1962 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 1962 Billboard Number One Hits list captured American pop just before the British Invasion, with dance crazes, teen idols, soul, girl groups, country-pop, instrumentals, early Motown energy, and novelty records all reaching No. 1. The Tokens opened the year with The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Chubby Checker brought The Twist back to No. 1, Ray Charles dominated the summer with I Can’t Stop Loving You, and The Tornados closed the year with the space-age instrumental Telstar.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 1962, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with The Tokens’ late-1961 carryover and continues into early 1963 with The Tornados’ Telstar.

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, or “this was definitely heard while someone practiced the Twist in socks” rankings.

1962 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

December 17, 1961 – January 6, 1962: The Lion Sleeps Tonight – The Tokens
January 7 – January 20, 1962: The Twist – Chubby Checker
January 21 – February 10, 1962: Peppermint Twist – Part 1 – Joey Dee and the Starliters
February 11 – March 3, 1962: Duke of Earl – Gene Chandler
March 4 – March 17, 1962: Hey! Baby – Bruce Channel
March 18 – March 24, 1962: Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You – Connie Francis
March 25 – April 7, 1962: Johnny Angel – Shelley Fabares
April 8 – April 21, 1962: Good Luck Charm – Elvis Presley
April 22 – May 12, 1962: Soldier Boy – The Shirelles
May 13 – May 19, 1962: Stranger on the Shore – Mr. Acker Bilk
May 20 – June 23, 1962: I Can’t Stop Loving You – Ray Charles
June 24 – June 30, 1962: The Stripper – David Rose
July 1 – July 28, 1962: Roses Are Red (My Love) – Bobby Vinton
July 29 – August 11, 1962: Breaking Up Is Hard to Do – Neil Sedaka
August 12 – August 18, 1962: The Loco-Motion – Little Eva
August 19 – September 1, 1962: Sheila – Tommy Roe
September 2 – September 15, 1962: Sherry – The Four Seasons
September 16 – September 29, 1962: Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers
September 30 – October 13, 1962: He’s a Rebel – The Crystals
October 14 – November 17, 1962: Big Girls Don’t Cry – The Four Seasons
November 18, 1962 – January 5, 1963: Telstar – The Tornados

Song-by-Song Notes on the 1962 Billboard No. 1 Hits

The Lion Sleeps Tonight – The Tokens

The Tokens opened the 1962 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a late-1961 carryover. The song’s roots traced back to Solomon Linda’s South African song Mbube, making its pop-chart journey much deeper than its cheerful “wimoweh” hook might suggest.

Its cross-year run made it one of the most famous vocal-group records of the early 1960s. Decades later, the song found new life through Disney’s *The Lion King*, which means the lion did not sleep that long.

The Twist – Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker returned to No. 1 with The Twist, after the same recording had already topped the Hot 100 in 1960. Its 1962 comeback was tied to the renewed popularity of the Twist dance craze.

This made The Twist the first song to return to No. 1 in a separate chart run after previously reaching the top. That is a chart trivia heavyweight disguised as a dance record.

Peppermint Twist – Part 1 – Joey Dee and the Starliters

Joey Dee and the Starliters spent three weeks at No. 1 with Peppermint Twist – Part 1. The song was tied to the Peppermint Lounge in New York City, where the Twist craze became a fashionable nightlife phenomenon.

Its success showed how quickly dance crazes could move from club floors to national radio. The Twist was not done twisting yet.

Duke of Earl – Gene Chandler

Gene Chandler spent three weeks at No. 1 with Duke of Earl, one of the most famous doo-wop and early soul records of the era. Chandler’s regal persona and the song’s repeated chant made it instantly memorable.

The song became his signature hit and one of the strongest vocal-group-style No. 1 records of 1962.

Hey! Baby – Bruce Channel

Bruce Channel spent three weeks at No. 1 with Hey! Baby, a pop-rock hit featuring a memorable harmonica part by Delbert McClinton. The song’s simple call-and-response hook made it a durable oldies favorite.

