1968 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 1968 Billboard Number One Hits list captured a year of pop contrasts: British rock, blue-eyed soul, bubblegum psychedelia, instrumental pop, Motown, country crossover, Broadway-connected songs, and some of the most famous records of the decade. The Beatles opened the year with Hello, Goodbye, Otis Redding made posthumous chart history with (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay, and the Beatles returned in the fall with the massive Hey Jude.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 1968, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with the Beatles’ late-1967 carryover and continues into early 1969 with Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through the Grapevine.

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using radio airplay and sales. These are official Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs, not pop-only, R&B-only, country-only, adult-contemporary-only, rock-only, or “this was definitely coming from a portable record player in somebody’s paneled basement” rankings.

1968 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

December 31, 1967 – January 20, 1968: Hello, Goodbye – The Beatles
January 21 – February 3, 1968: Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) – John Fred and His Playboy Band
February 4 – February 10, 1968: Green Tambourine – The Lemon Pipers
February 11 – March 16, 1968: Love Is Blue – Paul Mauriat
March 17 – April 13, 1968: (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding
April 14 – May 18, 1968: Honey – Bobby Goldsboro
May 19 – June 1, 1968: Tighten Up – Archie Bell & the Drells
June 2 – June 22, 1968: Mrs. Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel
June 23 – July 20, 1968: This Guy’s in Love with You – Herb Alpert
July 21 – August 3, 1968: Grazing in the Grass – Hugh Masekela
August 4 – August 17, 1968: Hello, I Love You – The Doors
August 18 – September 21, 1968: People Got to Be Free – The Rascals
September 22 – September 28, 1968: Harper Valley P.T.A. – Jeannie C. Riley
September 29 – November 30, 1968: Hey Jude – The Beatles
December 1 – December 14, 1968: Love Child – Diana Ross & the Supremes
December 15, 1968 – January 25, 1969: I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye

Song-by-Song Notes on the 1968 Billboard No. 1 Hits

Hello, Goodbye – The Beatles

The Beatles opened the 1968 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with Hello, Goodbye, a late-1967 carryover written mainly by Paul McCartney. The song’s bright pop arrangement and simple opposites-based lyric made it one of the group’s most accessible late-1960s singles.

Its cross-year run gave 1968 a familiar Beatles opening, but the year would later bring a very different Beatles No. 1 with Hey Jude. That is a pretty good year when your bookends include both “hello” and “na-na-na.”

Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) – John Fred and His Playboy Band

John Fred and His Playboy Band reached No. 1 with Judy in Disguise (With Glasses), a playful psychedelic-pop record whose title riffed on the Beatles’ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. The song’s horns, quirky vocals, and colorful production made it one of the year’s strangest chart-toppers.

Its two-week run gave the Louisiana group its only Hot 100 No. 1. It was parody-adjacent, psychedelic-adjacent, and somehow catchy enough to knock the Beatles out of the top spot.

Green Tambourine – The Lemon Pipers

The Lemon Pipers reached No. 1 with Green Tambourine, one of the defining bubblegum-psychedelic singles of the late 1960s. The song’s sitar-like textures, bright chorus, and colorful lyrics made it a perfect pop artifact of 1968.

Its one-week stay became the band’s signature moment. The tambourine was green, the hook was sticky, and subtlety was not the assignment.

Love Is Blue – Paul Mauriat

Paul Mauriat spent five weeks at No. 1 with Love Is Blue, an instrumental orchestral-pop recording based on a song that had represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest. Its lush arrangement made it one of the rare instrumentals to dominate the Hot 100.

The song became Billboard’s No. 2 year-end Hot 100 single of 1968. In a year full of rock, soul, and psychedelic pop, an elegant instrumental quietly held court for five weeks.

(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding

Otis Redding reached No. 1 posthumously with (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay, recorded shortly before his death in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. The song’s relaxed mood, whistled ending, and reflective lyric marked a new direction for Redding’s sound.

It became the first posthumous No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. The song sounds peaceful, but its chart story is deeply bittersweet.

Honey – Bobby Goldsboro

Bobby Goldsboro spent five weeks at No. 1 with Honey, a sentimental story song about love and loss. The record became one of the biggest singles of 1968, even though it later became a frequent target for critics who found it overly melodramatic.

Its chart success was real: Honey ranked No. 3 on Billboard’s 1968 year-end Hot 100. If pop had a tearjerker department, this song was management.

Tighten Up – Archie Bell & the Drells

Archie Bell & the Drells spent two weeks at No. 1 with Tighten Up, a Houston-born soul and funk dance record. The song’s spoken introduction and tight groove helped make it one of the most important dance records of the year.

Its success is especially memorable because Archie Bell recorded the vocal while recovering from a leg injury before military service. He may not have been dancing much at the time, but the record definitely was.

Mrs. Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel spent three weeks at No. 1 with Mrs. Robinson, closely tied to the film The Graduate. The song became one of the duo’s most famous recordings and helped link folk-rock with the new language of late-1960s film culture.

It later won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson — and to soundtrack songs that actually changed the radio conversation.

This Guy’s in Love with You – Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert spent four weeks at No. 1 with This Guy’s in Love with You, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Alpert was already famous as a trumpeter and bandleader with the Tijuana Brass, but this vocal ballad became his biggest pop-singing moment.

