandellas were at #2 with "Dancing In The Street," while Roy Orbison's "Oh Pretty Woman" was #3. The rest of the Top 10 included Gale Garnett, J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers, The Shangri-Las, Chad & Jeremy, Gene Pitney, The Beach Boys and Betty Everett & Jerry Butler.
- Betty Everett and Jerry Butler entered the U.S. Top 10 with the song “Let It Be Me.”
- Gale Garnett's single “We'll Sing in the Sunshine” reached number four on the U.S. chart.
- Gene Pitney's single “It Hurts to Be in Love” reached the U.S. Top 10.
- The single “A Summer Song” by Chad & Jeremy rose to number seven on the U.S. chart.
- The single “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers moved from number nine to number five on the U.S. chart.
- Manfred Mann's single “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” was at number one on the U.S. chart cited by the source.
- The single “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas was climbing the U.S. chart and challenging the song then at number one.
- Roy Orbison's single “Oh, Pretty Woman” fell to number three on the U.S. chart.
- The Beach Boys reached another U.S. Top 10 position with “When I Grow Up (To Be a Man).”
- The London five-piece group The Honeycombs entered the U.S. Top 40 with “Have I the Right?”, which had previously topped the UK chart. In the U.S. it reached number five and sold more than two million copies worldwide.
- “The Leader of the Pack” by The Shangri-Las entered the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one seven weeks later. It became the only one of their six U.S. Top 40 hits to top the chart. In the UK it reached number 11, despite being rejected for broadcast by the BBC because of its story about a motorcycle accident and death. The Shangri-Las' single “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” reached number six on the U.S. chart.
- The Beatles began a three-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Help!” It was their eighth consecutive UK No. 1 hit, and the song reached No. 1 on charts in eleven countries that year.
- Gary Lewis & the Playboys reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening chart with "Save Your Heart for Me," spending a total of three weeks at the top.
- Herman's Hermits se skladbou „I'm Henry VIII, I Am“ obsadili první místo amerického singlového žebříčku Billboard Hot 100 a sesadili „(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction“ od The Rolling Stones na druhé místo. Šlo o jejich druhý hit číslo jedna v USA. Singl byl vydán pouze ve Spojených státech a ve Velké Británii se do žebříčku nedostal.
- The Beatles se skladbou „Help!“ dostali na první místo britského singlového žebříčku.
- Wilson Pickett se skladbou „In The Midnight Hour“ poprvé dosáhl prvního místa v Billboard R&B chartu. Skladba později vystoupala na 21. místo popového žebříčku.
- At the time performing under the name David, he made his Billboard Hot 100 debut with the single “What Are We Going To Do?”, which reached only number 100 after spending a single week on the chart. The following year, he was chosen as a member of The Monkees.
- The EP “Tickle Me” reached number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The recording used existing Elvis songs rather than new material.
- They began a three-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “I Got You Babe”. Sonny Bono was reportedly inspired to write the song by the popularity of the word “babe” in Bob Dylan's “It Ain’t Me Babe”. The recording also reached number one in the UK two weeks later and became a Top Ten hit in nine other countries. Written by Sonny Bono, the song was awarded a gold record for selling more than one million copies in the US.
- Barry McGuire's “Eve Of Destruction” and The Lovin' Spoonful's “Do You Believe In Magic” entered the Billboard Hot 100. McGuire's protest song reached No. 1 on September 25, while The Lovin' Spoonful's song reached No. 9 in mid-October.
- Sonny & Cher returned to No. 1 with “I Got You Babe”. Gary Lewis & the Playboys moved up to No. 2 with “Save Your Heart For Me”, The Beatles jumped from No. 14 to No. 3 with “Help!”, The Beach Boys were at No. 4 with “California Girls” and The Righteous Brothers at No. 5 with “Unchained Melody”. The rest of the Top 10: The Rolling Stones with “Satisfaction” at No. 6, The Four Tops with “It's The Same Old Song” at No. 7, Patty Duke with “Don't Just Stand There” at No. 8, Herman's Hermits with “I'm Henry VIII, I Am” at No. 9 and Billy Joe Royal with “Down In The Boondocks” at No. 10.
- The Rolling Stones began a three-week run at No. 1 on the US album chart with “Out Of Our Heads”, their fourth US studio album and the group's first album to reach the top of the US chart. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and knocked “Beatles VI” from the top spot. Its success was helped by songs including “Satisfaction” (#1), “The Last Time” (#9) and “Play With Fire”.
- Sonny & Cher reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “I Got You Babe”, their only UK No. 1. In the same year, the song also topped the charts in Canada, New Zealand and the US. Sonny Bono was inspired when writing the song by the popularity of the word “babe”, which he had heard, for example, in Bob Dylan's “It Ain’t Me Babe”.
- Billy Joe Royal scored his biggest pop hit when “Down In The Boondocks” climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. He later reached the Top 40 three more times with “I Knew You When”, “I've Got To Be Somebody”, and “Cherry Hill Park”, before finding success on the country charts in the 1980s with twelve Top 40 hits.
- “Papa's Got A Brand New Bag” became James Brown’s first song to break into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It initially reached No. 10 and climbed to No. 8 the following week. Brown’s “new style” emphasized the first beat, or “one”, creating an unusual and highly effective rhythm.
- “California Girls” reached No. 3 on the US singles chart and later reached No. 26 in the UK. The music for the song was written during Brian Wilson’s first experience with LSD. Wilson recorded the vocals using Columbia’s new eight-track recorder, which allowed Mike Love’s lead vocal to be triple-tracked. “California Girls” was also the first Beach Boys recording to feature Bruce Johnston’s vocals.
