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1962 Music Hits: Surf Guitar, Girl Groups, Doo-Wop, Dance Crazes, Motown, Teen Pop, and Pre-Beatles Favorites

1962 music sat right before the British Invasion changed American pop. Girl groups were rising fast, Motown was gaining strength, surf guitar was roaring out of California, dance records were everywhere, and doo-wop still had plenty of radio life. The year had a clean early-1960s sound, but change was clearly coming.

The biggest 1962 music hits included Green Onions, Twist and Shout, The Loco-Motion, Do You Love Me, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Sherry, Return to Sender, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Telstar, and Misirlou. It was a year of dance floors, vocal groups, surf guitars, teenage romance, girl-group drama, and instrumentals that still sound ready to jump out of a jukebox.

These 1962 music hits are not meant to be a Billboard reprint. The focus is lasting oldies appeal, recognizability, dance value, radio durability, sing-along strength, and songs that still feel strongly tied to 1962.

How People Heard 1962 Music

In 1962, AM radio was still the center of pop music. Teenagers bought 45s, followed local radio countdowns, danced at school events, and heard records on jukeboxes, television shows, and home record players.

The Beatles had not yet taken over America, but the stage was being set. Motown, girl groups, surf rock, and tighter studio production were all becoming more important. Pop music was still wearing its early-1960s jacket, but the sleeves were getting a little louder.

1962’s Biggest Artists and Songs

1962’s Grammy winners and pop-chart stories reflected both traditional pop strength and the faster, younger sound taking over singles radio.

  • Peter Nero won Best New Artist, representing the continuing importance of piano-driven pop and jazz-influenced mainstream music.
  • Judy Garland won Album of the Year for Judy at Carnegie Hall. Her April 23, 1961 Carnegie Hall concert became one of the most celebrated live performances in show business history.
  • Henry Mancini won Record of the Year for Moon River, the elegant song from *Breakfast at Tiffany’s*.
  • Audrey Hepburn performed Moon River in *Breakfast at Tiffany’s*, while Andy Williams helped make the song a pop-standard favorite for a wider audience.
  • Booker T. & The M.G.’s gave 1962 one of its greatest instrumentals with Green Onions.
  • The Beach Boys brought California car and surf culture to the charts with 409 and other early recordings.
  • The Four Seasons broke through with Sherry and Big Girls Don’t Cry.
  • Elvis Presley remained a major pop force with Can’t Help Falling in Love, Good Luck Charm, and Return to Sender.

New Artists and Breakthrough Acts in the 1962 Pop Charts

Several artists broke through or became more visible in 1962. Some would become defining names of Motown, soul, surf rock, folk, jazz, and girl-group pop.

  • The Supremes began appearing in the charts before becoming Motown’s biggest girl group later in the decade.
  • The Beach Boys introduced a new California sound built around cars, surfing, harmonies, and teenage freedom.
  • Marvin Gaye began his rise as one of Motown’s most important voices.
  • Booker T. & The M.G.’s helped define the instrumental soul sound of Stax Records.
  • Patti LaBelle entered the pop and R&B world through The Blue-Belles, years before her later solo superstardom.
  • Peter, Paul and Mary helped bring folk music into the mainstream pop conversation.
  • Stan Getz helped bring bossa nova and jazz-pop crossover to wider American attention.

1962’s Retro Top 10 Hits

These 1962 retro hits capture the year’s mix of instrumentals, girl groups, teen tragedy, soul, surf culture, dance records, and early-1960s pop charm.

  1. Green Onions – Booker T. & The M.G.’s
  2. Baby It’s You – The Shirelles
  3. Bongo Stomp – Little Joey & The Flips
  4. Patches – Dickey Lee
  5. Sheila – Tommy Roe
  6. Having a Party – Sam Cooke
  7. 409 – The Beach Boys
  8. Don’t Hang Up – The Orlons
  9. Peppermint Twist – Joey Dee & The Starliters
  10. Town Without Pity – Gene Pitney

1962’s One-Hit Wonders

1962 had one-hit wonders and near-one-hit wonders from dance records, instrumentals, novelty pop, bossa nova, doo-wop, and teen pop. Some were quick chart moments, while others became permanent oldies-radio favorites.

