Billboard Top 20, December 26, 1960
Rank..Previous .. # Weeks .. Title .. Artist
#1 .. 1 / 7 Are You Lonesome Tonight----------------Elvis Presley
#2 .. 3 / 7 Wonderland By Night----------------Bert Kaempfert
#3 .. 2 / 12 Last Date----------------Floyd Cramer
#4 .. 7 / 10 A Thousand Stars-------------Kathy Young & the Innocents
#5 .. 6 / 7 Exodus----------------Ferrante & Teicher
#6 .. 4 / 15 North To Alaska----------------Johnny Horton
#7 .. 8 / 8 Many Tears Ago----------------Connie Francis
#8 .. 9 / 9 You're Sixteen----------------Johnny Burnette
#9 .. 5 / 10 Sailor----------------Lolita
#10 .. 27 / 6 Corinna, Corinna----------------Ray Peterson
#11 .. 10 / 9 He Will Break Your Heart----------------Jerry Butler
#12 .. 12 / 11 Lonely Teenager----------------Dion
#13 .. 23 / 3 Angel Baby----------------Rosie & the Originals
#14 .. 26 / 3 Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree-------Brenda Lee
#15 .. 17 / 9 Perfidia----------------The Ventures
#16 .. 15 / 5 Rubber Ball----------------Bobby Vee
#17 .. 20 / 7 Wonderland By Night----------------Louis Prima
#18 .. 11 / 12 Poetry In Motion----------------Johnny Tillotson
#19 .. 18 / 11 New Orleans----------------Gary U.S. Bonds
#20 .. 22 / 6 Will You Love Me Tomorrow---------------The Shirelles
#21 .. 62 / 2 Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer-------The Chipmunks
#22 .. 19 / 10 My Girl Josephine----------------Fats Domino
#23 .. 14 / 8 Sway----------------Bobby Rydell
#24 .. 28 / 19 The Little Drummer Boy-------Harry Simeone Chorale
#25 .. 16 / 5 Blue Tango----------------Bill Black Combo
#26 .. 32 / 6 White Christmas----------------Bing Crosby
#27 .. 47 / 4 Wonderland By Night----------------Anita Bryant
#28 .. 21 / 12 Alone At Last----------------Jackie Wilson
#29 .. 33 / 7 Fools Rush In----------------Brook Benton
#30 .. 13 / 13 Stay----------------Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
#31 .. 41 / 5 Doll House----------------Donnie Brooks
#32 .. 36 / 6 Ruby----------------Ray Charles
#33 .. 25 / 15 Let's Go Let's Go,Let's Go- - - Hank Ballard
#34 .. 29 / 4 Sad Mood----------------Sam Cooke
#35 .. 42 / 5 The Wings Of A Dove----------------Ferlin Husky
#36 .. 46 / 7 Jingle Bell Rock----------------Bobby Helms
#37 .. 31 / 10 I'll Save The Last Dance For You--------Damita Jo
#38 .. 34 / 11 Ballad Of The Alamo----------------Marty Robbins
#39 .. 30 / 7 I Gotta Know----------------Elvis Presley
#40 .. 38 / 12 The Hucklebuck----------------Chubby Checker |
On December 26, 1960, Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" reached its highest rank on the Billboard chart. The song was originally recorded in 1958 in Nashville by a thirteen year old Lee and was released that year and again in 1959, but failed to chart. Boots Randolph and Floyd Cramer played on the record. The song has become a Christmas classic and has been covered by artists from Bill Haley to The Partridge Family to Alabama to Green Day. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" returns to the charts each Christmas season and in 2023 achieved the #1 position.
While "Rockin' Around" peaked at #14, Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight" was at the top spot for its fifth consecutive week. Bert Kaempfert's "Wonderland By Night," which was then #2, would replace the Elvis record in a couple of weeks. Also in the top twenty that week was another song destined for #1, The Shirelle's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow." The popularity of instrumentals at the time is demonstrated by the presence of five in the top twenty: "Wonderland by Night" (twice), "Last Date," "Exocus," and "Perfidia."
Also reaching their highest chart position that week was "Many Tears Ago,""Perfidia," and "You're Sixteen." Kathy Young's "A Thousand Stars" had peaked at #3 the previous week -- it would be her only top forty record. Dion's "Lonely Teenager" had also peaked the previous week at #11. Ferrante & Teicher's "Exodus" would eventually reach #2; Johnny Tillotson's "Poetry in Motion" had been #2 in November. |