- Bob Dylan's “Like a Rolling Stone” moved from number six to number two.
- The Beatles began a three-week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Help!,” the title song from their second film. “Help!” was their 36th hit and their ninth US number-one song in less than two years. In 1965, it became an international hit and topped the charts in ten other countries.
- The McCoys' “Hang On Sloopy” moved from number 49 to number 22.
- The single “Help!” reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for three weeks. The title song of the film and album of the same name was written by John Lennon with help from Paul McCartney and also topped the US chart. Lennon later said that the lyrics expressed his personal feelings of stress and pressure brought on by the Beatles’ rapid rise to fame.
- The McCoys reached No. 1 on the US Billboard chart with “Hang On Sloopy”.
- “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys rose sharply from No. 85 to No. 42 on the U.S. chart.
- James Brown remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.”
- The McCoys reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard singles chart with “Hang On Sloopy,” replacing Barry McGuire's “Eve of Destruction.” In the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 5. The song had originally been released by The Vibrations under the title “My Girl Sloopy”; their version reached No. 26.
- Elvis Presley's single "I'm Yours" reached No. 11 in the US.
- The Beatles started a four-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart with the Paul McCartney ballad "Yesterday," giving the group their tenth US No. 1. The song also topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox Best Sellers chart. It was recorded by McCartney with a string quartet and was not released as a UK single until 1976. "Yesterday" later won the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song of 1965.
- The Miracles' "My Girl Has Gone" entered the US Hot 100. It went on to reach No. 14, becoming the group's 20th Pop chart entry.
- The Troggs reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “With a Girl Like You.” It was their only UK No. 1 hit.
- Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with “Lil’ Red Riding Hood.” The song reached No. 2 on Billboard and the following week received an RIAA Gold Record for sales exceeding one million copies.
- The Troggs achieved the unusual feat of having simultaneous Top 10 hits in the UK and U.S. with two different songs. “With a Girl Like You” topped the main UK charts, while “Wild Thing” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. Both songs were recorded in just two takes each because of limited studio time.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 6 on the UK singles chart with “Love Letters.”
- “They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-haaa” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It then quickly fell to the bottom of the Top 40 after several radio stations banned the song out of concern that its lyrics could be perceived as insensitive toward people with mental illness.
- “Summer In The City” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox Best Sellers List, beginning a three-week run at the top of the US chart. The song features car horns and jackhammer sounds that create the atmosphere of a summer city.
- The Beatles began a four-week reign at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with the single “Yellow Submarine” / “Eleanor Rigby.”
- Cleveland group The Outsiders returned to the Billboard Top 40 following the success of their million-selling hit “Time Won't Let Me” with a cover of “Respectable” by The Isley Brothers. The song climbed to No. 15. The band had a total of four songs on the main Billboard chart and another four in the Bubbling Under category, but none of their recordings made a significant impact in Britain.
- “You Can't Hurry Love” by The Supremes climbed from No. 66 to No. 28 on the chart.
- The Beatles' album “Revolver” received gold certification.
- The Beatles were at number one on the UK singles chart with the double A-side “Yellow Submarine – Eleanor Rigby”, their eleventh number-one single. Paul McCartney said that he took the name Eleanor from actress Eleanor Bron, who appeared with The Beatles in the film “Help!”, while Rigby came from the name of a shop in Bristol, Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers.
- The song “Sunny”, written by Bobby Hebb, reached No. 1 on the Cash Box chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling single in the USA. Its success led Hebb to tour the United States and Canada with The Beatles.
- “Summer In The City” by Lovin' Spoonful remained at No. 1 on the US chart for a third week. Bobby Hebb was at No. 2 with “Sunny” and “See You In September” by The Happenings was at No. 3.
- Petula Clark reached No. 1 on the US Easy Listening chart with “I Couldn't Live Without Your Love”.
- Stevie Wonder's version of “Blowin' In The Wind” reached No. 1 on the US R&B chart.
- “Cherish” by The Association entered the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 1 a month later. Although the song was actually longer, the record label listed its length as three minutes so that radio programmers would not reject it as too long. The recording later received a gold record for sales of more than one million copies and, according to BMI, was the 22nd most-played song of the 20th century.
- “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart. The song was among the first commercial recordings to feature the word “God” in the title and was groundbreaking in many ways. Capitol Records feared a reaction from US radio programmers, so in the USA it placed the song on the B-side of the single “Wouldn't It Be Nice”, while in the UK it was accepted as the A-side. Brian Wilson used a range of unusual instruments during the recording, including French horns.
- Donovan reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Sunshine Superman”, his only US single to top the Billboard Hot 100. John Paul Jones played bass and Jimmy Page played lead guitar on the recording; in the United Kingdom, the song later reached No. 3.
- Elvis Presley’s album Paradise Hawaiian Style reached No. 7 in the United Kingdom.
- Michigan garage-rock group Question Mark And The Mysterians made their national chart debut when “96 Tears” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 75. The song’s raw Vox organ sound helped it climb to No. 1 on October 29.
- New Jersey vocal group The Happenings first reached the Billboard chart with “See You in September”, which peaked at No. 3. The group later had four more Top 40 hits, including “I Got Rhythm”, which also reached No. 3 in 1967.
- The Supremes were at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “You Can’t Hurry Love”.
