Billboard vs. Cash Box: The Year-End Top 10s, Part 1 – 1960-1969

Each year around this time back in the pre-internet days, the music industry periodical Billboard would start compiling its list of the top 100 hits of the past 12 months.

Cash Box, a competitor of Billboard, did the same thing starting in the 1950s.

Beside comparing the differences between the weekly charts, the year-end compilation differences between Billboard and Cash Box were just as fascinating. Often, they didn’t agree on what was the top song of each year and had large discrepancies elsewhere. That’s what this series of articles is about.

Let’s start by comparing 1959 results, since that’s the first full year of the Hot 100 being in effect for Billboard.

The year-end top 10 for each publication is given, with the position of where the song finished in the other publication given in parentheses. CB is short for Cash Box, while BB is short for Billboard. If it’s the same position on both, then no notation follows.

Along with the way, I’ll make a few random observations about the lists. Not too much, though. I don’t want to wear you out as we go down Memory Lane.

Got it? Good. Let’s go!

1959

• 2. Bobby Darin, “Mack the Knife” (#1 CB)
• 3. Lloyd Price, “Personality” (#6 CB)
• 4. Frankie Avalon, “Venus” (#3 CB)
• 5. Paul Anka, “Lonely Boy” (#4 CB)
• 6. Bobby Darin, “Dream Lover” (#12 CB)
• 7. The Browns, “The Three Bells”
• 8. The Fleetwoods, “Come Softly to Me” (#10 CB)
• 9. Wilburt Harrison, “Kansas City” (#13 CB)
• 10. The Fleetwoods, “Mister Blue” (#16 CB)

• 2. Johnny Horton, “Battle of New Orleans” (#1 BB)
• 3. Frankie Avalon, “Venus” (#4 BB)
• 4. Paul Anka, “Lonely Boy” (#5 BB)
• 5. The Drifters, “There Goes My Baby” (#29 BB)
• 6. Lloyd Price, “Personality” (#3 BB)
• 7. The Browns, “The Three Bells”
• 8. Paul Anka, “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” (#12 BB)
• 9. Santo and Johnny, “Sleep Walk” (#11 BB)
• 10. The Fleetwoods, “Come Softly to Me” (#8 BB)

Not too many disagreements to start here, although the top record of the year does vary.

The latter will happen a lot in most of the following entries.

Clearly it was an aberration, as we won’t see any more such lineups the rest of this post.

1960

• 2. Jim Reeves, “He’ll Have to Go” (#8 CB)
• 3. The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown” (#9 CB)
• 4. Johnny Preston, “Running Bear” (#10 CB)
• 5. Mark Dinning, “Teen Angel” (#16 CB)
• 6. Brenda Lee, “I’m Sorry”
• 7. Elvis Presley, “It’s Now or Never” (#2 CB)
• 8. Jimmy Jones, “Handy Man” (#13 CB)
• 9. Elvis Presley, “Stuck on You” (#7 CB)
• 10. Chubby Checker, “The Twist” (#4 CB)

Cash Box

• 1. Percy Faith, “Theme from a Summer Place”
• 2. Elvis Presley, “It’s Now or Never” (#7 BB)
• 3. The Drifters, “Save the Last Dance for Me” (#26 BB)
• 4. Chubby Checker, “The Twist” (#10 BB)
• 5. Brian Hyland, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” (#19 BB)
• 6. Brenda Lee, “I’m Sorry”
• 7. Elvis Presley, “Stuck on You” (#9 BB)
• 8. Jim Reeves, “He’ll Have to Go” (#2 BB)
• 9. The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown” (#3 BB)
• 10. Johnny Preston, “Running Bear” (#4 BB)

Another big disparity between Billboard and Cash Box in ranking a Drifters song for a year. Weird.

Otherwise… a good amount of correlation, here.

