The Number One Songs of 1950s
77This is not an opinion based list. This is completely factual information that is for some reason not that easy to access for free on the internet. So I have done it for you. This series will continue right up to today. At the bottom I've assembled a short list of DJ favorites from this period.
- The 100 WORST Number 1 Songs of the 80s.
If you want a humorous take on Number One Songs...
1955 - The Rock Era Begins..
- let me go lover - JOAN WEBER
- hearts of stone - THE FONTANE SISTERS
- sincerely - THE McGUIRE SISTERS
- the ballad of davy crockett - BILL HAYES
- cherry pink and apple blossom white - PEREZ 'PREZ' PRADO *
- dance with me henry (wallflower) - GEORGIA GIBBS
- unchained melody - LES BAXTER
- (we're gonna) rock around the clock - BILL HALEY & HIS COMETS
- learnin' the blues - FRANK SINATRA
- the yellow rose of texas - MITCH MILLER
- ain't that a shame - PAT BOONE
- love is a many-splendored thing - FOUR ACES
- autumn leaves - ROGER WILLIAMS
- sixteen tons - 'TENNESSEE' ERNIE FORD
1956 - The Arrival of Elvis Aron Presley
- memories are made of this - DEAN MARTIN
- rock and roll waltz - DEAN MARTIN
- the great pretender - THE PLATTERS
- lisbon antigua - NELSON RIDDLE
- the poor people of paris - LES BAXTER
- heartbreak hotel - ELVIS PRESLEY
- hot diggity (dog ziggity boom) - PERRY COMO
- moonglow and thene from 'picnic' - MORRIS STOLOFF
- the wayward wind - GOGI GRANT
- i almost lost my mind - PAT BOONE
- i want you, i need you, i love you - ELVIS PRESLEY
- my prayer - THE PLATTERS
- don't be cruel - ELVIS PRESLEY *
- hound dog - ELVIS PRESLEY
- love me tender - ELVIS PRESLEY
- the green door - JIM LOWE
- singing the blues - GUY MITCHELL
DINO
1957 - Arrival of Buddy Holly & Sam Cooke
- too much - ELVIS PRESLEY
- don't forbid me - PAT BOONE
- young love - SONNY JAMES
- young love - TAB HUNTER
- butterfly - ANDY WILLIAMS
- party doll - BUDDY KNOX
- round and round - PERRY COMO
- all shook up - ELVIS PRESLEY *
- butterfly - CHARLIE GRACIE
- love letters in the sand - PAT BOONE
- (let me be your teddy bear) - ELVIS PRESLEY
- tammy - DEBBIE REYNOLDS
- diana - PAUL ANKA
- honeycomb - JIMMIE RODGERS
- that'll be the day - THE CRICKETS
- wake up little susie - THE EVERLY BROTHERS
- jailhouse rock - ELVIS PRESLEY
- chances are - JOHNNY MATHIS
- you send me - SAM COOKE
- april love - PAT BOONE
EVERLY BROTHERS
1958 - Billboard's 'Hot 100' Debuts..
- at the hop - DANNY & THE JUNIORS *
- don't - ELVIS PRESLEY
- sugartime - THE McGUIRE SISTERS
- get a job - THE SILHOUETTES
- tequila - THE CHAMPS
- catch a falling star - PERRY COMO
- he's got the whole world (in his hands) - LAURIE LONDON
- twilight time - THE PLATTERS
- witch doctor - DAVID SEVILLE
- all i have to do is dream - THE EVERLY BROTHERS
- the purple people eater - SHEB WOOLEY
- hard headed woman - ELVIS PRESLEY
- yakety yak - THE COASTERS
- patricia - PEREZ PRADO
- poor little fool - RICKY NELSON
- nel blu dipinto di blu (volare) - DOMENICO MODUGNO
- little star - THE ELEGANTS
- bird dog - THE EVERLY BROTHERS
- it's all in the game - TOMMY EDWARDS
- it's only make believe - CONWAY TWITTY
- tom dooley - THE KINGSTON TRIO
- to know him, is to love him - THE TEDDY BEARS
- the chipmunk song - DAVID SEVILLE & THE CHIPMUNKS
1959 - More of the Same...