- The soundtrack album “The Sound of Music” began an extraordinary eighteen-week run at No. 1 in the United Kingdom.
- “The Association's “Cherish” remained at No. 1 on the US singles chart for a third week.
- The Beatles' album Revolver spent its fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the album chart.
- “The Temptations' “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep” spent its third week at No. 1 on the R&B chart.
- Roger Williams remained at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with "Born Free."
- The Four Tops' song "Reach Out I'll Be There" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard pop chart.
- The Small Faces entered the singles chart with “Itchycoo Park”, written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. The song reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 16 in the US the following year. It was among the first pop singles to use the flanging effect.
- Scott McKenzie began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)". It was his only UK Top 40 hit and was written by John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas. That same year, the song also reached No. 1 in eight other countries.
- “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles was the best-selling single in the U.S. according to Cashbox magazine. A week later, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart and later topped the charts in nine other countries.
- The Beatles scored their fourteenth US No. 1 single with “All You Need Is Love”, which remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. The song became a worldwide hit that year and topped the charts in eleven countries. It was the British contribution to Our World, the first live global television broadcast, in which The Beatles performed it from the EMI studios in London on 25 June. The programme was transmitted by satellite and watched by more than 400 million people in 25 countries. Backing vocals on the recording were provided by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Graham Nash, Marianne Faithfull and Gary Leeds of the Walker Brothers.
- Bobbie Gentry began a four-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Ode to Billie Joe”. The song also reached the top in Canada, reached No. 7 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, No. 8 on Hot R&B Singles and No. 17 on Hot Country Songs, and later became an international hit. It received eight Grammy nominations, three of which Gentry won.
- Jimi Hendrix's “Purple Haze” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 94. During its eight-week run, it peaked at No. 65. It performed much better in the UK, reaching No. 3 and spending 14 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. In 2010, Billboard ranked it No. 17 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
- “ Ode To Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry remained at number one after five weeks. “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles remained at number two, while The Supremes moved from number eight to number three with “Reflections”. “Light My Fire” by The Doors completed an exceptionally strong top four.
- The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band remained at number one on the US album chart for the tenth consecutive week.
- Engelbert Humperdinck scored his second and final UK No. 1 single with "The Last Waltz", which remained at the top for five weeks. In the U.S., it reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and entered the Top 10 on the Easy Listening chart.
- Aretha Franklin's “A Natural Woman” jumped from No. 70 to No. 38 on the chart.
- Jackie Wilson's “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” reached No. 1 on the R&B chart.
- The Association's song “Never My Love” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. By the end of 1999, BMI listed it as the second-most-played song of the 20th century, with more than seven million radio plays.
- The Bee Gees' song "Massachusetts" began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart. It became the group's first UK chart-topper and sold more than five million copies worldwide. Robin Gibb later admitted that the group had never actually been to Massachusetts; they simply liked the sound of the name while recording the song.
- “Lady Willpower” by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap was at No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart for the week ending August 3.
- Mason Williams reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with his song “Classical Gas”. Williams was the head writer of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and the following year won three Grammy Awards. In 1991, he received an RIAA Citation of Achievement for more than five million broadcast uses of the song.
- Tom Jones reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with “Delilah”. The lyrics were written by Barry Mason and the music by Les Reed.
- Herb Alpert remained at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart for a tenth week with “This Guy’s In Love with You.”
- The Dells reached No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart with “Stay in My Corner,” beginning a three-week run at the top.
- Cream's album Wheels of Fire remained at No. 1 on the US album chart for a second week.
- Deep Purple's song “Hush” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 83. It was recorded in just two takes and climbed to No. 4 five weeks later, becoming the group's first of eight hits on the chart.
- Simon & Garfunkel reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their fourth studio album, Bookends. The album also reached No. 1 in the United States.
- The Doors achieved significant chart success: their album Waiting for the Sun began a four-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200, while the song “Hello, I Love You” was named America's best-selling single by Cashbox. After allegations of plagiarism, British courts ruled that the song had been taken from The Kinks' “All Day and All of the Night”, and the British songwriting royalties went to Ray Davies.
- The Rascals reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the song “People Got to Be Free”, beginning a five-week run at the top. The song later received a gold record and sold more than four million copies. It was inspired by the group's unpleasant experience with Florida racists who threatened them because of their long hair.
- Tommy James and The Shondells returned to No. 1 on the UK singles chart for the second time with the single “Mony Mony”. In 1987, Billy Idol's version of the song replaced another Tommy James hit, “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany, at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Simon and Garfunkel began a five-week run at No. 1 on the UK album chart with “Bookends”. The duo’s fourth studio album included the songs “America”, “Mrs. Robinson”, and “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. “Bookends” is a concept album tracing the journey of life from childhood to old age.
- The Beach Boys scored their second No. 1 single in the UK with “Do It Again”, which became their second and final UK chart-topper. In the US, the song reached No. 20.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival first appeared on the chart with their debut single “Suzie Q”.
- Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with their cover of The Beatles' song “The Fool On The Hill”.
- The Hollies’ Greatest reaches No. 1 on the UK albums chart and stays there for six weeks. It is the group’s first and only album to top the UK chart.
- “Wet Dream” by Jamaican reggae singer Max Romeo entered the UK singles chart. Because of its sexually explicit lyrics, the song was banned by the BBC and most radio stations.
- Jethro Tull achieved their first UK No. 1 album with their second studio album, “Stand Up”. The album was their first international hit and reached No. 20 in both the US and Canada.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on the UK singles chart with “Clean Up Your Own Back Yard.”
