thumb|right|upright=1.4|alt=The singer Roy Orbison|[[Roy Orbison achieved his first number one in 1961.]]
The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart published since August 1958 by Billboard magazine which ranks the best-performing singles in the United States. In 1961, it was compiled based on a combination of sales and airplay data sourced from surveys of retail outlets and playlists submitted by radio stations respectively. During the year, 22 different spent time at number one.
In the issue of Billboard dated January 2, Elvis Presley was at number one with "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", the song's sixth week in the top spot. Presley returned to number one in March with "Surrender" and was the only act with two chart-toppers in 1961. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was displaced from the top of the chart by "Wonderland by Night" by Bert Kaempfert, the first Hot 100 entry for the German bandleader and his only number one. Another bandleader, Lawrence Welk, who at the time starred in his own variety show on the ABC television network, gained his only Hot 100 chart-topper with "Calcutta" in February. Between the two bandleaders' chart-toppers, the Shirelles topped the Hot 100 for the first time with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". In April and May, the Marcels, Del Shannon, and Ernie K-Doe all topped the listing for their first and only time with "Blue Moon", "Runaway", and "Mother-in-Law" respectively. "Running Scared" gave Roy Orbison his first Hot 100 number one in June; in 1987, the influential singer known for his melodramatic style was among the earliest inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In June, Pat Boone spent his only week at number one on the Hot 100, when "Moody River" topped the chart, although between 1955 and 1957 he had taken five songs to number one on the separate sales, airplay, and jukebox play charts, which Billboard had published prior to the creation of the consolidated listing. "Moody River" was replaced in the top spot by "Quarter to Three" by U.S. Bonds. The singer, whose real name is Gary Anderson, had reportedly had his stage name chosen without his knowledge; soon after "Quarter to Three" topped the Hot 100, his forename was appended and he had further success as Gary U.S. Bonds. The year's longest-running number one was "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis, which spent seven weeks in the top spot in July and August. It was Lewis's first single to enter the Hot 100; despite the success he achieved with "Tossin' and Turnin'", his chart career was short-lived and his final Hot 100 entry came the following year. Between August and October, Joe Dowell, The Highwaymen, Bobby Vee, and Dion all topped the chart for the first time. In November, Jimmy Dean reached number one on the Hot 100 for the first and only time with "Big Bad John". The song was a triple chart-topper, also reaching the peak position on Billboards easy listening and country charts. The Marvelettes and the Tokens both reached number one for the first time in December. The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" was the first number-one pop single on the influential Motown record label. Several of 1961's number ones have been considered among the best pop songs ever recorded. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Runaway", "Hit the Road Jack" by Ray Charles, and "Runaround Sue" by Dion were all included on iterations of Rolling Stone magazine's lists of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
Chart history
thumb|right|upright|[[The Shirelles topped the Hot 100 with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" in 1961.|alt=Pop group The Shirelles]]
thumb|right|upright|alt=Musician Lawrence Welk|"[[Calcutta (song)|Calcutta" was a chart-topper for Lawrence Welk.]]
thumb|right|upright|alt=Singer Elvis Presley|[[Elvis Presley was the only act with more than one number one during 1961.]]
thumb|right|upright|alt=Singer Ray Charles|[[Ray Charles took "Hit the Road Jack" to number one.]]
thumb|right|upright|alt=Pop group The Tokens|[[The Tokens ended the year at number one.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
!scope=col|
! scope="col" |Issue date
! scope="col" |Title
! scope="col" |Artist(s)
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|42
!scope=row|
|align="center"|"Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|43
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Wonderland by Night"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|44
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|45
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Calcutta"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|46
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Pony Time"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|47
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Surrender"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|48
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Blue Moon"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|49
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"Runaway"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|50
!scope=row|
|align="center"|"Mother-in-Law"
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|51
!scope=row|
|align="center"|"Travelin' Man"
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|52
!scope=row|
|align="center"|"Running Scared"
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|51 (re)
!scope=row|
|align="center"|"Travelin' Man"
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|53
!scope=row|
|align="center"|"Moody River"
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|54
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Quarter to Three"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=7|55
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="7"|"Tossin' and Turnin'"
|align="center" rowspan="7"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|56
!scope=row|
|align="center"|"Wooden Heart"
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|57
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Michael"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|58
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Take Good Care of My Baby"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|59
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Hit the Road Jack"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|60
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Runaround Sue"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Dion
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=5|61
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="5"|"Big Bad John"
|align="center" rowspan="5"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|62
!scope=row|
|align="center"|"Please Mr. Postman"
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|63
!scope=row|
|align="center" rowspan="2"|""
|align="center" rowspan="2"|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope=row|
|align="center"|
|-
|}
Notes
Number-one artists
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of number-one artists by total weeks at number one
|-
!scope="col"| Weeks at No. 1
!scope="col"| Artist
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 7
| Bobby Lewis
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 5
| Jimmy Dean
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 4
| Del Shannon
|-
! scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" rowspan=5| 3
| Bert Kaempfert
|-
| Chubby Checker
|-
| Elvis Presley
|-
| The Marcels
|-
| Bobby Vee
|-
! scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" rowspan=8| 2
| The Shirelles
|-
| Lawrence Welk
|-
| Ricky Nelson
|-
| U.S. Bonds
|-
| The Highwaymen
|-
| Ray Charles
|-
| Dion
|-
| The Tokens
|-
! scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" rowspan=5| 1
| Ernie K-Doe
|-
| Roy Orbison
|-
| Pat Boone
|-
| Joe Dowell
|-
| The Marvelettes
|}
See also
- 1961 in music
- List of Billboard number-one singles
- List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1961
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles from 1958 to 1969