Music Charts Archive

Weekly national charts, as the trade papers printed them

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FOR WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 25, 1961

HOT 100SINGLES

100 positions ← 12/18 01/06/62 →

The chart file lacks a record this week, put back here from Billboard’s chart history: “Letter Full Of Tears” (Gladys Knight And The Pips) at 71. The file’s own ranks stand, because the next week’s LAST WEEK column bears them out, so a record put back goes into the rank the file leaves empty.

This week	Last week	2 wks ago	Wks. on chart	Title Artist Label	Peak
1	1	6	7	★★ NO. 1 ★★ The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)THE TOKENS	1
2	3	7	7	Run To HimBOBBY VEE	2
3	4	4	25	The TwistCHUBBY CHECKER	1
4	6	3	11	Goodbye Cruel WorldJAMES DARREN	3
5	5	5	9	Walk On ByLEROY VAN DYKE	5
6	10	15	6	Peppermint Twist - Part IJOEY DEE & THE STARLITERS	6
7	2	1	17	Please Mr. PostmanTHE MARVELETTES	1
8	8	10	7	Happy Birthday, Sweet SixteenNEIL SEDAKA	8
9	7	9	9	Let There Be DrumsSANDY NELSON	7
10	18	41	4	Can't Help Falling In LoveELVIS PRESLEY with THE JORDANAIRES	10
11	12	17	12	Moon RiverHENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA	11
12	13	19	9	I Don't Know WhyLINDA SCOTT	12
13	14	21	6	When I Fall In LoveTHE LETTERMEN	13
14	17	26	5	Unchain My HeartRAY CHARLES & HIS ORCHESTRA	14
15	16	24	6	When The Boy In Your Arms (Is The Boy In Your Heart)CONNIE FRANCIS	15
16	15	11	12	Moon RiverJERRY BUTLER	11
17	23	29	10	'TilTHE ANGELS	17
18	11	8	11	TonightFERRANTE & TEICHER	8
19	9	2	13	Big Bad JohnJIMMY DEAN	1
20	33	66	9	White Christmas (1947)BING CROSBY with KEN DARBY SINGERS & JOHN SCOTT TROTTER & HIS ORCHESTRA	20
21	21	20	11	Gypsy WomanTHE IMPRESSIONS	20
22	28	46	6	RevengeBROOK BENTON	22
23	26	34	6	There's No Other (Like My Baby)THE CRYSTALS	23
24	27	33	8	Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last NightKENNY DINO	24
25	32	47	4	Rock-A-Hula BabyELVIS PRESLEY with THE JORDANAIRES	25
26	38	56	7	I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)BARBARA GEORGE	26
27	45	71	3	Jingle Bell RockBOBBY RYDELL/CHUBBY CHECKER	27
28	19	13	13	Fool #1BRENDA LEE	3
29	22	25	18	Let's Twist AgainCHUBBY CHECKER	8
30	31	38	15	Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)SOLOMON BURKE	24
31	44	53	7	Funny How Time Slips AwayJIMMY ELLEDGE	31
32	29	31	7	Well, I Told YouTHE CHANTELS	29
33	39	60	4	Small Sad SamPHIL McLEAN	33
34	69	98	23	The Little Drummer BoyTHE HARRY SIMEONE CHORALE	13
35	41	63	3	Jambalaya (On The Bayou)FATS DOMINO	35
36	37	42	9	Town Without PityGENE PITNEY	36
37	48	67	5	Cotton FieldsTHE HIGHWAYMEN	37
38	24	16	15	I Understand (Just How You Feel)THE G-CLEFS	9
39	49	61	6	If You Gotta Make A Fool Of SomebodyJAMES RAY	39
40	46	50	7	Johnny WillPAT BOONE	40
41	56	70	4	The WandererDION	41
42	43	51	8	The Gypsy RoverTHE HIGHWAYMEN	42
43	54	73	3	Baby's First ChristmasCONNIE FRANCIS	43
44	55	55	5	Hey! Little GirlDEL SHANNON	44
45	65	—	2	Baby It's YouTHE SHIRELLES	45
46	47	58	5	Poor FoolIKE & TINA TURNER	46
47	63	—	10	The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)DAVID SEVILLE & THE CHIPMUNKS	1
48	51	57	5	Little Altar BoyVIC DANA	48
49	58	68	10	Jingle Bell RockBOBBY HELMS	35
50	53	65	3	Dear Lady TwistGARY U.S. BONDS	50