- smoke gets in your eyes - THE PLATTERS
- stagger lee - LLOYD PRICE
- venus - FRANKIE AVALON
- come softly to me - FLEETWOODS
- the happy organ - DAVE 'BABY' CORTEZ
- kansas city - WILBERT HARRISON
- the battle of new orleans - JOHNNY HORTON
- lonely boy - PAUL ANKA
- a big hunk o' love - ELVIS PRESLEY
- the three bells - THE BROWNS
- sleep walk - SANTO & JOHNNY
- mack the knife - BOBBY DARIN *
- mr. blue - THE FLEETWOODS
- heartaches by the number - GUY MITCHELL
- why - FRANKIE AVALON
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OTHER GREAT SONGS THAT WERE NOT #1s
Chuck Berry - Maybelline, Roll Over Beethoven, Rock & Roll Music, Sweet Little Sixteen, Johnny B. Goode, Carol, Run Rudolph Run
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire & Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
Buddy Holly & the Crickets - Peggy Sue, Oh Boy!, Not Fade Away & Everyday
Fats Domino - Ain't That a Shame, Bluberry Hill
Jackie Wilson - Lonely Teardrops,
Little Willie John - Fever, Need Your Love So Bad,
Bobby Darin - Splish Splash
Bobby Day - Rockin' Robin
Richie Valens - Donna, La Bamba & Come On, Let's Go
Crests - 16 Candles
Coasters - Charlie Brown, Poison Ivy
Big Joe Turner - Shake, Rattle & Roll
The Platters - Only You (And You Alone)
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
The Penguins - Earth Angel
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
Ray Charles - I Got a Woman, Mess Around, (Night Time Is) The Right Time, What'd I Say? (Part 1), Swanee River Rock
The Dominoes - Sixty-Minute Man
Bill Doggett - Honky Tonk (Parts 1 & 2)
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CommentsLoading...
good editin
I love your comment white altantic because I can't tell if you said, "edition" OR "editing"
So many good songs, ooh. Elvis and Buddy Holly and the Kingston Trio and the Everly Brothers... it was a good decade.
Though there were also some *coughpurplepeopleeatercough* that I really wish I could expunge from my brain forever. *g*
Nice! An important time in the evolution of rock. So much diversity in the 50's.
Lots of great music here DJ, but forgive me if I point out that Bing Crosby recorded hundreds of songs in the 1950's including three Gold Records: "Play a Simple Melody" and "Sam's Song" with his son, Gary, and "True Love" with Grace Kelly. He also made more than a dozen movies during the '50s, including "White Christmas," "The Country Girl" and " High Society," the latter with Frank Sinatra. Bing had been a top star since 1930, so by the '50s he spent a lot more time hunting, fishing and golfing -- and with his second family. Thanks, DJ, for the memories.
Your Welcome sir, and it's great to hear about Bing in his latter days.
I used to play this music at the end of my classes..as the teens were cleaning up I would play a song or two like the enclosed..on fridays if they were good they could bring in one of their own...good times.miss the music and the teens...
I love music period. I have learned to like at least one or two songs from each type of music that was and is now out there. I do love the 50's, big band, classical and the 60's most of all.... I need to have you host a party here in Cali... OH and boy did you tossed and tumbled over the worst 100 songs! I read the comments and was like, lighten folks.. Relax... Can I make you a drink...
What I didn't learn to love by watching greatest hits commercials and HAPPY DAYS as a kid, I found affection for with PBS Doo Wop specials in recent years. I can see how young teens ended up at "Inspiration Point" listening to a lot of these smooth grooves.
great memories - thanks. there are a few sites with Top Hits but they start with 1960. i started listening to rock and roll when i was about 6 or 7 - 1953,'54. in NY, we had 2 or 3 stations on the AM dial, and that was all she wrote - 670 WMCA, 1010 WINS and 1050 WMGM. Zacherly was on at midnight, not sure if it was Fri or Sat - been a while, what can i say? again thanks for the memories.
Super great job, DJ! I was fortunate enough to see and hear, in person, almost all of these great artists sing their hits. My dad was a radio dj throughout the 50's, and thanks to his connection to broadcasting, he always had press passes to all of the Show of Stars concerts that traveled from city to city with an amazing line-up of recording artists. Wish I still had my autograph book with all of their comments and signatures. Unfortunately, and unknown to me, my younger sister took my autograph book to school, lost it, or someone kept it, and I never again had the opportunity to collect all those priceless signatures, especially ones like Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.
I remember all those songs!! I'm so glad I came across this site --- it's great! But what I was really searching for were the words to a song in waltz time: "You are ....; you are ....; .... And the more I ... of you, All the more I love you." Okay, so it's not much to go on, but I'd really like to know. (They played it at the roller rink in the late 50's.)
Abhinaya 4 years ago
Good job DJ.I love old songs though I must admit I hardly know these American ones.Elvis Presley must have made his debut in 50's.I wish you had some videos here.