While Bobby Darin previously got two spots in Billboard, Elvis Presley does him one better this year and gets a pair on Billboard and Cash Box. He did the same thing in 1956, but that’s outside our survey period.

1961

• 2. Patsy Cline, “I Fall to Pieces” (#96 CB)
• 3. The Highwaymen, “Michael” (#8 CB)
• 4. Roy Orbison, “Crying” (#28 CB)
• 5. Del Shannon, “Runaway” (#9 CB)
• 6. The Jive Five, “My True Story” (#66 CB)
• 7. Chubby Checker, “Pony Time” (#14 CB)
• 8. The String-a-Longs, “Wheels” (#24 CB)
• 9. Dee Clark, “Raindrops” (#17 CB)
• 10: Joe Dowell, “Wooden Heart” (#22 CB)

• 2. Lawrence Welk, “Calcutta” (#11 BB)
• 3. The Shirelles, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” (#16 BB)
• 4. Bobby Lewis, “Tossin’ and Turnin’” (#1 BB)
• 5. Bert Kaempfert, “Wonderland by Night” (#72 BB)
• 6. Elvis Presley, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (#96 BB)
• 7. Rick Nelson, “Travelin’ Man” (#23 BB)
• 8. The Highwaymen, “Michael” (#3 BB)
• 9. Del Shannon, “Runaway” (#5 BB)
• 10. Floyd Cramer, “Last Date” (no BB)

Lots of diversions between the two here, including the first of several Cash Box entries that didn’t make even the top 100 year-end list on Billboard.

Don’t know why instrumentals were so big this year on Cash Box, with 4 in the top 10 list versus only one on Billboard, “Wheels.”  

It also seems odd that only five of the top 10 on Billboard made #1 on the weekly listings, a low mark for the year-end tally.

1962

• 2. Ray Charles, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (#6 CB)
• 3. Dee Dee Sharp, “Mashed Potato Time” (#4 CB)
• 4. Bobby Vinton, “Roses Are Red (My Love)” (#17 CB)
• 5. David Rose, “The Stripper” (#8 CB)
• 6. Shelley Fabares, “Johnny Angel” (#11 CB)
• 7. Little Eva, “The Loco-Motion” (#15 CB)
• 8. The Sensations, “Let Me In” (#25 CB)
• 9. Chubby Checker, “The Twist” (#1 CB)
• 10. The Shirelles, “Soldier Boy” (#19 CB)

• 2. Mr. Acker Bilk, “Stranger on the Shore” (#1 BB)
• 3. Joey Dee and the Starliters, “Peppermint Twist” (#25 BB)
• 4. Dee Dee Sharp, “Mashed Potato Time” (#3 BB)
• 5. Henry Mancini, “Moon River” (#60 BB)
• 6. Ray Charles, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (#2 BB)
• 7. Barbara Lynn, “You’ll Lose a Good Thing” (#71 BB)
• 8. David Rose, “The Stripper” (#5 BB)
• 9. Dion, “The Wanderer” (#12 BB)
• 10. The Tokens, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (no BB)

Given how “The Twist” held the status as the most successful song on the Billboard chart until “Blinding Lights” by the publication’s own calculations, it’s mildly surprising that the record barely made the top 10 in 1960 and 1962 and shows up higher each year on Cash Box. 

Regarding the relative outliers here, while “Let Me In” (#8 BB) has less than 825,000 downloads on Spotify, “You’ll Lose a Good Thing” (#7 CB) has nearly 42 million. Go figure.