- Chicago, then known as Chicago Transit Authority, first entered the chart with “Questions 67 and 68”.
- Three Dog Night's “Easy to Be Hard” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 77. The song continued to climb the chart and reached its peak position of No. 4 on September 27, 1969.
- The Guess Who's "These Eyes" received a gold certification.
- Andy Williams' album “Happy Heart” was certified gold.
- The song “A Boy Named Sue” reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and number two on the Hot 100.
- The Rolling Stones began a four-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Honky Tonk Women”, their fifth US number-one single. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and was inspired by Brazilian gauchos at the ranch where they stayed in Matão, São Paulo. In the UK, the song also reached number one; it was released one day after the death of founding member Brian Jones and spent 17 weeks on the UK chart, including five weeks at number one. It was the band's last hit involving Brian Jones, who had died by drowning in his swimming pool on July 3. The song also reached number one in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland in 1969.
- Elvis Presley’s tenth studio album “From Elvis in Memphis” reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart.
- The Rolling Stones reached No. 1 on the US chart with “Honky Tonk Women”, their fifth single to reach the top of that chart.
- Zager and Evans began a three-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)”. The song was written by Rick Evans in 1964. That same year, it also reached No. 1 in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the US, where it remained at the top for six weeks.
- Jethro Tull scored their first UK No. 1 album when "Stand Up" reached the top of the chart.
- The Rolling Stones remained at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart for a third week with "Honky Tonk Women". Johnny Cash was at No. 2 with "A Boy Named Sue", while The Archies were at No. 3 with "Sugar, Sugar".
- The album Green River reached number one on the US Billboard 200 on October 4, 1969, beginning a four-week run at the top. It was Creedence Clearwater Revival's first album to reach number one on any Billboard chart. The album included Bad Moon Rising, Lodi, Green River, and Commotion, and reached number 2 in Canada. It was later ranked No. 95 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
- Grand Funk Railroad's debut album, On Time, entered the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart at No. 65. Although many music critics received it unfavourably, the Michigan trio later became one of the most commercially successful rock groups in terms of touring and record sales.
- Elvis Presley released “The Wonder of You” as a single on RCA Victor, backed by “Mama Liked the Roses.”
- Elvis Presley reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “The Wonder of You,” beginning a six-week run at the top.
- The album "Blood Sweat & Tears 3" began a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart (Billboard Top LPs & Tape). It was the group's second consecutive No. 1 album. The album produced the singles "Hi-De-Ho" and "Lucretia MacEvil". It overtook "Cosmo's Factory" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
- The Carpenters spent their third week at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “(They Long to Be) Close to You”.
- They scored their first number-one song with “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”.
- The song “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” entered the US Billboard Top 40 and later reached No. 2. Although its surreal imagery led to interpretations involving drugs, John Fogerty said he wrote the song for his three-year-old son Josh.
- The song “Lay A Little Lovin' On Me” peaked at No. 11 after eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. His next single received almost no radio airplay, and McNamara remained best known as a one-hit artist.
- Simon & Garfunkel's album Bridge Over Troubled Water was at No. 1 on the UK chart. It spent a total of 33 weeks at the top and won six Grammy Awards.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival's album “Cosmo's Factory” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200, where it remained for nine weeks.
- The song “Snowbird” entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and later climbed to No. 8. It became a million-selling hit and the first American Gold Record awarded to a Canadian female solo singer. The song’s success made her the first Canadian female solo singer to receive this honor in the United States. Songwriter Gene MacLellan said he wrote “Snowbird” in approximately 25 minutes after seeing a flock of snow buntings on a beach on Prince Edward Island.
- B.J. Thomas was at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with the song “I Just Can't Help Believing”.
- “Make It with You” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for one week. It was Bread’s first and only single to reach the top of the U.S. chart; in the United Kingdom, it reached No. 5. The song was written by singer David Gates. It was later recorded by, among others, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dusty Springfield, Andy Williams, and Marc Cohn.
- The fifth studio album “Cosmo's Factory” began a nine-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, later known as the Billboard 200, and also reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Finland, Canada, and Norway. The album contained the hits “Up Around the Bend” (#4 U.S.), “Lookin' Out My Back Door” (#23 U.S.), and “Who'll Stop the Rain” (#2 U.S.). The title “Cosmo's Factory” came from the warehouse in Berkeley where the group rehearsed; John Fogerty insisted on rehearsing almost every day, and drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford therefore began calling the place “the factory”.
- After leaving The Animals the previous year, Eric Burdon returned to the charts with his new group War and the song “Spill the Wine”, which reached No. 3. Burdon separated from War in 1971, while the group later continued successfully without him and recorded further hits, including “The World Is a Ghetto” (#9), “The Cisco Kid” (#12), “Gypsy Man” (#8), “Why Can't We Be Friends?” (#6), “Low Rider” (#7) and “Summer” (#7).
- The Moody Blues began a three-week run at No. 1 on the British album chart with their sixth studio album, “A Question of Balance”. In the U.S., the album peaked at No. 3.
- Anne Murray's "Snowbird" reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.
- Edwin Starr's "War", written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for three weeks. It reached No. 3 in the UK and became his only US No. 1 hit. The song was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance but lost to B. B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone". According to Starr, the song was not specifically about the Vietnam War but concerned gang violence and other domestic conflicts.