Its chart success also has a Beatles footnote: McClinton later said he gave John Lennon harmonica tips when Bruce Channel toured with the Beatles in Britain. Tiny harmonica trivia, big historical echo.

Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You – Connie Francis

Connie Francis reached No. 1 with Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You, a dramatic pop ballad from one of the era’s most successful female vocalists. Francis had already scored major hits across pop, country, and international markets.

Its one-week run became her final Hot 100 No. 1.

Johnny Angel – Shelley Fabares

Shelley Fabares reached No. 1 with Johnny Angel, a teen-pop ballad featured on *The Donna Reed Show*. Fabares was better known as an actress, which helped the song cross from television into pop radio.

Its two-week run made it one of 1962’s most successful TV-linked pop hits. Before streaming soundtracks, sitcoms could still launch a single.

Good Luck Charm – Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley spent two weeks at No. 1 with Good Luck Charm, continuing his early-1960s run of smooth pop hits. The song’s light rhythm and romantic lyric fit the cleaner post-Army Elvis sound of the period.

Its success showed that Elvis remained a major singles force before the British Invasion changed the chart climate.

Soldier Boy – The Shirelles

The Shirelles spent three weeks at No. 1 with Soldier Boy, a girl-group ballad with a simple devotion lyric. The group had already made history with Will You Love Me Tomorrow, and this gave them another major Hot 100 peak.

The song’s military-romance theme connected naturally with early-1960s pop audiences, before Vietnam-era songs took a much more complicated turn.

Stranger on the Shore – Mr. Acker Bilk

Mr. Acker Bilk reached No. 1 with Stranger on the Shore, a clarinet-led instrumental that became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1962. It was also the first British recording to top the Billboard Hot 100.

Its one-week stay at No. 1 was short, but its year-end strength was enormous. A gentle clarinet instrumental quietly beat a very loud year of twist records, teen pop, and Ray Charles.

I Can’t Stop Loving You – Ray Charles

Ray Charles spent five weeks at No. 1 with I Can’t Stop Loving You, the longest Hot 100 run of 1962. The song came from his groundbreaking album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, which helped bridge country, soul, pop, and R&B audiences.

Its success was one of the year’s biggest musical moments. Ray Charles did not just cover country music; he expanded what American popular music could sound like.

The Stripper – David Rose

David Rose reached No. 1 with The Stripper, an instrumental that became instantly associated with burlesque-style performance. Its brassy arrangement gave it a comic, theatrical flavor that made it unforgettable.

Its one-week run gave 1962 one of its strangest instrumental No. 1 hits. Subtle, it was not.

Roses Are Red (My Love) – Bobby Vinton

Bobby Vinton spent four weeks at No. 1 with Roses Are Red (My Love), launching his run as one of the early 1960s’ major romantic pop balladeers. The song’s sentimental lyric and smooth vocal made it a natural radio hit.

It was the first of Vinton’s Hot 100 No. 1 singles and set up several more major ballad successes.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do – Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka spent two weeks at No. 1 with Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, one of his most famous Brill Building-era pop songs. Its bright melody contrasted with the heartbreak theme, which was part of the song’s charm.

Sedaka later remade the song as a slower ballad in the 1970s, giving it a second life in a very different style.

The Loco-Motion – Little Eva

Little Eva reached No. 1 with The Loco-Motion, written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Eva Boyd had worked as a babysitter for the songwriting couple before becoming the singer on the hit.

The song became one of the rare pop records to reach No. 1 in multiple versions, later topping the chart again for Grand Funk in 1974. The train kept running.

Sheila – Tommy Roe

Tommy Roe spent two weeks at No. 1 with Sheila, a catchy pop-rock single with Buddy Holly influence. Roe’s clean vocal and simple hook made it a strong teen-pop hit.

Its success gave Roe his first Hot 100 No. 1 and helped make him one of the early 1960s’ reliable pop hitmakers.

Sherry – The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons spent two weeks at No. 1 with Sherry, their breakthrough single. Frankie Valli’s falsetto and the group’s sharp vocal arrangement made the record stand apart immediately.

