Elvis Presley’s #1 Song Count: Setting the Record Straight on Billboard Hits

The question of how many number one hits Elvis Presley truly achieved remains a persistent topic among music fans and historians. While various figures circulate, a common claim asserts the King of Rock and Roll amassed 18 chart-toppers on Billboard‘s primary singles chart during his lifetime. This figure often appears on fan sites and even in seemingly reputable pop culture analyses. However, a closer examination of Billboard‘s chart history reveals a more nuanced reality. Understanding the evolution of music charts is key to accurately assessing the performance of any Elvis Presley #1 song and settling the debate over his true count on the industry’s benchmark US pop chart. This article delves into the history of Billboard‘s charts to clarify Presley’s achievements and provide a definitive list based on consistent criteria.

Cover of the ‘Elvis for Dummies’ book highlighting common questions about his career.

Understanding Billboard’s Chart Evolution

To grasp the confusion surrounding Elvis’s #1 count, it’s essential to understand how Billboard magazine tracked song popularity during his peak years. In the 1940s and 1950s, Billboard didn’t rely on a single, definitive pop chart. Instead, it published several key weekly lists, presented as equally important: “Best Sellers in Stores,” “Most Played by Jockeys,” and “Most Played in Jukeboxes.” Chart historians today often give the “Best Sellers in Stores” list greater weight when analyzing pre-Hot 100 rankings.

On November 12, 1955, just before Elvis burst onto the national scene, Billboard introduced a fourth major chart: the “Top 100.” This marked a step towards consolidation. When Elvis’s “Heartbreak Hotel” began its chart ascent in March 1956, all four of these lists were still active. As rock ‘n’ roll, spearheaded by artists like Presley, began to dominate sales, Billboard streamlined its process. The “Most Played in Jukeboxes” chart was discontinued on June 17, 1957, followed by the “Most Played by Jockeys” chart on July 28, 1958.

A pivotal change occurred on August 4, 1958, when the “Top 100” was revamped and renamed the “Hot 100.” This new chart incorporated sales and radio play data in a more comprehensive formula. It quickly became the industry standard. The “Best Sellers in Stores” chart was subsequently dropped on October 13, 1958, leaving the “Hot 100” as Billboard‘s single, primary pop singles chart. Consequently, none of Elvis’s major hits from 1956 and 1957 actually appeared on the “Hot 100,” as it didn’t exist yet. They charted on the “Top 100” and its predecessors. This created a challenge for historians: how to consistently compare records released before and after the Hot 100’s debut?

The Role of Joel Whitburn and Chart Discrepancies

Enter Joel Whitburn, a renowned record collector turned meticulous chart researcher. Starting in 1964, Whitburn dedicated himself to compiling and organizing data from Billboard‘s charts, beginning with the “Top 100” chart’s inception in 1955 and continuing through the “Hot 100” era. His resulting books, particularly the periodically updated Top Pop Singles, became the go-to reference for industry professionals, researchers, and fans, establishing him as the leading authority on Billboard chart history.

However, Whitburn’s work is also the source of the confusion regarding Elvis’s number one count. In his initial publications, Whitburn based his rankings solely on performance on the “Top 100” (from Nov 1955 to Aug 1958) and the subsequent “Hot 100” (from Aug 1958 onwards). Using this methodology, he correctly credited Elvis Presley with 14 number one singles on these specific charts.

Somewhere along the line, Whitburn altered his approach for compiling chart data for the pre-Hot 100 era. In later editions of his Top Pop Singles books, he began incorporating data from the older “Best Sellers,” “Jockeys,” and “Jukebox” charts when determining a song’s peak position before August 1958. This revised methodology resulted in Elvis being credited with 18 number one singles. The additional four songs reached #1 on one of the other Billboard charts active at the time, but not on the “Top 100.”

For instance, “Hound Dog” peaked at #2 on the “Top 100” chart in 1956. Under Whitburn’s original criteria, it wasn’t a #1 hit. However, because it reached #1 on the “Most Played in Jukeboxes” chart that same year, his later methodology counts it as a #1 single for Presley, contributing to the inflated total of 18.

Vintage picture sleeve for Elvis Presley’s hit single Don’t Be Cruel backed with Hound Dog.