- Elvis Presley's single "I've Lost You/The Next Step Is Love" reached No. 32 on the US chart.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival's album Cosmo’s Factory spent its seventh week at No. 1 on the US album chart on October 3, 1970, out of a total of nine weeks at the top. The Woodstock soundtrack was No. 2, Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen was No. 3, and Chicago II by Chicago was No. 4. Also in the Top 10 were The Band's Stage Fright, Grand Funk Railroad's Closer to Home, The Moody Blues' A Question of Balance, The Who's Tommy, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 and Neil Young's new release After the Gold Rush.
- “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, where it was in its third week at the top. At No. 2 was “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, No. 3 was “Candida” by Dawn and No. 4 was “Cracklin’ Rosie” by Neil Diamond. Also in the Top 10 were “Julie, Do Ya’ Love Me” by Bobby Sherman, “I’ll Be There” by Jackson 5, “(I Know) I’m Losing You” by Rare Earth, “Snowbird” by Anne Murray, “War” by Edwin Starr and “All Right Now” by Free.
- The U.S. Top 5 singles consisted of “All Right Now” by Free at No. 5, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross at No. 4, “Candida” by Dawn at No. 3, “I’ll Be There” by the Jackson Five at No. 2, and “Cracklin’ Rose” by Neil Diamond at No. 1.
- Black Sabbath went to #1 on the UK Album chart with Paranoid.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Cosmo's Factory" remained at No. 1 on the US album chart for its eighth consecutive week. The Top 10 also included Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues, the Woodstock soundtrack, The Jackson 5, The Who, Chicago, Santana, Neil Young and James Taylor.
- Neil Diamond reached No. 1 with "Cracklin' Rosie". The rest of the US Top 10 included the Jackson 5, Dawn, Diana Ross, Free, Bobby Sherman, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sugarloaf, The Carpenters and Rare Earth.
- The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" reached No. 1 on the US Easy Listening chart.
- The Jackson 5 reached No. 1 on the R&B chart with "I'll Be There," their first release.
- Black Sabbath reached number one on the UK album chart with their second album, Paranoid. The album contains some of the band's best-known songs, including the title track, “Iron Man” and “War Pigs,” and is now regarded as a heavy metal classic.
- Bobby Sherman's single “Julie, Do Ya Love Me” reached the U.S. Top 10.
- The double-sided single “Lookin' Out My Back Door” / “Long as I Can See the Light” by Creedence Clearwater Revival reached the U.S. Top 10.
- The single “Candida” by Dawn reached number three on the U.S. chart.
- Diana Ross's single “Ain't No Mountain High Enough” reached number four on the U.S. chart.
- The single “All Right Now” by Free rose from number ten to number five on the U.S. chart.
- Neil Diamond reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Cracklin' Rosie,” which remained at the top for one week. It was his first number-one single as a performer. The song was also a breakthrough in the UK, where it reached number three, and it entered the Top 10 in eight other countries. Diamond had previously achieved success primarily as a songwriter, including with “I'm a Believer” for The Monkees.
- The song “(I Know) I'm Losing You” by Rare Earth reached number ten on the U.S. chart.
- The song “Green-Eyed Lady” by Sugarloaf reached the U.S. Top 10.
- The Carpenters reached number two on the U.S. singles chart with “We've Only Just Begun.” The song was originally recorded by Smokey Roberds under the name Freddie Allen and was used in a television commercial for Crocker National Bank.
- The Jackson 5's single “I'll Be There” held at number two on the U.S. chart behind Neil Diamond's “Cracklin' Rosie.”
- Carole King's masterpiece "Tapestry" reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, beginning a historic 15-week consecutive run at the top. It remains the record for the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 by a female solo artist.
- Ringo Starr received a gold record for “It Don't Come Easy,” which reached No. 4 in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
- Kompilační album „Hot Hits 6“ od různých anonymních interpretů se dostalo na první místo britského albového žebříčku. Obsahovalo dvanáct coververzí populárních skladeb.
- James Taylor měl podle žebříčku Cashbox nejprodávanější singl v USA se skladbou „You've Got A Friend“ od Carole King. Skladba dosáhla 4. místa ve Velké Británii.
- Olivia Newton-John dosáhla se svou verzí skladby Boba Dylana „If Not for You“ prvního místa v Easy Listening chartu.
- Paul Revere & the Raiders byli se skladbou „Indian Reservation“ na druhém místě amerického singlového žebříčku.
- “If Not for You” reached number one on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart, later known as Adult Contemporary.
- Mercury Records officially changed the A-side of the single “Maggie May” from the original “Reason to Believe” after radio stations and listeners unexpectedly took a liking to “Maggie May”. The recording subsequently reached number one and became his first Billboard song.
- “Sweet City Woman” debuted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 8 in October. More than one million copies of the recording were sold, and it spent sixteen weeks on the chart.
- John Denver's song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” was certified in the US for sales of one million copies. Although the song refers to West Virginia as “almost heaven,” Denver and co-writers Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert had never visited the state before writing it.
- Diana Ross began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK chart with “I'm Still Waiting”. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland.
- Reissued Elvis Presley single “Heartbreak Hotel” reached No. 10 on the UK chart. Elvis's single “I'm Leavin'” reached No. 36 in the US.
- Marvin Gaye spent his second consecutive week at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”.
- Olivia Newton-John spent her third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “If Not For You”.
- Paul and Linda McCartney moved from No. 65 to No. 21 with “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”.
