Top songs of 1968

What was the number one song of 1968?

The number one song of 1968 was “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1968. It spent 9 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated September 28, 1968.

“Hey Jude” by The Beatles was number one for the most weeks of 1968: 9 of the year's 52 weekly charts, starting with the chart dated September 28, 1968.

Born in 1968? 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 1968, year-end Hot 100 of 1968).

How many songs reached number one in 1968?

15 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1968. Counting “Hello, Goodbye”, which was already at number one when the year began, 16 songs held the top spot across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1968, “Hey Jude” by The Beatles stayed there longest: 9 weeks in total, from the chart dated September 28, 1968.

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 1968. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1968?

The Beatles was the only act with more than one number one in 1968, counting lead and featured credits: “Hello, Goodbye” and “Hey Jude”.

What were the biggest songs of 1968?

The five biggest songs of 1968 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, “Love is Blue” by Paul Mauriat, “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro, “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding and “People Got to Be Free” by The Rascals.

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.

Numbers 31 to 100

31. “Born to Be Wild” Steppenwolf
32. “Cowboys to Girls” The Intruders
33. “Simon Says” 1910 Fruitgum Company
34. “Lady Willpower” Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
35. “A Beautiful Morning” The Rascals
36. “The Look of Love” Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66
37. “Hold Me Tight” Johnny Nash
38. “Yummy Yummy Yummy” Ohio Express
39. “Fire” The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
40. “Love Is All Around” The Troggs
41. “Playboy” Gene & Debbe
42. “(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls” Dionne Warwick
43. “Classical Gas” Mason Williams
44. “Slip Away” Clarence Carter
45. “Girl Watcher” The O'Kaysions
46. “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone” Aretha Franklin
47. “Green Tambourine” The Lemon Pipers
48. “1, 2, 3, Red Light” 1910 Fruitgum Company
49. “Reach Out of the Darkness” Friend & Lover
50. “Jumpin' Jack Flash” The Rolling Stones
51. “MacArthur Park” Richard Harris
52. “Light My Fire” José Feliciano
53. “I Love You” People!
54. “Take Time to Know Her” Percy Sledge
55. “Pictures of Matchstick Men” Status Quo
56. “Summertime Blues” Blue Cheer
57. “Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing” Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
58. “I Got the Feelin'” James Brown
59. “I've Gotta Get a Message to You” The Bee Gees
60. “Lady Madonna” The Beatles
61. “Hurdy Gurdy Man” Donovan
62. “Magic Carpet Ride” Steppenwolf
63. “Bottle of Wine” The Fireballs
64. “Stay in My Corner” The Dells
65. “Soul Serenade” Willie Mitchell
66. “Delilah” Tom Jones
67. “Nobody but Me” The Human Beinz
68. “I Thank You” Sam & Dave
69. “The Fool on the Hill” Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66
70. “Sky Pilot” The Animals
71. “Indian Lake” The Cowsills
72. “I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight” Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
73. “Over You” Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
74. “Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You” The Lettermen
75. “Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day” Stevie Wonder
76. “The Unicorn” The Irish Rovers
77. “You Keep Me Hangin' On” Vanilla Fudge
78. “Revolution” The Beatles
79. “Woman, Woman” Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
80. “Elenore” The Turtles
81. “White Room” Cream
82. “You're All I Need to Get By” Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
83. “Baby, Now That I've Found You” The Foundations
84. “Sweet Inspiration” The Sweet Inspirations
85. “If You Can Want” Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
86. “Cab Driver” The Mills Brothers
87. “Time Has Come Today” The Chambers Brothers
88. “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” Dionne Warwick
89. “Scarborough Fair” Simon & Garfunkel
90. “Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud” James Brown
91. “The Mighty Quinn” Manfred Mann
92. “Here Comes the Judge” Shorty Long
93. “I Say a Little Prayer” Aretha Franklin
94. “Think” Aretha Franklin
95. “Sealed with a Kiss” Gary Lewis & the Playboys
96. “Piece of My Heart” Big Brother and the Holding Company
97. “Suzie Q.” Creedence Clearwater Revival
98. “Bend Me, Shape Me” The American Breed
99. “Hey, Western Union Man” Jerry Butler
100. “Never Give You Up” Jerry Butler

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1968, year-end Hot 100 of 1968).

What songs should go on a 1968 mix CD?

A 1968 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 23 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream and closing with “La-La (Means I Love You)” by The Delfonics, for 76:47 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1968, 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 77:33, 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 1968 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1968 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).