Top songs of 1963

What was the number one song of 1963?

The number one song of 1963 was “Surfin' U.S.A.” by The Beach Boys, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1963.

“Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs was number one for the most weeks of 1963: 5 of the year's 52 weekly charts, starting with the chart dated October 12, 1963.

Born in 1963? The birthday number one finder shows the song at number one in the exact week of your birthday, and the number one on every birthday since.

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1963, year-end Hot 100 of 1963).

How many songs reached number one in 1963?

20 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1963. Counting “Telstar”, which was already at number one when the year began, 21 songs held the top spot across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1963, “Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs stayed there longest: 5 weeks in total, from the chart dated October 12, 1963.

Weeks at No. 1 counts every week the song spent at the top, including weeks in other years; the number in brackets is the weeks on charts dated 1963. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1963?

No act had more than one number one in 1963, counting lead and featured credits: each of the 21 songs at number one that year was by a different act.

What were the biggest songs of 1963?

The five biggest songs of 1963 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Surfin' U.S.A.” by The Beach Boys, “The End of the World” by Skeeter Davis, “Rhythm of the Rain” by The Cascades, “He's So Fine” by The Chiffons and “Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton.

The year-end chart ranks songs by how they performed on the weekly Hot 100 across Billboard’s chart year, so a song that peaked late in the year can rank lower than its weekly peak suggests, or count toward the next year’s list. The top 30 below show each song’s length where we could match the recording.

Numbers 31 to 100

31. “Easier Said Than Done” The Essex
32. “Ruby Baby” Dion
33. “Our Day Will Come” Ruby & the Romantics
34. “Hello Stranger” Barbara Lewis
35. “Be My Baby” The Ronettes
36. “South Street” The Orlons
37. “Days of Wine and Roses” Henry Mancini
38. “The Monkey Time” Major Lance
39. “Candy Girl” The Four Seasons
40. “Sugar Shack” Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
41. “Still” Bill Anderson
42. “Blue on Blue” Bobby Vinton
43. “Cry Baby” Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters
44. “Two Faces Have I” Lou Christie
45. “Busted” Ray Charles
46. “Da Doo Ron Ron” The Crystals
47. “Foolish Little Girl” The Shirelles
48. “Memphis” Lonnie Mack
49. “In Dreams” Roy Orbison
50. “More” Kai Winding
51. “I Can't Stay Mad at You” Skeeter Davis
52. “Losing You” Brenda Lee
53. “Mean Woman Blues” Roy Orbison
54. “Our Winter Love” Bill Pursell
55. “I Wanna Be Around” Tony Bennett
56. “You've Really Got a Hold on Me” The Miracles
57. “Sally Go 'Round the Roses” The Jaynetts
58. “(You're the) Devil in Disguise” Elvis Presley
59. “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer” Nat King Cole
60. “Baby Workout” Jackie Wilson
61. “Pride and Joy” Marvin Gaye
62. “Deep Purple” Nino Tempo & April Stevens
63. “From a Jack to a King” Ned Miller
64. “Up on the Roof” The Drifters
65. “What Will Mary Say” Johnny Mathis
66. “Mama Didn't Lie” Jan Bradley
67. “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” Bobby Vee
68. “Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)” The Cookies
69. “Ring of Fire” Johnny Cash
70. “Just One Look” Doris Troy
71. “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)” Allan Sherman
72. “Judy's Turn to Cry” Lesley Gore
73. “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” Rolf Harris
74. “Fools Rush In” Rick Nelson
75. “Washington Square” The Village Stompers
76. “Donna the Prima Donna” Dion
77. “That Sunday, That Summer” Nat King Cole
78. “Another Saturday Night” Sam Cooke
79. “Painted, Tainted Rose” Al Martino
80. “Go Away Little Girl” Steve Lawrence
81. “Take These Chains from My Heart” Ray Charles
82. “Talk to Me” Sunny & the Sunglows
83. “Come and Get These Memories” Martha and the Vandellas
84. “Do the Bird” Dee Dee Sharp
85. “It's All Right” The Impressions
86. “Shut Down” The Beach Boys
87. “One Fine Day” The Chiffons
88. “Little Town Flirt” Del Shannon
89. “Fly Me to the Moon” Joe Harnell
90. “The Reverend Mr. Black” The Kingston Trio
91. “Hot Pastrami” The Dartells
92. “Martian Hop” The Ran-Dells
93. “Wonderful! Wonderful!” The Tymes
94. “Abilene” George Hamilton IV
95. “Part Time Love” Little Johnny Taylor
96. “Maria Elena” Los Indios Tabajaras
97. “Detroit City” Bobby Bare
98. “Twenty Miles” Chubby Checker
99. “Green, Green” The New Christy Minstrels
100. “Hey Girl” Freddie Scott

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1963, year-end Hot 100 of 1963).

What songs should go on a 1963 mix CD?

A 1963 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 30 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “Telstar” by The Tornados and closing with “Dominique” by The Singing Nun, for 76:32 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1963, taking songs in year-end order until the disc was full, then sequenced it to follow the year: the number ones in the order they reached the top, with the year’s other big hits placed between them. With a 2-second gap before each track it runs 77:32, under the 79 minutes we fill a CD to.

Lengths are the recordings matched in Deezer’s catalog. Single edits, album versions and remasters can run a little longer or shorter, so check your own playlist before you burn it.

Turn 1963 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1963 songs, and we burn it to a real audio CD, test-play it and post it. It makes a good gift for a birth year, a graduation year or a wedding year.

To change the songs, paste the list into the playlist length calculator to keep it under 80 minutes, then print an insert with the CD case template. Our guide to making a mixtape covers sequencing, and nostalgic gift ideas has more ways to give a year as a present.

What was popular music like in the 1960s?

Popular music in the 1960s moved from teen idols, girl groups and dance crazes to the British Invasion, Motown and folk rock. The Beatles' first US number one, "I Want to Hold Your Hand", topped the chart dated February 1, 1964, and Motown acts such as the Supremes and the Temptations reached number one through the rest of the decade.

From 1960 to 1969, 203 songs reached number one on the Hot 100, and no song stayed there for 10 weeks or more. Of those 203, “Theme from A Summer Place” by Percy Faith and his orchestra and “Hey Jude” by The Beatles spent the most weeks at number one, 9 each. The Beatles had the most number ones that reached the top in these years, with 18. The typical number one of these years ran 2:41 (the median of the 184 with a known length).