Billboard Hot 100 Charts of the 1950s
The Billboard Hot 100 launched on August 4, 1958, capturing the explosive arrival of rock ’n’ roll into the American mainstream. These late-1950s charts are dominated by early rock, doo-wop and pop crooners — the sound of a new teenage audience reshaping popular music, with Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson among the era’s biggest names.
74weekly charts
23different #1 songs
9weeks at #1 for the decade's biggest song
Browse by year
Longest reigns at #1 in the 1950s
| Weeks at #1 | Song | Artist | First week at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Mack The Knife | Bobby Darin | October 5, 1959 |
| 6 | It's All In The Game | Tommy Edwards | September 29, 1958 |
| 6 | The Battle Of New Orleans | Johnny Horton | June 1, 1959 |
| 5 | Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volaré) | Domenico Modugno | August 18, 1958 |
| 5 | Venus | Frankie Avalon | March 9, 1959 |
| 4 | The Chipmunk Song | The Chipmunks With David Seville | December 22, 1958 |
| 4 | Stagger Lee | Lloyd Price | February 9, 1959 |
| 4 | Come Softly To Me | The Fleetwoods | April 13, 1959 |
| 4 | Lonely Boy | Paul Anka | July 13, 1959 |
| 4 | The Three Bells | The Browns | August 24, 1959 |
Artists with the most weeks at #1 in the 1950s
| Weeks at #1 | Artist | #1 titles |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Bobby Darin | 1 |
| 6 | Tommy Edwards | 1 |
| 6 | Frankie Avalon | 2 |
| 6 | Johnny Horton | 1 |
| 5 | Domenico Modugno | 1 |
| 5 | The Fleetwoods | 2 |
| 4 | The Chipmunks With David Seville | 1 |
| 4 | Lloyd Price | 1 |
| 4 | Paul Anka | 1 |
| 4 | The Browns | 1 |
Stories from the 1950s
The First Hot 100: What America Heard on August 4, 1958Private Presley's Hot 100: Elvis From 1958 to 1962One Week on Top: The Hot 100's Shortest Reigns, 1958–1990Once and Done: The Acts Whose Only Hot 100 Hit Went to Number OneNo Room at the Top: America's Christmas Number Ones, 1958-1990Gone Sixteen Months: How "The Twist" Reached Number One TwiceTwenty-Six Places in a Week: The Hot 100's Biggest Leaps and Highest Debuts
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