- The Bee Gees spent their third consecutive week at No. 1 with “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”. “Mr. Big Stuff” by Jean Knight was at No. 2, John Denver was at No. 3, and Marvin Gaye moved from No. 9 to No. 4 with “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”. James Taylor was at No. 5 with “You've Got A Friend”, Creedence Clearwater Revival at No. 6 with “Sweet Hitch-Hiker”, Chicago at No. 7 with “Beginnings/Colour My World”, Five Man Electrical Band at No. 8 with “Signs” and Tommy James and The Shondells at No. 9 with “Draggin' The Line”, while Three Dog Night entered the Top 10 with “Liar”.
- Diana Ross was at number one on the UK singles chart with “I'm Still Waiting”, which became her first solo UK number-one single. It remained at the top for four weeks after being heavily promoted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Tony Blackburn on his morning programme.
- John Denver’s first major hit, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 behind the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?”. Denver and co-writers Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert had never visited West Virginia when they wrote the song. The lyrics were inspired by postcards from West Virginia that Bill Danoff received from a friend living in the state. The song later became one of West Virginia’s state anthems.
- Paul and Linda McCartney reached number one on the US singles chart with “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” from the album Ram, released only in the US. It was Paul McCartney's first US solo number-one hit. The song also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand that year. Paul later explained that “Uncle Albert” was based on his real uncle, while “Admiral Halsey” referred to US Admiral William “Bull” Halsey.
- Motown's The Undisputed Truth had their only Billboard Top 40 hit when “Smiling Faces Sometimes” reached number three. The trio's other singles never climbed higher than number 63.
- “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens moved up from No. 88 to No. 50 on the U.S. chart.
- Thirteen-year-old Donny Osmond reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with his cover of “Go Away Little Girl” by Steve Lawrence, originally released in 1963. A few days later, the recording was certified gold by the RIAA for one million copies shipped.
- Elvis Presley's album Almost in Love reached No. 38 on the British album chart.
- Joan Baez spent her fifth week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
- John Lennon's album “Imagine” entered the U.S. album chart at No. 155 and climbed to No. 1 during October. The first copies of the album included a postcard featuring Lennon holding a pig as a reference to the photograph of Paul McCartney with a sheep on the cover of the album “Ram.”
- “Maggie May” / “Reason to Believe” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Rod Stewart his first solo No. 1 hit in the United States. “Maggie May” was inspired by his first sexual experience in 1961 and in 2004 was ranked No. 130 on Rolling Stone's list.
- Led Zeppelin II had spent 100 weeks on the British album chart. It was the band's first album to reach No. 1 in the U.S., where it remained for seven weeks. In 1999, it received 12× platinum certification in the U.S. for more than 12 million copies sold.
- Rod Stewart was at No. 1 on the US and UK singles charts with "Maggie May." Originally released as the B-side to "Reason to Believe," it was Stewart's first of six UK No. 1 singles and spent five weeks at the top in Britain; in the US it was No. 1 for the second of five weeks.
- Wayne Newton reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with “Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast,” where it spent one week. The song reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
- Rick Springfield made his first appearance on the U.S. chart with “Speak to the Sky.”
- Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway reached No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Where Is the Love.”
- Al Green was still at number one on the R&B chart with “I’m Still in Love with You”.
- Elvis Presley’s gospel album “He Touched Me” reached number 38 on the UK chart.
- Gilbert O’Sullivan continued at number one for a fourth week with “Alone Again (Naturally)”. Looking Glass continued on the chart with “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”, The Hollies climbed with “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress”, and Argent with “Hold Your Head Up”, Nilsson with “Coconut” and The Carpenters with “Goodbye to Love” newly entered the Top 10.
- The album “Chicago V”, the group’s fourth studio album, reached number one on the US album chart, the Billboard 200 (Billboard Top LPs and Tape), in its fourth week, beginning a nine-week run at the top. It knocked Elton John’s “Honky Château” from number one, while Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” fell to number three, followed by The Carpenters’ “A Song for You” and “Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits”. “Chicago V” marked the beginning of an important period for the group and became the first of five consecutive albums, including “Greatest Hits”, to reach number one. The album’s success was significantly helped by the million-selling single “Saturday in the Park”, which reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
- Looking Glass reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)”, where it remained for one week. The recording reached No. 51 in the UK and later received a BPI gold certification for more than 400,000 copies sold. The US hit sold one million copies, and the group had only one more Billboard entry, “Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne”, which reached No. 33 the following year.
- Nilsson's novelty song “Coconut” reached No. 8 on the US pop chart, where it remained for one week.
- “Alone Again (Naturally)” returned to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the same year, the song also reached number one in Canada and France and the Top 3 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.
- Rod Stewart was at number one on the UK singles chart with “You Wear It Well”, his second UK single to reach the top. The song came from the album Never A Dull Moment.
- James Brown was in his fourth week at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Get On The Good Foot.”
- Mac Davis was in his third week at No. 1 on the US chart with “Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me.”
- Michael Jackson was approaching his first solo No. 1 hit with “Ben.”
- Three Dog Night reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with “Black & White.”
- “The Morning After,” the title song from the film “The Poseidon Adventure,” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and began a two-week run at the top.
- The Carpenters were at No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with “Yesterday Once More.” The song also reached No. 2 in the UK and on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their best-selling recording.
- The song “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn reached No. 1 on the country chart.
- Diana Ross's song “Touch Me in the Morning” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for one week. It spent 21 weeks on the chart in total, her longest chart run up to that point. It was her second US No. 1 single.
- Elvis Presley's album Elvis reached No. 52 on the US album chart.