1963

• 2. Skeeter Davis, “The End of the World” (#3 CB)
• 3. The Cascades, “Rhythm of the Rain” (#7 CB)
• 4. The Chiffons, “He’s So Fine” (#13 CB)
• 5. Bobby Vinton, “Blue Velvet” (#4 CB)
• 6. Paul and Paula, “Hey Paula” (#14 CB)
• 7. Little Stevie Wonder, “Fingertips, Part 2” (#9 CB)
• 8. Andy Williams, “Can’t Get Used to Losing You”
• 9. The Angels, “My Boyfriend’s Back” (#21 CB)
• 10. Kyu Sakamoto, “Sukiyaki” (#29 CB)

• 2. Steve Lawrence, “Go Away Little Girl” (#80 BB)
• 3. Skeeter Davis, “The End of the World” (#2 BB)
• 4. Bobby Vinton, “Blue Velvet” (#5 BB)
• 5. The Tornadoes, “Telstar” (no BB)
• 6. Little Peggy March, “I Will Follow Him” (#20 BB)
• 7. The Cascades, “Rhythm of the Rain” (#3 BB)
• 8. Andy Williams, “Can’t Get Used to Losing You”
• 9. Little Stevie Wonder, “Fingertips, Part 2” (#7 BB)
• 10. Elvis Presley, “Return to Sender” (no BB)

What the hell was going with the charts this year?

Neither “Surfin’ U.S.A.” nor “Limbo Rock” strike me as the top overall hit. In fact, neither song hit #1 on either chart. Then there are three Cash Box songs failing to make the Billboard year-end top 100. Amazing there was consensus at least for “Can’t Get Used to Losing You” being at #7.

“Limbo Rock” does at least make Chubby Checker the first artist to have two year-end songs at #1. Also, this marks the last appearance of Elvis on a year-end Cash Box top 10 list. He’ll reach the same status on Billboard 2 years from now.

1964

• 2. The Beatles, “She Loves You”
• 3. Louis Armstrong, “Hello, Dolly!”
• 4. Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Woman”
• 5. The Beach Boys, “I Get Around”
• 6. Dean Martin, “Everybody Loves Somebody” (#9 CB)
• 7. Mary Wells, “My Guy”
• 8. Gale Garnett, “We’ll Sing in the Sunshine” (no CB)
• 9. J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, “Last Kiss” (no CB)
• 10. The Supremes, “Where Did Our Love Go” (#15 CB)

Cash Box

• 1. The Beatles, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” 
• 2. The Beatles, “She Loves You”
• 3. Louis Armstrong, “Hello, Dolly!”
• 4. Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Woman”
• 5. The Beach Boys, “I Get Around”
• 6. The Kingsmen, “Louie Louie” (#99 BB)
• 7. Mary Wells, “My Guy”
• 8. The Dave Clark Five, “Glad All Over” (#23 BB)
• 9. Dean Martin, “Everybody Loves Somebody” (#6 BB)
• 10. The Singing Nun, “Dominique” (no BB)

The Beatles led the British invasion and had over 10 songs on both Billboard and Cash Box at one week during this year.

So, it’s a little confusing that the only have two songs in both lists, even if those songs did finish first and second.

While for the first time, the top five listing for both publications is the same, the rest is wonky. “Louie Louie” and “Dominique” were leftover hits that peaked in December 1963, and seem out of place to make the Cash Box tally. 

But Billboard appears flawed too, especially with including “Last Kiss,” which hasn’t held up as an oldie. That song has of this writing less than 61,000 streams on Spotify, by far the lowest tally among songs in this post. 

1965

Billboard

• 2. The Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself” (#4 CB)
• 3. The Rolling Stones, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (#5 CB)
• 4. The We Five, “You Were on My Mind” (#10 CB)
• 5. The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” (#7 CB)
• 6. Petula Clark, “Downtown”
• 7. The Beatles, “Help!” (#11 CB)
• 8. Herman’s Hermits, “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat” (#22 CB)
• 9. Elvis Presley, “Crying in the Chapel” (#12 CB)
• 10. The Temptations, “My Girl” (#16 CB)

• 2. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, “Wooly Bully” (#1 BB)
• 3. Bobby Vinton, “Mr. Lonely” (no BB)
• 4. The Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself” (#2 BB)
• 5. The Rolling Stones,” (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (#3 BB)
• 6. Petula Clark, “Downtown”
• 7. The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” (#5 BB)
• 8. The Supremes, “Come See About Me” (no BB)
• 9. The Ramsey Lewis Trio, “The In Crowd” (#18 BB)
• 10. The We Five, “You Were on My Mind” (#4 BB)

It seems right for Cash Box to give the Supremes two entries this year, but any goodwill for that is negated by the puzzling inclusion of “Mr. Lonely,” which hit in December 1964. Both it and Billboard look to be discounting the impact of the British invasion too, with no more than four UK hits shown for either list.

