The top 100 1961 lists the 100 most popular hits in the UK singles music charts in 1961.
Position | Artist | Title |
---|---|---|
01 | Elvis Presley | Wooden Heart |
02 | Del Shannon | Runaway |
03 | Helen Shapiro | You Don't Know |
04 | John Leyton | Johnny Remember Me |
05 | Helen Shapiro | Walking Back To Happiness |
06 | Eden Kane | Well I Ask You |
07 | The Everly Brothers | Walk Right Back / Ebony Eyes |
08 | Allisons | Are You Sure |
09 | Billy Fury | Halfway To Paradise |
10 | Elvis Presley | Are You Lonesome Tonight? |
11 | Elvis Presley | Surrender |
12 | Ricky Nelson | Hello Mary Lou / Travelin' Man |
13 | Shirley Bassey | Reach For The Stars / Climb Ev'ry Mountain |
14 | The Everly Brothers | Temptation |
15 | Elvis Presley | His Latest Flame / Little Sisters |
16 | Petula Clark | Sailor |
17 | The Shadows | Frightened City |
18 | The Temperance Seven | You're Driving Me Crazy |
19 | The Marcels | Blue Moon |
20 | Johnny Tillotson | Poetry In Motion |
21 | Frankie Vaughan | Tower Of Strength |
22 | Andy Stewart | A Scottish Soldier |
23 | The Shadows | FBI |
24 | Clarence 'Frogman' Henry | But I Do |
25 | The Temperance Seven | Pasadena |
26 | The Highwaymen | Michael |
27 | Cliff Richard | Theme For A Dream |
28 | Helen Shapiro | Don't Treat Me Like A Child |
29 | Bobby Vee | More Than I Can Say / Staying In |
30 | The Shadows | Kon-Tiki |
31 | Shirelles | Will You Love Me Tomorrow? |
32 | Petula Clark | Romeo |
33 | Jimmy Dean | Big Bad John |
34 | Cliff Richard | A Girl Like You |
35 | Cliff Richard | I Love You |
36 | Floyd Cramer | On The Rebound |
37 | Danny Williams | Moon River |
38 | Duane Eddy | Pepe |
39 | Matt Monro | Portrait Of My Love |
40 | Cliff Richard | When The Girl In Your Arms Is The Girl In Your Heart |
41 | Billy Fury | Jealousy |
42 | Bobby Vee | Take Good Care Of My Baby |
43 | Ferrante & Teicher | Theme From 'Exodus' |
44 | John Leyton | Wild Wind |
45 | Cleo Laine | You'll Answer To Me |
46 | Adam Faith | Who Am I? / This Is It |
47 | Bobby Darin | Lazy River |
48 | Johnny Burnette | You're Sixteen |
49 | Johnny Dankworth | African Waltz |
50 | Shirley Bassey | You'll Never Know |
51 | Elvis Presley | Wild In The Country / I Feel So Bad |
52 | Mr Acker Bilk | That's My Home |
53 | Matt Monro | My Kind Of Girl |
54 | Cliff Richard | Gee Whiz It's You |
55 | Karl Denver | Marcheta |
56 | Roy Orbison | Running Scared |
57 | Adam Faith | The Time Has Come |
58 | The Brook Brothers | War Paint |
59 | Craig Douglas | Time |
60 | Del Shannon | Hats Off To Larry |
61 | The Drifters | Save The Last Dance For Me |
62 | Mr Acker Bilk | Buona Sera |
63 | The Ramrods | Riders In The Sky |
64 | The String-A-Longs | Wheels |
65 | Lonnie Donegan | Have A Drink On Me |
66 | Clarence 'Frogman' Henry | You Always Hurt The One You Love |
67 | Joe Loss | Wheels Cha Cha |
68 | Connie Francis | Where The Boys Are / Baby Roo |
69 | Anthony Newley | And The Heavens Cried |
70 | US Bonds | Quarter To Three |
71 | Lonnie Donegan presents Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen | Samantha |
72 | Bobby Vee | Rubber Ball |
73 | Dave Brubeck | Take Five |
74 | Sam Cooke | Cupid |
75 | Laurie Johnson Orchestra | Sucu Sucu |
76 | Tony Orlando | Bless You |
77 | Neil Sedaka | Calendar Girl |
78 | Emile Ford & The Checkmates | Counting Teardrops |
79 | Eddie Cochran | Weekend |
80 | Connie Francis | Together |
81 | Buddy Holly | Baby I Don't Care / Valley Of Tears |
82 | Jerry Lee Lewis | What'd I Say |
83 | Linda Scott | I've Told Every Little Star |
84 | Elvis Presley | It's Now Or Never |
85 | Ray Charles | Hit The Road Jack |
86 | Karl Denver | Mexicali Rose |
87 | Bobby Vee | How Many Tears |
88 | Duane Eddy | Theme From Dixie |
89 | Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen | Midnight In Moscow |
90 | Brenda Lee | Let's Jump The Broomstick |
91 | Lonnie Donegan | Michael Row The Boat / Lumbered |
92 | Neil Sedaka | Little Devil |
93 | Eden Kane | Get Lost |
94 | The Ventures | Perfidia |
95 | Adam Faith | Don't You Know It? |
96 | Don Gibson | Sea Of Heartbreak |
97 | Johnny Burnette | Little Boy Sad |
98 | Buzz Clifford | Baby Sittin' Boogie |
99 | Charlie Drake | My Boomerang Won't Come Back |
100 | Craig Douglas | 100 Pounds Of Clay |
In America, JFK was inaugurated as President and was immediately thrown in at the deep end with the Cuban Crisis. Fidel Castro declared Cuba a communist state and banned free elections. The U.S.A. broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba. The "Bay of Pigs" attempt to overthrow Castro by Cuban Exiles with C.I.A. involvement went diastrously wrong.
Elsewhere, Russia closed the border between East and West Germany, and started construction of the Berlin wall. In the space race. the Russians continued to show the Americans a clean pair of heels when first Yuri Gagarin, then Gherman Titov were the first two men to successfully orbit the earth. Alan Shepard became the second person and the first American in space, but his was a sub orbital trip only lasting minutes compared to Gagarin’s almost two hours. Needless to say, Gagarin is the name everyone remembers. This stung JFK into asking Congress for $531 million to put a man on the moon.
Aluminium was used for food cans for the first time and Diana Spencer, later to marry Prince Charles and become Pricess Diana, was born.
On UK television, "The Avengers" appeared on screen for the first time with the ever present Patrick McNee as Steed and Honour Blackman as Cathy Gale - the first of several nubile female co-stars. popular shows imported from the US had a stong western influence with shows such as "Gunsmoke", "Wagon Train" and "Bonanza" attracting large audiences
Musically, the charts still reflected a wide range of tastes, with Shirley Bassey, Matt Monro, Frankie Vaughan and Andy Stewart slugging it out with US acts such as Elvis, The Drifters, the Everlys and Bobby Vee. Jazz was well represented with Acker Bilk, The Temperance Seven, Kenny Ball, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth. The ever popular Lonnie Donnegan was still knocking out the hits and Cliff Richard, Billy Fury and Adam Faith continued to cause female teenage hearts to flutter, while 14 year old singing sensation Helen Shapiro had two number 1 singles. In the US, Motown had their first million selling single with "Shop Around" by The Miracles. It would be another six years before the name was changed to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
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