Back in August of 1958, Billboard magazine created the Hot 100, officially ranking the 100 biggest songs in the country based on record sales and radio airplay each week. From the start, the Hot 100 became a weekly time capsule into what culture was like at the time and revealed the good, the bad, and the ugly of music as each week progressed. Whether a love ballad, novelty song, party anthem, or anything in between, the Hot 100 has exposed every facet of our society since its inception and it’s been truly fascinating to see the evolution from then to now.
As we go through the years, I will be ranking each #1 in yearly groupings based on the first year they hit the top spot. Join me as I travel from 1958 to the present and attempt to explore every #1 that’s ever existed.
We begin with 1958, which has a truncated list due to the Hot 100 being created with less than half of the year remaining. While only 5 months, it still holds well all these years later, as we see a teen heartthrob, a foreign act, and even chipmunks take the crown for the first time. Sure, you likely never hear these songs in the modern day aside from maybe “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”, but there truly are no stinkers this year, so enjoy!
- “It’s Only Make Believe” – Conway Twitty
2 weeks at #1 (November 10 & November 24, 1958)
Sure, it’s a clear ripoff of Elvis Presley’s style, which had already reached its peak in music before the inception of the Hot 100, but Conway Twitty still packs a punch as he belts out this hit. The climbing chorus of unrequited love as he hits the crescendo of “but it’s only make believe” is the most electric statement of the year as we get our first “You Belong With Me” moment in chart history.
- “Little Star” – The Elegants
1 week at #1 (August 25, 1958)
It’s only 1958 and we already have our first sample to hit #1 on the Hot 100 as The Elegants interpolate “Twinkle, Twinkle Litte Star” for this doo-wop smash. The interpolation is easily the most memorable part of the song but the harmonies are crystal-clear as the quintet wishes upon a star to find a lover. This is probably the most fun 1958 has to offer with a snap-and-sway beat that makes me want a milkshake at the local soda shop.
- “To Know Him Is to Love Him” – The Teddy Bears
3 weeks at #1 (December 1-15, 1958)
It took until December, but 1958 did feature one female vocalist, Carol Connors, at #1 as part of the group, The Teddy Bears. This slow dance tune is all about an amazing man whom anyone could fall in love with as she daydreams about getting to be with him. Funnily enough, this was Phil Spector’s first #1 hit, who was historically not an amazing man to his lovers. Aside from that, however, Connors’s perfect angelic vocals ascend this song into the stratospheres of love as the backup singers add cloud-like serenity to the track. This also earns the Best Bridge of 1958 as she reveals that he’s oblivious to her advances like any typical man. As you’ve noticed, unrequited love is a major theme in music at this time, which now explains why every grandma asks if you have a boyfriend at any family gathering.
- “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” – The Chipmunks with David Seville
4 weeks at #1 (December 22, 1958 – January 12, 1959)
We have our first novelty song to hit #1 as The Chimpunks (or David Seville with pitched-up vocals) craze took over the chart for the last weeks of the year. This is also the first of only three holidays to ever hit the top spot, with the latter two not coming for another 60 years. Sure, this song can be annoying to some and maybe this is simply a nostalgia-fueled ranking on my part, but I have always enjoyed this song, especially Alvin crooning, “I still want a hula-hoop!” The pendulum beat with the ditty guitar as well as the spoken word moments makes this so dynamic when it could’ve really fallen flat. Also, imagining David Seville arguing with himself in the studio and then using varying tape speeds to create the chipmunks’ voices is extremely funny to me.
- “Poor Little Fool” – Ricky Nelson
2 weeks at #1 (August 4-11, 1958)
The first-ever #1 on the Hot 100 will always hold a special place in history, and thankfully, it’s not a terrible song. Ricky Nelson was a huge heartthrob at the time and this song revolves around the idea that he’s a player who finally found the girl of his dreams, only for her to play the same games that he used to be known for. The story the lyrics tell is compelling and Ricky Nelson’s smooth vocals are enriched by the simple strumming of a guitar and some backup singers behind him. It’s a little ditty that does its job of being catchy and making everyone fall in love with Ricky.
- “Tom Dooley – The Kingston Trio
1 week at #1 (November 17, 1958)
This wins Biggest WTF #1 of the year as this smooth ballad tells the tale of the murder of a young woman and the soon-to-be execution of her murderer. Perfect fodder for a campfire serenade, right? The melody lulls you into a sense of false security as the lyrics smack you across the face with the graphic description of the murder. “I met her on the mountain / There, I took her life / Met her on the mountain / Stabbed her with my knife” is said with such restraint, which makes it all the more sinister as the song goes along. The trio only truly shows a bit of anger and vitriol in the second chorus as they belt out the refrain and strum their guitar. I first heard this song from the opening scene in Friday the 18th (1980), which features only the chorus, and thought nothing of it. That is until I actually listened to the lyrics and realized this song is sick while also being perfect for a horror movie. Kudos to whoever the music supervisor was on that one.
- “Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu)” – Domenico Modugno
5 weeks at #1 (August 18 & September 1-22, 1958)
The first foreign language #1 as well as the only song from Eurovision to top the charts in the US, “Volare” was the top-performing single of the year as well as Record and Song of the Year the 1st Grammy Awards. It’s an excellent example of society at the time as its smooth jazz italiano feel sounds exactly like what I think going out for a night on the town in 1958 would be like. A man crooning in a language I don’t know (the title of the song means “in the blue sky as I was painted blue” in Italian, which still doesn’t help) with a band behind him and me pretending to care about the woman I’m dancing with as I do a little fruity hand flick to the twinkling piano key post-chorus. The song is the most lush of the year as it changes tempos multiple times and utilizes multiple instruments to achieve a masterful symphony of music.
- “It’s All in the Game” – Tommy Edwards
6 weeks at #1 (September 29 – November 3, 1958)
This is the only #1 of the year that I truly do not like. The sway of the beat is simply too slow and boring and the lyrics are too spaced out to be coherently understood. It’s shmaltzy and does not stand the test of time as the melody is too similar to a plethora of other hits of the time that do it so much better. Also, once I tell you about Tommy Edwards’s lisp, you’ll never unhear it, so you’re welcome for that. This is, however, the first #1 by a Black artist, which is an important milestone to achieve in the chart’s first year.
Next up will be the Hot 100’s first full year, 1959, which has such timeless classics as “Stagger Lee” and “Mack the Knife,” as well as a multitude of songs that even I have never heard of before.
The PoP Explo$ion 