Another curiosity is that each list has four year-end songs that never reached #1 in the respective publication. For Cash Box, it was “Wooly Bully,” “Mr. Lonely,” “The In Crowd” and “You Were on My Mind.” In the case of Billboard, it was “Wooly Bully,” “You Were on My Mind,” “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat” and “Crying in the Chapel.”

1966

• 2. ? and the Mysterians, “96 Tears” (#19 CB)
• 3. Jimmy Ruffin, “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” (#36 CB)
• 4. The Monkees, “Last Train to Clarksville” (#21 CB)
• 5. The Four Tops, “Reach Out I’ll Be There” (#38 CB)
• 6. Nancy Sinatra, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” (#26 CB)
• 7. The Association, “Cherish” (#16 CB)
• 8. Frank Sinatra, “Strangers in the Night” (#5 CB)
• 9. Paul Revere and the Raiders, “Kicks” (#14 CB)
• 10. S/Sgt. Barry Sadler, “Ballad of the Green Berets” (#1 CB)

• 2. The Mamas and the Papas, “California Dreaming” (#1 BB)
• 3. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sounds of Silence” (no BB)
• 4. Bobby Hebb, “Sunny” (#14 BB)
• 5. Frank Sinatra, “Strangers in the Night” (#8 BB)
• 6. The Supremes, “You Can’t Hurry Love” (#13 BB)
• 7. The Mindbenders, “A Groovy Kind of Love” (#20 BB)
• 8. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (no BB)
• 9. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” (#16 BB)
• 10. The Happenings, “See You in September” (#15 BB)

Another year where the two publications were all over the place.

“I Got You (I Feel Good)” peaked on Billboard in December 1965 and didn’t make #1 in Cash Box, so it’s questionable. “California Dreaming,” and “See You in September” also didn’t reach #1 in Cash Box (nor in Billboard either).

The real oddity to me in Billboard is “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” which only peaked at #7 in that publication.

To think it did better at year’s end than fellow Motown act The Four Tops with the classic #1 hit “Reach Out I’ll Be There” confuses me no end. But I am grateful Billboard put “Ballad of the Green Berets” away enough from being #1 for the year.

1967

• 2. The Box Tops, “The Letter” (#1 BB)
• 3. Bobbie Gentry, “Ode to Billie Joe” (#4 CB)
• 4. The Association, “Windy” (#7 BB)
• 5. The Monkees, “I’m a Believer” (#8 CB)6. The Doors, “Light My Fire” (#2 CB)
• 7. Frank and Nancy Sinatra, “Somethin’ Stupid” (#13 CB)
• 8. The Turtles, “Happy Together” (#6 CB)
• 9. The Rascals, “Groovin’”
• 10. Frankie Valli, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (#3 CB)

• 2. The Doors, “Light My Fire” (#6 BB)
• 3. Frankie Valli, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (#10 BB)
• 4. Bobbie Gentry, “Ode to Billie Joe” (#3 BB)
• 5. Lulu, “To Sir With Love” (#1 BB)
• 6. The Turtles, “Happy Together” (#8 BB)
• 7. The Association, “Windy” (#4 BB)
• 8. The Monkees, “I’m a Believer” (#5 BB)
• 9. The Rascals, “Groovin’”
• 10. Aretha Franklin, “Respect” (#13 BB)

Whoa! All the same entries in the top 10 for both save one, and each one there finished near the top 10 in the other publication.

