1967 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 1967 Billboard Number One Hits list captured pop music in one of its most colorful transition years. The Monkees opened the year with I’m a Believer, The Beatles topped the chart with Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, and Hello, Goodbye, Aretha Franklin transformed Respect into a cultural anthem, and Lulu delivered Billboard’s year-end No. 1 with To Sir with Love.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 1967, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with The Monkees’ late-1966 carryover and continues into early 1968 with The Beatles’ Hello, Goodbye.

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, rock-only, adult-contemporary-only, or “this was definitely playing while someone argued about whether the Summer of Love needed better parking” rankings.

1967 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

January 1 – February 11, 1967: I’m a Believer – The Monkees
February 12 – February 18, 1967: Kind of a Drag – The Buckinghams
February 19 – February 25, 1967: Ruby Tuesday – The Rolling Stones
February 26 – March 4, 1967: Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone – The Supremes
March 5 – March 11, 1967: Penny Lane – The Beatles
March 12 – April 8, 1967: Happy Together – The Turtles
April 9 – May 6, 1967: Somethin’ Stupid – Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
May 7 – May 13, 1967: The Happening – The Supremes
May 14 – May 27, 1967: Groovin’ – The Young Rascals
May 28 – June 10, 1967: Respect – Aretha Franklin
June 11 – June 24, 1967: Groovin’ – The Young Rascals
June 25 – July 22, 1967: Windy – The Association
July 23 – August 12, 1967: Light My Fire – The Doors
August 13 – August 19, 1967: All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
August 20 – September 16, 1967: Ode to Billie Joe – Bobbie Gentry
September 17 – October 14, 1967: The Letter – The Box Tops
October 15 – November 18, 1967: To Sir with Love – Lulu
November 19 – November 25, 1967: Incense and Peppermints – Strawberry Alarm Clock
November 26 – December 23, 1967: Daydream Believer – The Monkees
December 24, 1967 – January 20, 1968: Hello, Goodbye – The Beatles

Song-by-Song Notes on the 1967 Billboard No. 1 Hits

I’m a Believer – The Monkees

The Monkees opened the 1967 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with I’m a Believer, a late-1966 carryover written by Neil Diamond. The song became the group’s biggest hit and one of the defining singles of the television-driven pop era.

Its 1967 run helped make The Monkees one of the year’s dominant pop acts. A made-for-TV band having one of the biggest real-world hits of the decade is very 1960s and honestly pretty efficient.

Kind of a Drag – The Buckinghams

The Buckinghams reached No. 1 with Kind of a Drag, a Chicago-born pop-rock hit with horns, harmonies, and a clean radio sound. The song gave the band its biggest national success.

Its one-week run came during a crowded early-1967 stretch when British Invasion acts, American pop groups, and soul artists were all battling for chart space.

Ruby Tuesday – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones topped the Hot 100 with Ruby Tuesday, a softer and more reflective single than many of their earlier rock hits. The song showed the band’s melodic side during a period when 1960s rock was becoming more experimental and varied.

Its one-week stay kept the Stones near the top of the American chart during a year when pop was quickly shifting toward psychedelia, soul, and more ambitious album-era ideas.

Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone – The Supremes

The Supremes reached No. 1 with Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone, another Holland-Dozier-Holland production from their classic Motown run. Diana Ross’ lead vocal and the spoken-drama touches gave the record a slightly theatrical feel.

Its one-week run was the first of two Supremes No. 1 songs in 1967. Motown was still one of the safest addresses on the Hot 100.

Penny Lane – The Beatles

The Beatles reached No. 1 with Penny Lane, a Paul McCartney-led portrait of a real Liverpool street. The song’s bright arrangement, brass part, and detailed local imagery made it one of the group’s most vivid pop singles.

It was released as a double A-side with Strawberry Fields Forever in the U.K., though Penny Lane was the side that reached No. 1 on the U.S. Hot 100. Liverpool tourism probably owes it at least a polite thank-you note.