  1. Do You Love Me – The Contours
  2. Hey! Baby – Bruce Channel
  3. Party Lights – Claudine Clark
  4. Desafinado – Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd
  5. Alley Cat – Bent Fabric
  6. Bobby’s Girl – Marcie Blane
  7. Telstar – The Tornados
  8. Stranger on the Shore – Mr. Acker Bilk
  9. Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out) – Ernie Maresca
  10. What’s Your Name – Don & Juan

1962 Dance Top 10 Hit List

Dance records were central to 1962 pop. The twist was still alive, new dance crazes were popping up, and records like The Loco-Motion, Mashed Potato Time, and The Wah-Watusi made sure nobody stood still for long.

  1. Hey! Baby – Bruce Channel
  2. Twist and Shout – The Isley Brothers
  3. The Loco-Motion – Little Eva
  4. Let’s Dance – Chris Montez
  5. The Wah-Watusi – The Orlons
  6. Mashed Potato Time – Dee Dee Sharp
  7. I Sold My Heart to the Junkman – The Blue-Belles
  8. Soul Twist – King Curtis
  9. Good Luck Charm – Elvis Presley
  10. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do – Neil Sedaka

1962 Doo-Wop Song Top 10 Hit List

Doo-wop was still strong in 1962, especially through vocal-group harmonies, dramatic leads, and songs that kept the street-corner tradition alive while pop production became more polished.

  1. Up on the Roof – The Drifters
  2. You Belong to Me – The Duprees
  3. Big Girls Don’t Cry – The Four Seasons
  4. Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow – The Rivingtons
  5. Duke of Earl – Gene Chandler
  6. Sherry – The Four Seasons
  7. What Time Is It? – The Jive Five
  8. Never Let You Go – The Five Discs
  9. Coney Island Baby – The Excellents
  10. I Love You – The Volumes

1962 Girl Groups Top 10 Hit List

Girl groups were becoming one of the most important sounds of the early 1960s. These records brought drama, rhythm, teenage emotion, and sharp studio production into pop radio.

  1. He’s So Fine – The Chiffons
  2. Uptown – The Crystals
  3. I Sold My Heart to the Junkman – The Blue-Belles
  4. Soldier Boy – The Shirelles
  5. ’Til – The Angels
  6. He’s a Rebel – The Crystals
  7. Beechwood 4-5789 – The Marvelettes
  8. The Wah-Watusi – The Orlons
  9. Chains – The Cookies
  10. He’s Sure the Boy I Love – The Crystals

He’s So Fine was released in late 1962 and became a major hit in 1963, making it a perfect bridge between 1962 girl-group momentum and the bigger girl-group boom that followed.

More 1962 Girl Group Song Hits

  • Cry Baby Cry – The Angels
  • I’m Blue (The Gong-Gong Song) – The Ikettes
  • Don’t Hang Up – The Orlons
  • Playboy – The Marvelettes

Surf Guitar, Car Songs, and California Sounds

1962 was a key year for surf guitar and California car culture. Dick Dale and The Beach Boys helped make the West Coast feel like a whole new pop language.

  • Misirlou – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
  • Let’s Go Trippin’ – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
  • 409 – The Beach Boys
  • Surfin’ Safari – The Beach Boys
  • Pipeline – The Chantays
  • Bustin’ Surfboards – The Tornadoes

Pipeline became more strongly tied to 1963, but it belongs to the same surf-instrumental wave that was already building in 1962. Surf music did not politely wait for the calendar.

Early Motown, Soul, and R&B in 1962

Motown and soul were becoming stronger by 1962. These records helped move pop away from late-1950s oldies style and toward the tighter, more rhythmic sound of the mid-1960s.

  • Do You Love Me – The Contours
  • Stubborn Kind of Fellow – Marvin Gaye
  • Playboy – The Marvelettes
  • You Beat Me to the Punch – Mary Wells
  • Twistin’ the Night Away – Sam Cooke
  • Having a Party – Sam Cooke
  • Green Onions – Booker T. & The M.G.’s
  • Bring It On Home to Me – Sam Cooke

Folk, Jazz, and Pop Standards in 1962

1962 was not only about teen pop and dance records. Folk, jazz, and traditional pop standards still had a place in mainstream listening, especially through albums, adult radio, and television performances.

  • Moon River – Henry Mancini
  • Moon River – Andy Williams
  • Stranger on the Shore – Mr. Acker Bilk
  • Desafinado – Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd
  • If I Had a Hammer – Peter, Paul and Mary
  • Alley Cat – Bent Fabric
  • Theme from Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight) – Richard Chamberlain

Artist Spotlight: Booker T. & The M.G.’s

Booker T. & The M.G.’s gave 1962 one of its greatest instrumentals with Green Onions. The song’s organ riff, tight groove, and cool confidence made it one of the defining soul instrumentals of the decade.