Its success made Alpert the first artist to top the Hot 100 as both a vocalist and an instrumentalist, with Rise later reaching No. 1 in 1979. The trivia aged well.

Grazing in the Grass – Hugh Masekela

South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela reached No. 1 with Grazing in the Grass, a bright jazz-pop instrumental. The song’s light, breezy feel helped it cross from jazz audiences into mainstream pop.

Its two-week run made it one of the year’s standout instrumental hits. Sometimes a cowbell, trumpet, and good mood are enough.

Hello, I Love You – The Doors

The Doors reached No. 1 with Hello, I Love You, one of their most direct pop-rock singles. The song’s driving rhythm and Jim Morrison’s vocals helped it become the band’s second Hot 100 chart-topper after Light My Fire.

Its two-week run showed the Doors could still score a concise radio hit while keeping their darker image intact.

People Got to Be Free – The Rascals

The Rascals spent five weeks at No. 1 with People Got to Be Free, a blue-eyed soul anthem tied to the idealism and social tension of 1968. Its message of freedom and unity connected strongly with the year’s civil-rights and antiwar climate.

The song became one of the group’s biggest hits and one of the year’s clearest “message” singles. It was hopeful, but not naïve; 1968 needed all the hope it could get.

Harper Valley P.T.A. – Jeannie C. Riley

Jeannie C. Riley reached No. 1 with Harper Valley P.T.A., a country-pop story song written by Tom T. Hall. The lyric tells the story of a widowed mother calling out small-town hypocrisy at a parent-teacher meeting.

The song crossed over from country to pop and became one of 1968’s most memorable narrative hits. It also proved that a P.T.A. meeting could apparently become a cultural event if the speech was spicy enough.

Hey Jude – The Beatles

The Beatles spent nine weeks at No. 1 with Hey Jude, Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1968. It was the Beatles’ first single on Apple Records and one of the longest-running No. 1 hits of the decade. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Written mainly by Paul McCartney, the song began as a message of comfort for Julian Lennon during John and Cynthia Lennon’s separation. Its long sing-along coda became one of the most famous endings in popular music.

Love Child – Diana Ross & the Supremes

Diana Ross & the Supremes spent two weeks at No. 1 with Love Child, a Motown single with a socially conscious lyric about poverty, stigma, and family circumstances. The song marked a shift from the group’s earlier romantic pop-soul sound toward more topical material.

Its No. 1 run showed Motown adapting to a more socially aware late-1960s pop climate while keeping its commercial polish.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye closed the 1968 Billboard Hot 100 year with I Heard It Through the Grapevine, which carried deep into January 1969. The song had already been a hit for Gladys Knight & the Pips, but Gaye’s darker version became the definitive recording.

Its cross-year run became one of Motown’s greatest chart triumphs and one of Gaye’s signature performances. The rumor mill never sounded better.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 1968

Hey Jude Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1

The Beatles’ Hey Jude spent nine weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s top Hot 100 song of 1968. Its long run tied the all-time U.S. No. 1 longevity record at the time and helped launch Apple Records with a blockbuster single. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Posthumous Chart History Happened With Otis Redding

(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay made Otis Redding the first artist to earn a posthumous No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s reflective tone made that achievement especially emotional.

Instrumentals Still Had Major Chart Power

Love Is Blue and Grazing in the Grass both reached No. 1 in 1968. Instrumental pop still had enough mainstream strength to compete with the Beatles, Motown, soul, country crossover, and psychedelic pop.

Country Crossover Broke Through

Harper Valley P.T.A. reached No. 1 on both pop and country charts, making Jeannie C. Riley one of the year’s biggest crossover stories. The song’s sharp storytelling helped it stand out in a crowded chart year.

Motown Closed the Year Strong

Diana Ross & the Supremes topped the chart with Love Child, and Marvin Gaye followed with I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Motown ended 1968 with two major No. 1 records that pushed beyond simple romance into deeper social and emotional territory.

1968 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

Hey Jude by the Beatles was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1968.
Hey Jude spent nine weeks at No. 1, the longest Hot 100 run of the year. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Hey Jude was the Beatles’ first single released on Apple Records. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay made Otis Redding the first artist with a posthumous Hot 100 No. 1.
Love Is Blue by Paul Mauriat was one of the rare instrumental records to spend five weeks at No. 1.
Mrs. Robinson was closely tied to the film The Graduate.
Harper Valley P.T.A. crossed from country to pop and became a major story-song hit.
Love Child showed Diana Ross & the Supremes moving into more socially conscious Motown material.
I Heard It Through the Grapevine closed 1968 and carried into 1969.

Why the 1968 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 1968 Billboard Number One Hits list shows pop music stretching in several directions at once. The year included psychedelic pop, soul, Motown, instrumentals, country crossover, film-connected folk-rock, socially conscious pop, and one of the Beatles’ biggest singles.

The year also reflected the tension of 1968 itself. Hopeful songs, sad songs, message songs, protest-adjacent songs, novelty-leaning songs, and deeply emotional soul records all reached No. 1. The Hot 100 was not just tracking pop tastes; it was catching pieces of the culture in motion.

For chart fans, 1968 was a year of giant contrasts: Hey Jude singalongs, Otis Redding’s farewell, Jeannie C. Riley calling out the P.T.A., Paul Mauriat’s elegant instrumental, and Marvin Gaye closing the year with one of Motown’s greatest performances.