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A dark-skinned man wearing a jacket and bow tie, playing a trumpet
Louis Armstrong had the longest-running number one of the year with "Hello, Dolly!".

Adult Contemporary is a chart published by Billboard ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. First published in 1961, the listing was compiled until 1965 by simply extracting from the magazine's all-genre chart, the Hot 100, those songs which were deemed of an appropriate style and ranking them according to their placings on the Hot 100.[1] In 1964, 12 different songs topped the chart in 52 issues of the magazine. The chart was published under the title Middle-Road Singles through the issue of Billboard dated April 25, Pop-Standard Singles through the issue dated October 17, and Middle-Road Singles again for the remainder of the year.[1]

The only artist to achieve more than one number one in 1964 was Dean Martin, who spent eight weeks in the top spot with "Everybody Loves Somebody" and one with "The Door Is Still Open to My Heart". Martin tied for the highest total number of weeks spent at number one with Louis Armstrong, who had an unbroken run of nine weeks at number one with "Hello, Dolly!", the longest uninterrupted run in the top spot during 1964. Armstrong's song was the title song of the stage musical of the same name, which had opened on Broadway earlier in the year.[2] A second song from a newly-opened musical to top the chart was "People" from Funny Girl,[3][4] which gave Barbra Streisand the first Billboard chart-topper of one of the most successful careers in popular music history.[5][6]

Four of the year's Middle-Road/Pop-Standard chart-toppers also reached number one on the magazine's all-genre chart, the Hot 100, including both the first and last number ones of the year, "There! I've Said It Again" by Bobby Vinton and "Ringo" by actor-singer Lorne Greene.[7] Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" and Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" also topped both charts.[7] Two of the year's number ones were Grammy Award winners. Al Hirt's "Java" won the award for Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with Orchestra at the 1964 ceremony,[8] and the following year "Hello, Dolly!" won the award for Song of the Year.[9]

Chart history

A dark-haired man wearing a jacket and tie, resting his chin on his left hand
Dean Martin was the only artist with two Middle-Road number ones in 1964.
A young woman with long dark hair.
Gale Garnett had her only number one hit on the Middle-Road chart with "We'll Sing in the Sunshine".
A grey-haired man wearing a jacket and tie
Actor-singer Lorne Greene ended the year at number one with "Ringo".
Issue date Title Artist(s) Ref.
January 4 "There! I've Said It Again" Bobby Vinton [10]
January 11 [11]
January 18 [12]
January 25 [13]
February 1 [14]
February 8 "For You" Ricky Nelson [15]
February 15 [16]
February 22 "Java" Al Hirt [17]
February 29 [18]
March 7 [19]
March 14 [20]
March 21 "Navy Blue" Diane Renay [21]
March 28 "Hello, Dolly!" Louis Armstrong [22]
April 4 [23]
April 11 [24]
April 18 [25]
April 25 [26]
May 2 [27]
May 9 [28]
May 16 [29]
May 23 [30]
May 30 "Love Me with All Your Heart" The Ray Charles Singers [31]
June 6 [32]
June 13 [33]
June 20 [34]
June 27 "People" Barbra Streisand [35]
July 4 [36]
July 11 [37]
July 18 "The Girl from Ipanema" Stan Getz with Astrud Gilberto [38]
July 25 [39]
August 1 "Everybody Loves Somebody" Dean Martin [40]
August 8 [41]
August 15 [42]
August 22 [43]
August 29 [44]
September 5 [45]
September 12 [46]
September 19 [47]
September 26 "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" Gale Garnett [48]
October 3 [49]
October 10 [50]
October 17 [51]
October 24 [52]
October 31 [53]
November 7 [54]
November 14 "The Door Is Still Open to My Heart" Dean Martin [55]
November 21 "Ringo" Lorne Greene [56]
November 28 [57]
December 5 [58]
December 12 [59]
December 19 [60]
December 26 [61]

References

  1. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006. Record Research Incorporated. p. vi. ISBN 9780898201697.
  2. ^ Greenfield, Thomas A. (2009). Broadway: An Encyclopedia of Theater and American Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 108. ISBN 9780313342653.
  3. ^ Wong, Curtis M. (September 21, 2018). "Celebrate 50 Years Of Barbra Streisand's 'Funny Girl' With This Amazing Tribute". Huffington POst. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  4. ^ "A Streisand Sampler". CBS News. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  5. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Barbra Streisand Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  6. ^ "Barbra Streisand". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Hot 100 55th Anniversary: Every No. 1 Song (1958-2013)". Billboard. August 2, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  8. ^ "6th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1963)". The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "7th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1964)". The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 4, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 11, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 18, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  13. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 25, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  14. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 1, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  15. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 8, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  16. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 15, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  17. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 22, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  18. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 29, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  19. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 7, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  20. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 14, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  21. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 21, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  22. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 28, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  23. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 4, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  24. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 11, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  25. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 18, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  26. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 25, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  27. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 2, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  28. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 9, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  29. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 16, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  30. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 23, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  31. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 30, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  32. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 6, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  33. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 13, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  34. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 20, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  35. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 27, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  36. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 4, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  37. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 11, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  38. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 18, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  39. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 25, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  40. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 1, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  41. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 8, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  42. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 15, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  43. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 22, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  44. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 29, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  45. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 5, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  46. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 12, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  47. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 19, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  48. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 26, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  49. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 3, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  50. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 10, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  51. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 17, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  52. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 24, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  53. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 31, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  54. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 7, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  55. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 14, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  56. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 21, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  57. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 28, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  58. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 5, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  59. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 12, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  60. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 19, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  61. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 26, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Middle-Road_Singles_number_ones_of_1964

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