It did not need lyrics. Green Onions walked into the room, nodded once, and let the groove do the talking.

Artist Spotlight: The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys were still early in their career in 1962, but 409 and Surfin’ Safari helped introduce their California sound. Cars, surfing, harmonies, and teenage freedom became part of their early identity.

The group would become far more ambitious later in the decade, but 1962 captured the beginning of their pop story. The surf was up, and so were the harmonies.

Artist Spotlight: The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons broke through in 1962 with Sherry and Big Girls Don’t Cry. Frankie Valli’s falsetto gave the group an instantly recognizable sound, while the songs brought doo-wop influence into a sharper pop package.

They helped bridge the vocal-group era and the pop sound that would dominate before the British Invasion. That falsetto did not knock; it rang the doorbell and hit the top note.

Artist Spotlight: The Shirelles

The Shirelles remained one of the key girl groups of 1962. Baby It’s You and Soldier Boy showed how girl-group records could be sweet, emotional, and radio-ready.

Their influence stretched far beyond the early 1960s. The Beatles later recorded Baby It’s You, showing how strongly American girl groups shaped the British bands that followed.

Artist Spotlight: Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley stayed highly visible in 1962 with Can’t Help Falling in Love, Good Luck Charm, and Return to Sender. His early-1960s sound was smoother than his 1950s rock-and-roll work, but the hits kept coming.

By 1962, Elvis was balancing pop ballads, movie songs, and upbeat singles. The King had adjusted to the new decade without giving up the throne.

PCM’s 1962 Top 10 Hit List

These 1962 songs best represent the year’s lasting oldies appeal, dance-floor energy, girl-group rise, surf-guitar bite, doo-wop charm, and early-1960s identity.

  1. Misirlou – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
  2. Twist and Shout – The Isley Brothers
  3. Do You Love Me – The Contours
  4. Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
  5. You Belong to Me – The Duprees
  6. The Loco-Motion – Little Eva
  7. Let’s Dance – Chris Montez
  8. Return to Sender – Elvis Presley
  9. Limbo Rock – Chubby Checker
  10. Big Girls Don’t Cry – The Four Seasons

More Must-Have 1962 Songs

These additional 1962 songs help round out the year’s pop, soul, doo-wop, girl-group, surf, country-pop, instrumental, and dance-craze identity. Some were major hits, some became oldies favorites, and some still sound like 1962 coming through a diner jukebox in glorious mono.

  • Sherry – The Four Seasons
  • Duke of Earl – Gene Chandler
  • Up on the Roof – The Drifters
  • Bring It On Home to Me – Sam Cooke
  • Twistin’ the Night Away – Sam Cooke
  • You Beat Me to the Punch – Mary Wells
  • Stubborn Kind of Fellow – Marvin Gaye
  • Surfin’ Safari – The Beach Boys
  • Johnny Angel – Shelley Fabares
  • Roses Are Red (My Love) – Bobby Vinton
  • Only Love Can Break a Heart – Gene Pitney
  • Ahab the Arab – Ray Stevens
  • Palisades Park – Freddy Cannon
  • Sealed with a Kiss – Brian Hyland
  • Ramblin’ Rose – Nat King Cole
  • She’s Got You – Patsy Cline
  • Wolverton Mountain – Claude King
  • Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
  • Ride! – Dee Dee Sharp
  • Eso Beso (That Kiss!) – Paul Anka

Why 1962 Music Still Matters

1962 music still matters because it captured American pop just before the British Invasion. The year had doo-wop, girl groups, Motown, surf guitar, teen idols, dance crazes, country-pop, jazz-pop, and instrumentals all sharing space.

The range was strong: Misirlou, Green Onions, The Loco-Motion, Moon River, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Do You Love Me, Telstar, and Can’t Help Falling in Love all belonged to the same year. That is not just a playlist; that is 1962 trying to dance, harmonize, surf, and fall in love before the Beatles arrive.

1962 was polished, rhythmic, romantic, playful, and quietly important. It gave the early 1960s some of its most durable oldies while setting up the girl-group, Motown, surf-rock, and soul sounds that would shape the next few years.