Each of the ones in Cash Box reached the top spot for at least one in that publication. 

In Billboard, all did the same except for “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” which crested at #2 behind “Windy” at the top for one week. It does seem weird that Frankie Valli’s solo effort made both lists after several contenders from the group where he was lead singer, the Four Seasons, missed up to this point. 

1968

• 2. Paul Mauriat, “Love is Blue”
• 3. Bobby Goldsboro, “Honey” (#6 CB)
• 4. Otis Redding, “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay”
• 5. The Rascals, “People Got to be Free” (#7 CB)
• 6. Cream, “Sunshine of Your Love” (#28 CB)
• 7. Herb Alpert, “This Guy’s in Love with You” (#9 CB)
• 8. Hugo Montenegro, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (#31 CB)
• 9. Simon and Garfunkel, “Mrs. Robinson” (#5 CB)
• 10. Archie Bell and The Drells, “Tighten Up”

Cash Box

• 1. The Beatles, “Hey Jude”
• 2. Paul Mauriat, “Love Is Blue”
• 3. Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, “Young Girl” (#15 BB)
• 4. Otis Redding, “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay”
• 5. Simon and Garfunkel, “Mrs. Robinson” (#9 BB)
• 6. Bobby Goldsboro, “Honey” (#3 BB)
• 7. The Rascals, “People Got to be Free” (#5 BB)
• 8. The Lemon Pipers, “Green Tambourine” (#47 BB)
• 9. Herb Alpert, “This Guy’s in Love with You” (#7 BB)
• 10. Archie Bell and The Drells, “Tighten Up”

The Beatles become the second artist on Cash Box to have two year-end songs finish at #1 after Chubby Checker.

On Billboard, they’re the third, after Elvis in the 1950s and surprisingly Percy Faith (“The Song from Moulin Rouge” in 1953 followed by “Theme from a Summer Place” in 1960). With three other exact placement matches and eight songs being shared on both lists, this go-round has some strong correlations between the lists.

The questionable inclusion would appear to be “Sunshine of Your Love,” as it peaked at only #5 in Billboard. However, the song had an initial 14-week run in early 1968 where it peaked at #36 before its second chart run later in the year, which probably helped its overall tally.

1969

• 2. The Fifth Dimension, “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (#3 CB)
• 3. The Temptations, “I Can’t Get Next to You” (#7 CB)
• 4. The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women” (#2 CB)
• 5. Sly and the Family Stone, “Everyday People”
• 6. Tommy Roe, “Dizzy”
• 7. Sly and the Family Stone, “Hot Fun in the Summertime” (#60 CB)
• 8. Tom Jones, “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” (#23 CB)
• 9. The Foundations, “Build Me Up Buttercup”
• 10. Tommy James and the Shondells, “Crimson and Clover” (#8 CB)

Cash Box

• 1. The Archies, “Sugar Sugar”
• 2. The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women” (#4 BB)
• 3. The Fifth Dimension, “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (#2 BB)
• 4. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (#88 BB)
• 5. Sly and the Family Stone, “Everyday People”
• 6. Tommy Roe, “Dizzy”
• 7. The Temptations, “I Can’t Get Next to You” (#3 BB)
• 8. Tommy James and the Shondells, “Crimson and Clover” (#10 BB)
• 9. The Foundations, “Build Me Up Buttercup”
• 10. The Cowsills, “Hair” (#13 BB)

All in Cash Box were #1 hits except for “I Can’t Get Next to You.”

However, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” probably had its two weeks as a chart topper in late 1968 included for the year-end tally, as it was only #1 for 3 weeks in January 1969.

I like the idea of having two Sly and the Family Stone entries in Billboard. The same publication fares less well with including “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” as it peaked only at #6 during the year. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s the only year-end top 10 single for Tom Jones.

Next time: The Slinky 1970s.

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