This week	Last week	2 wks ago	Wks. on chart	Title Artist Label	Peak
51	52	—	4	Rudolph The Red Nosed ReindeerDAVID SEVILLE & THE CHIPMUNKS	21
52	73	—	2	A Little Bitty TearBURL IVES	52
53	42	49	7	Soothe MeSIMS TWINS	42
54	36	48	4	The MajesticDION	36
55	20	12	14	Runaround SueDION	1
56	61	28	11	September In The RainDINAH WASHINGTON	23
57	25	14	10	CrazyPATSY CLINE	9
58	84	85	7	Rockin' Around The Christmas TreeBRENDA LEE	14
59	40	32	8	Language Of LoveJOHN D. LOUDERMILK	32
60	66	83	4	NormanSUE THOMPSON	60
61	74	96	4	Turn On Your Love LightBOBBY BLAND	61
62	70	76	7	Turn Around, Look At MeGLEN CAMPBELL	62
63	89	95	3	Irresistible YouBOBBY DARIN	63
64	87	—	2	Pocketful Of MiraclesFRANK SINATRA	64
65	76	—	2	Twist-HerBILL BLACK'S COMBO	65
66	82	—	2	Do-Re-MiLEE DORSEY	66
67	RE-ENTRY		6	Up A Lazy RiverSI ZENTNER & HIS ORCHESTRA	43
68	77	86	3	MariaROGER WILLIAMS	68
69	78	100	3	Flying CircleFRANK SLAY & HIS ORCHESTRA	69
70	50	52	7	It's All BecauseLINDA SCOTT	50
71	80	99	3	Letter Full Of TearsGLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS	71
72	83	—	2	Room Full Of TearsTHE DRIFTERS	72
73	85	90	13	Dreamy EyesJOHNNY TILLOTSON	63
74	79	80	5	Walkin' With My AngelBOBBY VEE	74
75	81	88	3	Just Got To KnowJIMMY McCRACKLIN	75
76	NEW▶		1	★★★ HOT SHOT DEBUT ★★★ She's Everything (I Wanted You To Be)RAL DONNER	76
77	30	27	16	Bristol StompTHE DOVELLS	2
78	67	72	7	It Will StandTHE SHOWMEN	67
79	35	23	12	HeartachesTHE MARCELS	7
80	34	18	13	Tower Of StrengthGENE McDANIELS	5
81	68	78	3	Twistin' U.S.A.CHUBBY CHECKER	68
82	88	97	4	Unsquare DanceTHE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET	82
83	86	—	2	MultiplicationBOBBY DARIN	83
84	RE-ENTRY		13	Alvin's HarmonicaDAVID SEVILLE & THE CHIPMUNKS	3
85	NEW▶		1	Please Come Home For ChristmasCHARLES BROWN	85
86	91	87	5	Let's Go Trippin'DICK DALE & THE DEL-TONES	86
87	RE-ENTRY		2	Pop Goes The WeaselANTHONY NEWLEY	87
88	62	54	4	The Peppermint TwistDANNY PEPPERMINT & THE JUMPING JACKS	54
89	99	—	2	I Could Have Loved You So WellRAY PETERSON	89
90	96	—	2	Lost SomeoneJAMES BROWN & THE FAMOUS FLAMES	90
91	NEW▶		1	Go On HomePATTI PAGE	91
92	NEW▶		1	TuffACE CANNON	92
93	98	—	2	Pushin' Your LuckSLEEPY KING	93
94	NEW▶		1	I Told The BrookMARTY ROBBINS	94
95	NEW▶		1	Smoky PlacesTHE CORSAIRS featuring JAY "BIRD" UZZELL	95
96	NEW▶		1	Tears From An AngelTROY SHONDELL	96
97	NEW▶		1	Free MeJOHNNY PRESTON	97
98	NEW▶		1	I Need Some OneTHE BELMONTS	98
99	NEW▶		1	Santa & The TouchablesDICKIE GOODMAN	99
100	NEW▶		1	Ev'rybody's Cryin'JIMMY BEAUMONT	100

Bullets and Hot Shot Debuts before 1980 are inferred from the chart's movement, not read off the page: a bullet for a record that is new, back, up on last week, or at last week's rank for the second week running; the Hot Shot Debut is the week's highest new entry. The first Hot 100, 8/4/1958, has none.