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1961

There are four sources listed for end of year rankings. Billboard magazine is considered the standard and issued several weekly charts and a Top 100 at the end of the year. Cashbox also published its own weekly charts and compiled a year end Top 50 from 1956 to 1960, and then a Top 100 after that. Gilbert & Theroux published "The Top Ten 1956 - Present" in 1981 in which they ranked the Top 40 for each of those years. The EE rank is a calculated rank based on the weekly Billboard Top Twenty which includes all weeks a record was in the top twenty, allowing credit for performance by records that crossed over from one year to another. Any record that made the top forty of at least one of these sources is listed below -- alphabetical order by title. To view the listing for a specific source, click on the appropriate button to the right.
Click on the buttons below to access details about each particular set of rankings:
 

Billboard, Gilbert & Theroux and the EE calculation all agreed that Bobby Lewis's "Tossin' And Turnin" was the best song of 1961, but Cashbox opted for "Exodus" by Ferante & Teicher which was #2 by EE. There was no agreement as to the next best song as all four charts had different records in the second slot. For Billboard it was Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces." Cashbox tabbed "Calcutta" by Lawrence Welk and Gilbert & Theroux put The Highwaymen's "Michael" in second place.
title artist BillBoard Rank Cashbox Rank GT Rank EE Rank
Angel Baby Rosie & the Originals 76 46
35
Apache Jorgen Ingmann 35 30 37 33
Are You Lonesome Tonight Elvis Presley 96 6 20 2
Big Bad John JImmy Dean 86 43
4
Blue Moon The Marcels 40 11 26 18
The Boll Weevil Song Brook Benton 25 12 15 24
Bristol Stomp The Dovells 22
36 11
But I Do Clarence Henry 43 39
49
Calcutta Lawrence Welk 11 2 3 7
Calendar Girl Neil Sedaka 33 38
46
Crying Roy Orbison 4 28 10 32
Daddy's Home Shep & the Limelites 41 27 39 45
Dedicated to the One I Love The Shirelles 14 40 28 16
Don't Bet Money Honey Linda Scott 36 76
94
Don't Worry About Me Marty Robbins 28 31 31 27
Dum Dum Brenda Lee 91 48
39
Exodus Ferrante & Teicher 17 1 5 2
Goodbye Cruel World James Darren
45
13
Hats Off to Larry Del Shannon 68 35
44
He Will Break Your Heart Jerry Butler
18 30 62
Hit the Road Jack Ray Charles 19 87 32 20
A Hundred Pounds of Clay Gene McDaniels 26 15 17 28
I've Told Every Little Star Linda Scott 74 33
52
I Fall to Pieces Patsy Cline 2 96 18 127
I Like It Like That Chris Kenner 34 49
30
Last Date Floyd Cramer

27 7
Last Night The Mar-Keys 15 26 16 38
The Lion Sleeps Tonight The Tokens


5
Little Sister Elvis Presley 39 52
62
Michael The Highwaymen 3 8 2 10
Moody River Pat Boone 59 36
31
Mother-in-Law Ernie K-Doe 21 16 14 22
The Mountain's High Dick & Dee Dee 27 34 33 64
My True Story The Jive Five 6 66 22 65
North To Alaska Johnny Horton
13 29 20
On the Rebound Floyd Cramer 29 63 40 36
Please Mr. Postman The Marvelettes
39
15
Pony Time Chubby Checker 7 14 6 9
Portrait of My Love Steve Lawrence 30 81
90
Quarter to Three Gary U.S. Bonds 31 19 25 17
Raindrops Dee Clark 9 17 8 23
Runaround Sue Dion 46 100
6
Runaway Del Shannon 5 9 4 8
Running Scared Roy Orbison 13 21 12 37
Run to Him Bobby Vee
33
19
Sad Movies (Make Me Cry) Sue Thompson 20
34 58
Shop Around The Miracles 24 25 23 34
Stay Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs 98 37
42
Surrender Elvis Presley 51 32
25
Take Good Care Of Her Adam Wade 61 84 13 57
Take Good CAre of My Baby Bobby Vee 12 23
26
A Thousand Stars Kathy Young & the Innocents
20 35 22
Tossin' and Turnin' Bobby Lewis 1 4 1 1
Travelin' Man Ricky Nelson 23 7 9 12
Walk On By LeRoy Van Dyke
21 30 21
Wheels The String-a-Longs 8 24 24 40
Wheels Billy Vaughn

38 185
Where the Boys Are Connie Francis 18 29 21 43
Who Put the Bomp Barry Mann 32 78
89
Will You Love Me Tomorrow The Shirelles 16 3 7 14
The Wings of a Dove Ferlin Husky 38 77
95
Without You Johnny Tillotson 37

91
Wonderland By Night Bert Kaempfert 72 5 19 3
Wooden Heart Joe Dowell 10 22 11 29