Happy Together – The Turtles

The Turtles spent three weeks at No. 1 with Happy Together, one of the most durable sunshine-pop singles of the late 1960s. Its soaring chorus and romantic optimism helped it become the group’s signature song.

The song knocked The Beatles’ Penny Lane out of the top spot, which is not a small achievement for a band named The Turtles.

Somethin’ Stupid – Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra

Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra spent four weeks at No. 1 with Somethin’ Stupid. The father-daughter duet remains one of the most unusual family collaborations ever to top the Hot 100.

The song’s easy swing-pop feel connected Frank’s older audience with Nancy’s 1960s pop visibility. It was smooth, slightly odd in context, and undeniably successful.

The Happening – The Supremes

The Supremes returned to No. 1 with The Happening, the title song from the film of the same name. It became their second Hot 100 chart-topper of 1967 and one of the final No. 1 songs from their Holland-Dozier-Holland era.

Its one-week run kept the group’s remarkable 1960s chart streak alive.

Groovin’ – The Young Rascals

The Young Rascals topped the Hot 100 with Groovin’, a relaxed blue-eyed soul single with a breezy Sunday-afternoon feel. The song had an interrupted run: two weeks at No. 1, then Aretha Franklin’s Respect, then two more weeks back at the top.

Its easygoing sound made it one of the year’s most recognizable warm-weather records. It practically comes with a porch, a breeze, and no urgent plans.

Respect – Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin spent two weeks at No. 1 with Respect, her reworking of Otis Redding’s song. Franklin’s version added the famous spelling hook and turned the record into a powerful statement of dignity, independence, and demand.

The song became one of the defining soul records of the 1960s and an anthem closely tied to civil rights and women’s empowerment. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4} It did not ask for respect so much as collect it.

Windy – The Association

The Association spent four weeks at No. 1 with Windy, a bright sunshine-pop single with polished harmonies and a breezy melody. The song became the group’s second Hot 100 chart-topper after Cherish.

Its four-week run made it one of the biggest radio records of summer 1967.

Light My Fire – The Doors

The Doors spent three weeks at No. 1 with Light My Fire, one of the defining psychedelic rock hits of 1967. The single version edited down the longer album track, bringing the band’s darker, organ-driven sound to mainstream radio.

Its success made Jim Morrison and The Doors major figures in pop and rock during the Summer of Love. The song lit the fire, and radio brought the matches.

All You Need Is Love – The Beatles

The Beatles reached No. 1 with All You Need Is Love, first performed for the global television broadcast Our World in June 1967. The song’s simple message and international debut made it one of the group’s most famous peace-and-love statements.

Its one-week Hot 100 run was short, but the cultural footprint was enormous. The chorus was built for the whole planet, which is a pretty ambitious target market.

Ode to Billie Joe – Bobbie Gentry

Bobbie Gentry spent four weeks at No. 1 with Ode to Billie Joe, a Southern Gothic song set around the Tallahatchie Bridge. Its sparse arrangement and unresolved mystery made it one of the most haunting No. 1 singles of the decade.

The song became Billboard’s No. 3 year-end Hot 100 single of 1967. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5} It also proved that listeners will follow a story very closely when the missing details are the point.

The Letter – The Box Tops

The Box Tops spent four weeks at No. 1 with The Letter, a short, punchy blue-eyed soul hit led by Alex Chilton’s surprisingly mature vocal. Chilton was only a teenager when the record became a national smash.

The song ranked No. 2 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 for 1967. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6} It wastes almost no time, which may be why it still sounds so sharp.

To Sir with Love – Lulu

Lulu spent five weeks at No. 1 with To Sir with Love, the theme from the film *To Sir, with Love*. The song became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1967 and the best-selling single of the year in the United States. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Oddly, the song did not become a U.K. chart hit in the same way, because it was not released there as the main single. That is a strange pop-history twist for a Scottish singer performing a song tied to a British classroom drama.

Incense and Peppermints – Strawberry Alarm Clock

Strawberry Alarm Clock reached No. 1 with Incense and Peppermints, one of the best-known psychedelic pop hits of 1967. The song’s title, swirling sound, and colorful lyric made it feel perfectly tied to the year’s counterculture imagery.

Its one-week run gave psychedelic pop one of its most famous Hot 100 moments. The title alone smells like a head shop with a cash register.

Daydream Believer – The Monkees

The Monkees returned to No. 1 with Daydream Believer, written by John Stewart of The Kingston Trio. Davy Jones’ lead vocal and the song’s bright piano-driven arrangement made it one of the group’s most beloved singles.

Its four-week run gave The Monkees 10 total weeks at No. 1 in 1967, the most of any act that year. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Hello, Goodbye – The Beatles

The Beatles closed the 1967 Billboard Hot 100 year with Hello, Goodbye, which carried into January 1968. The song’s cheerful, opposite-lyrics and polished pop arrangement made it one of the group’s most accessible late-1960s singles.

Its cross-year run made The Beatles the only act with three No. 1 songs during the 1967 chart year. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9} Hello, goodbye, and see you again next year — very tidy.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 1967

To Sir with Love Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1

Lulu’s To Sir with Love spent five weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s top Hot 100 song of 1967. The film theme became one of the year’s biggest U.S. pop records, even without the same kind of U.K. single success. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

The Monkees Spent the Most Weeks at No. 1

The Monkees spent 10 total weeks at No. 1 in 1967 with I’m a Believer and Daydream Believer. That gave them more weeks at the top than any other act during the year. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

The Beatles Had Three No. 1 Songs

The Beatles topped the Hot 100 with Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, and Hello, Goodbye. In a year loaded with psychedelic pop, Motown, soul, and sunshine pop, they still kept a major grip on the singles chart.

Aretha Franklin Changed the Meaning of Respect

Otis Redding wrote and recorded Respect first, but Aretha Franklin’s 1967 version changed its cultural force. Her version became an anthem of dignity and empowerment tied to the civil rights and women’s movements. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}

1967 Had Several Summer of Love Sounds

Light My Fire, Incense and Peppermints, All You Need Is Love, Windy, and Happy Together all reflected different sides of 1967 pop: psychedelic rock, sunshine pop, counterculture optimism, and highly polished radio hooks.

1967 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

To Sir with Love by Lulu was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1967.
The Letter by The Box Tops ranked No. 2 on Billboard’s 1967 year-end Hot 100. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
Ode to Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry ranked No. 3 on Billboard’s 1967 year-end Hot 100. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
The Monkees spent the most total weeks at No. 1 in 1967.
The Beatles, The Monkees, and The Supremes were the only acts with more than one No. 1 song in 1967.
Groovin’ had an interrupted No. 1 run when Aretha Franklin’s Respect took over for two weeks.
Somethin’ Stupid is the only father-daughter duet to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
All You Need Is Love was performed for the global TV broadcast Our World.
Hello, Goodbye closed 1967 and carried into the 1968 Billboard chart year.

Why the 1967 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 1967 Billboard Number One Hits list shows pop music widening fast. Television pop, Motown, soul, psychedelic rock, sunshine pop, folk-influenced storytelling, and British rock all reached No. 1 in the same year.

The year also delivered major cultural markers: Aretha Franklin’s Respect, The Doors’ Light My Fire, The Beatles’ All You Need Is Love, Bobbie Gentry’s mysterious Ode to Billie Joe, and Lulu’s film-theme smash To Sir with Love. This was not one sound taking over; it was the pop chart turning into a very crowded, very colorful room.

For chart fans, 1967 was a wild ride: Monkeemania, Beatle brilliance, Motown polish, Aretha demanding respect, psychedelic pop smelling suspiciously like incense, and one teacher-themed movie song beating everyone on the year-end chart.