Chart Of All Time - 1964

Home >> Articles >> Chart Of All Time

by Tom Eames

Onto 1964 we go then and the first new No. 1 went to London group, the Dave Clarke Five with "Glad All Over", which almost sold a million copies, for two weeks. This was overturned by "Needles & Pins" by The Searches for three weeks, which was was written by Sonny Bono, of Sonny & Cher. The Bachelors, who were going to have quite a succesful year, got to No. 1for a week with "Diane", and were the first Irish group to get to No. 1, and to reach the US top 10. Cilla Black scored her first No. 1 hit with "Anyone Who Had A Heart", written by Burt Bachrach and originally penned by Dionne Warwick, and topped the first all-British top 10. Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas got to No.  with their first single not written by Lennon & McCartney, with "Little Children", their biggest US hit.

The ever succesful Beatles then reached the top again with "Can't Buy Me Love", which topped the US chart in two weeks (which wasn't bettered until 1995), and completed an all-Beatles US top 5. The Beatles were also the second best charting act of 1964. Another Lennon & McCartney written song reached the top, when Peter & Gordon got to the top with "World Without Love", originally rejected by Billy J Kramer. But the best charting song of the year went to the best charting act of the year, and also a song which failed to reach the top. "I Love You Because" by Jim Reeves only reached No. 5, but spent 37 weeks in the chart. The Searchers' scored their third No. 1 with "Don't Throw Your Love Away", followed by one week at the top for The Four Pennies with "Juliet", and was the only 1964 No. 1 by a UK group not to chart in the US.

Other big songs around this time included "My Boy Lollipop" by The Millies, "Someone Someone" by Brian Poole & The Tremeloes, "I Think Of You" by The Merseybeats, and "I Believe" by The Bachelors. Cilla Black returned to No. 1 with "You're My World", followed by Roy Orbison, with "Its Over", and was the first US recorded No. 1 for 11 months! Roy Orbison was the most succesful American artist during Beatlemania, and was the fourth best charting act in 1964. One of the classic rock songs of all time reached No. 1 then with "House Of The Rising Sun" by The Animals, which was the longest No. 1 yet, being 4-minutes plus, when usual songs were around 2-3 minutes.

One of the best rock bands of all time, The Rolling Stones, got their first No. 1, with "It's All Over Now", originally recorded by The Valentinos. The Beatles quickly returned to No. 1 with "A Hard Day's Night", title track from their first film, got to the top in the UK & US when the soundtrack LP sold a record-breaking million copies in four days! One of the all time favourite 1960s tracks reached the top, with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann, which became the seventh UK record to top the US chart in just eight months. The Honeycombs reached the top for a couple of weeks with "Have I The Right", the last number one produced by Joe Meek. The Kinks got their first No. 1 with "You Really Got Me", one of the best classic rock songs ever, which as since been played on US radio more than two million times.

Manchester group, Herman's Hermits, fronted by 16-year old Peter Noone, reached the top with "I'm Into Something Good", and was extremely popular in the US. Roy Orbison returned to No. 1 with "Oh Pretty Woman", later used heavily in the movie "Pretty Woman" starring Julia Roberts. It was No. 1 around Europe, and was inspired by his wife, Claudette, who also inspired another classic No. 1, "Claudette", by The Everly Brothers, written by Orbison. Eight months after Cilla Black topped the chart with a cover of a Burt Bacharach song, 17-year old Sandie Shaw did the same with "(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me". The Supremes reached the top with "Baby Love", and were the first girl group to do so in the UK, and was one of a record 12 US No. 1s in the 1960s.

The Rolling Stones got a second No. 1 with "Little Red Rooster", written by Willie Dixon, which was earlier recorded by such artists as Sam Cooke and the Griffin Brothers. The Christmas No. 1 on both sides on the Atlantic though went to The Beatles again, with "I Feel Fine", with the first use of a feedback guitar. Other big and famous hits of the year included the second best charter of the year, "I Won't Forget You" by Jim Reeves, who occupies both first and second positions of the year chart, and both of which failed to reach the top. Also there was, "The Wedding" buy Julie Rodgers, "Walk Away" by Matt Monro, "The Hippy Hippy Shake" by The Swinging Blue Jeans, "Just One Look" by The Hollies, "Bits & Pieces" by The Dave Clarke Five, "I Get Around" by The Beach Boys, "Walk On By" by Dionne Warwick, "No Particular Place To Go" by Chuck Berry, and "Downtown" by Petula Clark.

1964 was also the year that aired the first ever episode of Top Of The Pops which would go on to be one of the longest running television shows of all time. It was presented by Jimmy Saville, and the first performance was the Rolling Stones with "I Wanna Be Your Man".

Here are the 20 best charting singles of the year:

Here are the ten most successfully charting artists of 1964: