In the back of the book Across the Charts, Joel Whitburn lists the 48 songs that were musical crossovers, which charted in the Top 10 in three of the four Billboard music charts (US) between 1960 and 1969: Hot 100 (HT), rhythm & blues (RB), country (CW), and adult contemporary (AC).
Three of them hit #1 on three charts:
I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You by Ray Charles (RB for 10 weeks, HT for 5 weeks, AC for 5 weeks in 1962)
Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean (AC for 9 weeks, HT for 5 weeks, CW for 2 weeks in 1961)
*the treacly Honey by Bobby Goldsboro (HT for 5 weeks, CW for 3 weeks, AC for 2 weeks in 1968).
Only one song made the Top 10 in all FOUR charts, The End of the World by Skeeter Davis, which was #1 AC for 4 weeks, #2 CW for 3 weeks, #2 HT, and #4 RB in early 1963.
Of the four dozen songs that made it on three charts, three each are by Ray Charles, Roger Miller, and Dionne Warwick; two each by Jimmy Dean, Glen Campbell, and Stevie Wonder.
LISTEN to a sampling:
The End of the World by Skeeter Davis HERE or HERE
I Can’t Stop Loving You by Ray Charles HERE or HERE
Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean HERE or HERE
A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash (#1 CW for 5 weeks, #1 AC for 2 weeks, #2 HT for 3 weeks in 1969) HERE or HERE
Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell (#1 AC for 6 weeks, #1 CW for 2 weeks, #3 HT in 1968/9) HERE or HERE
Walk Right In by the Rooftop Singers (#1 AC for 5 weeks, #1 HT for 2 weeks, #4 RB in 1963; also #23 CW) HERE or HERE
Harper Valley P.T.A. by Jeannie C. Riley (#1 CW for 3 weeks, #1 HT, #4 AC in 1968) HERE or HERE
Roses Are Red by Bobby Vinton (#1 HT for 4 weeks, #1 AC for 4 weeks, #5 RB in 1962) HERE or HERE
Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In by the 5th Dimension (#1 HT for 6 weeks, #1 AC for 2 weeks, #6 RB in 1969) HERE or HERE
Make the World Go Away by Eddy Arnold (#1 AC for 4 weeks, #1 CW for 2 weeks, #6 HT in 1965) HERE or HERE
I’m Leaving It Up To You by Dale & Grace (#1 HT for 2 weeks, #1 AC for 2 weeks, #5 RB in 1963) HERE or HERE
Ramblin’ Rose by Nat King Cole (#1 AC for 5 weeks, #2 HT for 2 weeks, #7 RB in 1962) HERE or HERE
Can’t Get Used to Losing You by Andy Williams (#1 AC for 4 weeks, #2 HT for 4 weeks, #7 RB in 1963) HERE or HERE
Puff (the Magic Dragon) by Peter, Paul, and Mary (#1 AC for 2 weeks, #2 HT, #10 RB in 1963) HERE or HERE
England Swings by Roger Miller (#1 AC, #3 CW, #8 HT in 1965/6) HERE or HERE
Walk On By by Dionne Warwick (#1 RB for 3 weeks, 6 HT, #7 AC in 1964) HERE or HERE
Ode To Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry (#1 HT for 4 weeks, #7 AC, #8 RB in 1967; also #17 CW) HERE or HERE (This did better on the soul charts than the country charts?)
Very lovely songs.
Thanks for the link so I could listen to her. I don’t ever remember Skeeter but the song was very familiar and she does have a nice mellow voice.
Wow Roger, what an efford to put this together, lovely music thank you!
Thanks for refreshing my memory of Skeeter; she has a really sweet voice. I’m wishing I had someone to dance with me to her song.
Your posts are always informative and interesting.
My ABC WEDNESDAY
I’m always impressed with your music knowledge. Your posts make me sing…
I love so many of these songs. Happy ABC Wednesday!
“The End of the World” has lots of fans: Herman’s Hermits cut a version, the Carpenters worked a couple of verses into the 20-minute “Yesterday Once More” medley, and it’s the favorite song of Dorothy Wiggin, leader of the Shaggs. (Dot actually sings it on the Dot Wiggin Band album.)
You’ve taken me back – way back! Love Love Love all this music!
Leslie
abcw team
A fairly unknown musical culture for me, living in this time as a child in Eastern Bloc countries … Some tunes of course I know from somewhere heard … but the first time I learn the title and artists. Thanks for this enriching post 🙂
Wow Roger ! there isn’t a song there I don’t know, I consider myself to be so fortunate in being a teenager in the 60’s.
Harper Valley PTA and Ode to Billy Joe resounds, particularly with me, as a young man I worked with, sang Ode to Billy Joe all day long for weeks whilst it was in the charts, I was relieved when he changed his tune!
Every record there has a significant memory for me, all those hits.
As you know I lived in Liverpool UK when The Beatles were topping the charts month after month along with many other Liverpool bands.
Golden memories, thank you for compiling this for us, you must have worked very hard.
Best wishes,
Di.
ABCW team.
A melodious post for M! 🙂
Happy ABCW!
Great collection of songs..!
Hadn’t heard her before, but will check out some of the ones you list here. M is indeed for music and melody!
Another well informed post ~ love music ~ great to read.
Wishing you peace in your day ~ ^_^
Great songs sung by great artists have universal appeal. I’d completely forgotten about the Skeeter Davis song, a perfect reminder.
Roger that is an impressive list of music. So appropriate to think about great music on the day we lost Merle Haggard. I do hope you show your mask maker friend my post today. They would love to know each other, I’m sure. Janis