Its success launched one of the strongest American vocal-group runs of the pre-Beatles 1960s.

Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers

Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers spent two weeks at No. 1 with Monster Mash, a novelty record built around horror-movie voices and a dance-craze parody. It became one of the most enduring Halloween songs in American pop culture.

The song returns every October like a musical vampire with excellent publishing instincts.

He’s a Rebel – The Crystals

The Crystals reached No. 1 with He’s a Rebel, written by Gene Pitney and produced by Phil Spector. The recording was actually performed by Darlene Love and the Blossoms, though it was released under the name The Crystals.

Its one-week run gave the girl-group era one of its defining records and helped strengthen Spector’s Wall of Sound presence on the pop chart.

Big Girls Don’t Cry – The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons spent five weeks at No. 1 with Big Girls Don’t Cry, matching Ray Charles for the year’s longest No. 1 run. The song continued the group’s breakthrough momentum after Sherry.

Its title became one of the decade’s most recognizable pop phrases. The girls may not cry, but rival acts probably did when The Four Seasons stayed on top that long.

Telstar – The Tornados

The Tornados closed the 1962 Billboard Hot 100 year with Telstar, an instrumental inspired by the Telstar communications satellite. Its futuristic sound effects and melody captured the space-age mood of the early 1960s.

The song carried into January 1963 and became the first U.S. No. 1 by a British group. It was a British Invasion preview sent by satellite before the guitars arrived.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 1962

Stranger on the Shore Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1

Mr. Acker Bilk’s Stranger on the Shore was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1962. It was also the first British recording to top the Billboard Hot 100, making it historically important beyond its single week at No. 1.

The Twist Returned to No. 1

Chubby Checker’s The Twist returned to the top in 1962 after previously reaching No. 1 in 1960. That made it the first song to return to No. 1 in a separate chart run after an earlier trip to the top.

Ray Charles Had the Year’s Longest Summer Run

Ray Charles spent five weeks at No. 1 with I Can’t Stop Loving You. The song’s country-soul crossover power helped make Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music one of the most important albums of the early 1960s.

Girl Groups and Vocal Groups Were Everywhere

The Shirelles, The Crystals, The Four Seasons, The Tokens, and The Essex all reached No. 1 in 1962. The year still belonged heavily to vocal-group pop before rock bands fully reshaped the chart.

Instrumentals Had Major Chart Power

Stranger on the Shore, The Stripper, and Telstar all reached No. 1. That is a lot of instrumental strength for one year, especially beside twist records, teen idols, Elvis, Ray Charles, and girl-group pop.

1962 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

Stranger on the Shore by Mr. Acker Bilk was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1962.
Stranger on the Shore was the first British recording to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Twist returned to No. 1 in 1962 after first topping the Hot 100 in 1960.
I Can’t Stop Loving You by Ray Charles spent five weeks at No. 1.
Big Girls Don’t Cry by The Four Seasons also spent five weeks at No. 1.
The Loco-Motion later returned to No. 1 in a version by Grand Funk in 1974.
Monster Mash became one of the most enduring Halloween novelty songs of all time.
He’s a Rebel was released under The Crystals’ name but was recorded by Darlene Love and the Blossoms.
Telstar closed 1962 and carried into the 1963 Billboard chart year.

Why the 1962 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 1962 Billboard Number One Hits list shows early-1960s pop at a fascinating midpoint. Dance-craze records were still powerful, Elvis was still active at No. 1, girl groups were rising, vocal groups were strong, and instrumental records could still dominate the chart.

The year also hinted at major changes ahead. Mr. Acker Bilk and The Tornados gave Britain two important U.S. No. 1 breakthroughs before the Beatles, while Ray Charles expanded the boundaries between country, soul, and pop. The Four Seasons arrived as one of America’s strongest vocal groups just before British rock acts began flooding the charts.

For chart fans, 1962 had a little of everything: lions, twists, soldiers, strippers, roses, locomotion, monsters, rebels, big girls, and one satellite-powered instrumental pointing straight toward the future.