- Jethro Tull reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 with their sixth studio album, A Passion Play. It was their second album to top the US chart. The album also reached No. 1 in Canada, while reaching No. 16 in the UK. Because of high British taxes, the album was recorded at Château d'Hérouville studio in France on the recommendation of their managers and accountants.
- Marvin Gaye reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart with "Let's Get It On," starting a multi-week run at the top.
- The duo Peters and Lee reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with We Can Make It. It was their first and only album to top the chart.
- The Pointer Sisters achieved their first chart success with “Yes We Can Can.”
- According to Cashbox magazine, Wings had the best-selling single in the US with “Live and Let Die.” The song was produced by George Martin and written by Paul McCartney specifically for the James Bond film of the same name. It was nominated for a Grammy Award.
- Donny Osmond began a four-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with his version of “Young Love”. It was his third and final UK chart-topper; the same song had also been a hit for Tab Hunter in 1957.
- Stories, led by former Left Banke keyboardist Michael Brown, reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Best Sellers with their version of Hot Chocolate's “Brother Louie”, beginning a two-week run at the top and overtaking Wings' “Live And Let Die”. The prominent lead vocal was sung by Ian Lloyd, who later worked with Billy Joel, Foreigner and Peter Frampton.
- Diana Ross reached No. 1 on the US chart with “Touch Me in the Morning”, overtaking Wings' “Live and Let Die” and Stories' “Brother Louie”.
- The top albums of 1973 included Chicago VI at No. 1, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon at No. 2, Foreigner at No. 4, The Allman Brothers Band's Brothers and Sisters at No. 4, Diana Ross's Touch Me in the Morning, Jethro Tull's A Passion Play, Deep Purple's Machine Head, Grand Funk's We're An American Band, Deep Purple's Made in Japan and Sly & the Family Stone's Fresh.
- “Let's Get It On” by Marvin Gaye remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart for a fourth week.
- Simon Park Orchestra reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Eye Level”, the theme from the television series “Van der Valk”. According to the source, it was the first television theme to reach the top of the UK chart.
- “ All I Know” by Art Garfunkel reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.
- Slade reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with the compilation album Sladest, which began a three-week run at the top.
- Cher's single "Half-Breed" remained at number one on the US singles chart. The Allman Brothers Band's "Ramblin' Man" moved up from number seven to number two.
- The album Goats Head Soup began a four-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200. It was the band’s fourth album to top the American chart. A week later, the album’s ballad “Angie” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In second place on the album chart was Brothers and Sisters by the Allman Brothers Band, followed by Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye in third place.
- Bad Company’s debut album “Bad Company” reached No. 3 on the UK album chart and also reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.
- “Feel Like Makin' Love” by Roberta Flack was at No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart.
- ABBA scored their first U.S. Top 10 hit with “Waterloo,” which reached No. 6. The song also reached No. 1 in the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland.
- Roberta Flack reached her third US No. 1 with “Feel Like Makin’ Love”. After her producer left while she was working on her fifth album, she mixed the song herself and was credited as producer under the name Rubina Flake. The song became the first track produced by a female solo artist to reach the top of the US chart.
- Eric Clapton reached No. 1 on the US album chart for the first time as a solo artist with the album “461 Ocean Boulevard”, which began a four-week run at the top. The album also reached No. 3 in the United Kingdom, while the single “I Shot the Sheriff” reached the Top 10 in nine countries and became Clapton's only single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Paper Lace reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the song “The Night Chicago Died”, where it remained for one week. The song also reached No. 1 in Australia and New Zealand and reached the Top 3 in the United Kingdom and Canada. The band's manager subsequently contacted Chicago mayor Richard Daley seeking a ceremonial reception but received a very dismissive response.
- The Three Degrees began a two-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with the song “When Will I See You Again”. The group initially did not particularly like the song, but changed their minds after its international success.
- The Three Degrees reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “When Will I See You Again”. It was their only UK No. 1 single. The group was popular with Prince Charles in the 1970s and in 1978 performed the song at the celebration of his 30th birthday at Buckingham Palace after he said it was his favourite song.
- Carole King released the single “Jazzman”.
- Eric Clapton remained at number one on the US album chart with “461 Ocean Boulevard”. John Denver was second with “Back Home Again”, Elton John third with “Caribou”, Stevie Wonder moved up to fourth with “Fulfillingness' First Finale”, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive II was fifth. Also in the Top 10 were Bad Company, Loggins & Messina, Robin Trower, Bob Dylan & The Band, and Paul McCartney & Wings.
- Chicago reached No. 1 on the U.S. Easy Listening chart with „Call On Me“.
- Paul Anka and Odia Coates began a three-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with „(You're) Having My Baby“. The song was Anka's 24th U.S. Top 40 hit, reached No. 6 in the U.K., also topped the Cashbox Best Sellers chart and later received a gold certification from the RIAA. Despite condemnation from feminist groups, it reached the top of the chart.
- Carole King released the album "Wrap Around Joy", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart.
- The Osmonds reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with their cover of Johnny Bristol's song "Love Me for a Reason," beginning a three-week run at the top. Written by Johnny Bristol, it became the group's first and only career number-one hit in the United Kingdom.
- Barry White reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart with “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.”
- Elton John reached No. 1 on the US chart with “Bennie and the Jets”.
- Paul Anka spent his third week at No. 1 on the US singles chart with “(You're) Having My Baby”, before Eric Clapton was expected to replace him with “I Shot The Sheriff”.
- Rufus scored their biggest career hit with “Tell Me Something Good”, which reached No. 3.
- Barry White reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” giving him his first No. 1 hit as a solo artist.
- Olivia Newton-John reached No. 1 on the US Billboard chart with the song “I Honestly Love You”.
- Mike Oldfield's album Tubular Bells reached No. 1 on the UK album chart for the first time, 15 months after its release. Interest surged after the album was used in the film The Exorcist. Tubular Bells was the first album released by Virgin Records and sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. After spending three weeks at No. 1 with Hergest Ridge, Mike Oldfield remained at the top with Tubular Bells.
- Olivia Newton-John achieved the first No. 1 hit of her career on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Honestly Love You.” The song appeared on the album If You Love Me, Let Me Know, and its success helped the album reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape a week later. The song began a two-week run at the top and was her first of five US No. 1 hits.
- The Beach Boys reached No. 1 on the US Billboard album chart for the second time in their career with Endless Summer. The compilation of original recordings from the 1960s spent 155 weeks on the chart and received triple-platinum certification for sales of more than three million copies.
- The Guess Who's song “Clap for the Wolfman” reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and featured the unmistakable voice of radio host Wolfman Jack. He liked the song so much that he left his lucrative job at WNBC and went on tour with the Canadian band.
- After a long absence, Dionne Warwicke returned to the U.S. Top 10 with “Then Came You,” which she recorded with The Spinners. Because of a superstition related to astrology, she added an “e” to her name for good luck, later returning to the original spelling.
- John Denver's "Annie's Song" reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The song was dedicated to his wife, and Denver reportedly wrote it in about ten minutes while riding a ski lift.
- The debut album Rollin’ by Scottish pop-rock band Bay City Rollers reaches No. 1 on the UK albums chart and helps fuel the wave of fan popularity known as “Rollermania.” The album includes “Remember,” “Shang-a-Lang,” “Summerlove Sensation,” and “Saturday Night.”
- John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” reaches No. 1 on the UK singles chart. In the same year, it also tops the charts in the United States, Canada, and Ireland.
- Nothing from Nothing reached number one on the US Billboard pop chart.
- Album „Made In The Shade“ od The Rolling Stones získalo zlatou certifikaci.
- Typically Tropical reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with their debut single “Barbados”. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland and South Africa and was their only hit.
- Bee Gees began a two-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Jive Talkin'.” It was their second US No. 1 hit and the first of several American disco hits to top the chart. The single reached No. 5 in the UK. Barry Gibb was inspired to write the song while driving across a Florida bridge on his way to the recording studio.
- Janis Ian was at No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart with “At Seventeen”.
- The Stylistics reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “Can't Give You Anything (But My Love),” beginning a three-week run at the top. It became their only UK No. 1 single.
- The song “Fallin' in Love” by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for one week. It was their first and only US number-one single. The song was credited to the group even though drummer Tommy Reynolds had left three years earlier and was replaced by Alan Dennison. It reached number 33 in the UK.
- The Eagles' album “One of These Nights” entered its final week at number one on the US album chart. It was subsequently replaced at the top by Elton John's album “Captain Fantastic”.
- Glen Campbell was at No. 1 on the US country chart with “Rhinestone Cowboy”. The song was one of six songs released in 1975 that reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Country Singles.
- Elton John’s ninth studio album “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” returned to No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 after a six-week break. That same year, it also topped the charts in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
- KC and the Sunshine Band reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Get Down Tonight”. It was the first of five of their singles to reach No. 1, and the song reached No. 21 in the UK. It later received a platinum certification for sales of one million copies in the US and reached No. 1 in Canada.
- Rod Stewart reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with “Atlantic Crossing”, which began a five-week run at the top.
- The Carpenters reached number one on the Easy Listening chart with their version of Neil Sedaka's “Solitaire.”
- Glen Campbell began a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Rhinestone Cowboy". It was his first chart-topper after 13 Top 40 hits. The recording became a million-selling hit, received three Grammy nominations and was named Song of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1976. It reached No. 4 in the UK.
- Rod Stewart took his version of "Sailing" by the Sutherland Brothers to No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The song was originally released by the Scottish folk-rock duo Sutherland Brothers in June 1972. Stewart's version also reached No. 1 in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway that year and was featured in a BBC television series about HMS Ark Royal.
- Helen Reddy scored her 15th hit on the Easy Listening chart. Fourteen of her first fifteen hits reached the Top 10, including eleven consecutive entries; eight reached No. 1 and three reached No. 2.
- David Essex reached number one on the UK singles chart with Hold Me Close, where it remained for three weeks.
- Neil Sedaka's “Bad Blood” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Pop chart.
- Rod Stewart started a five-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with the double A-side "Reason to Believe"/"Maggie May."
- Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood," featuring backing vocals by Elton John, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks. It was Sedaka's second US No. 1 hit that year. Within eight months, he had also written the hits "Laughter in the Rain" for himself and "Love Will Keep Us Together" for Captain and Tennille.
- Earth, Wind & Fire byli se skladbou „Getaway“ na prvním místě R&B žebříčku.
- Elton John a Kiki Dee se skladbou „Don't Go Breaking My Heart“ dosáhli prvního místa amerického singlového žebříčku, kde zůstali čtyři týdny. Pro Eltona Johna šlo o jeho šestý americký hit číslo jedna. Skladba se dostala na první místo v celkem devíti zemích včetně Velké Británie, Austrálie a Kanady. Autory byli Elton John a Bernie Taupin, kteří skladbu vydali pod pseudonymy Ann Orson a Carte Blanche.
- “Devil Woman” entered the Billboard Top 40 and later reached number 6.