Why the Top 100 / Hot 100 Matters for Comparison

While acknowledging the success songs achieved on Billboard‘s other charts is valid from a historical perspective, using the consistent lineage of the “Top 100” (Nov ’55 – Aug ’58) and “Hot 100” (Aug ’58 onwards) provides the clearest and fairest basis for comparing the chart performance of artists across the rock era. This unified chart stream represents Billboard‘s primary pop singles ranking for the vast majority of this period. Adhering to this standard eliminates the ambiguity caused by incorporating multiple, discontinued charts with potentially different methodologies and levels of influence. It allows for a direct comparison of Elvis’s chart-toppers with those of later acts like The Beatles, who competed solely on the Hot 100.

Elvis Presley’s Actual #1 Songs on Billboard’s Top/Hot 100 (The Definitive 14)

Based on meticulous review of Billboard weekly charts from 1956 through 1977, cross-referenced with Joel Whitburn’s original data focusing solely on the Top/Hot 100, here is the accurate list of Elvis Presley’s 14 number one singles on that specific chart lineage:

1. Heartbreak Hotel: Reached #1 on the “Top 100” on May 5, 1956, replacing Les Baxter’s “The Poor People of Paris.” It held the top spot for 7 weeks. (Elvis’s 1st #1)
2. Don’t Be Cruel: Hit #1 on the “Top 100” on September 15, 1956, displacing The Platters’ “My Prayer.” It remained at #1 for 7 weeks. (Elvis’s 2nd #1)
3. Love Me Tender: Tied for #1 on the “Top 100” with “The Green Door” on November 11, 1956, then spent 2 more weeks alone at the top. (Elvis’s 3rd #1)
4. All Shook Up: Took the #1 spot on the “Top 100” on April 20, 1957, knocking off Andy Williams’ “Butterfly.” It dominated for 8 weeks. (Elvis’s 4th #1)
5. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear: Reached #1 on the “Top 100” on July 15, 1957, replacing Pat Boone’s “Love Letters in the Sand.” It stayed at the top for 7 weeks. (Elvis’s 5th #1)
6. Jailhouse Rock: Hit #1 on the “Top 100” on November 4, 1957, bumping The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie.” It reigned for 6 weeks. (Elvis’s 6th #1)
7. Don’t: Achieved #1 on the “Top 100” for a single week on March 10, 1958. (Elvis’s 7th #1)
8. A Big Hunk O’ Love: Topped the “Hot 100” (the chart had been renamed by this point) for two weeks in August 1959. (Elvis’s 8th #1)
9. Stuck on You: Reached #1 on the “Hot 100” on April 25, 1960, following Percy Faith’s “Theme From a Summer Place.” It stayed for 4 weeks. (Elvis’s 9th #1)
10. It’s Now or Never: Began a five-week run at #1 on the “Hot 100” on August 15, 1960. (Elvis’s 10th #1)
11. Are You Lonesome Tonight?: Hit #1 on the “Hot 100” on November 28, 1960, replacing “Stay” by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. Its total time at #1 was 6 weeks. (Elvis’s 11th #1)
12. Surrender: Took the #1 spot on the “Hot 100” on March 20, 1961, for two weeks. (Elvis’s 12th #1)
13. Good Luck Charm: Reached #1 on the “Hot 100” on April 21, 1962, replacing Shelley Fabares’ “Johnny Angel.” It held the top for two weeks. (Elvis’s 13th #1)
14. Suspicious Minds: Became Elvis’s final #1 on the “Hot 100” on November 1, 1969, replacing The Temptations’ “I Can’t Get Next to You” for a single week. (Elvis’s 14th #1)

Picture sleeve for Elvis Presley’s major 1957 number one hit All Shook Up.

Debunking the Myths: Songs Often Mistakenly Called #1

The discrepancy between the commonly cited 18 and the accurate 14 stems from including songs that topped other Billboard charts but not the main Top/Hot 100. The four songs incorrectly included in the “18 list” are:

• Hound Dog (1956): While a massive hit and #1 on the Jukebox and Best Seller charts, it peaked at #2 on the “Top 100,” blocked by “My Prayer” and later its own flip side, “Don’t Be Cruel.”
• Too Much (1957): This single peaked at #2 on the “Top 100,” spending four weeks behind Tab Hunter’s dominant “Young Love.”
• Hard Headed Woman (1958): From the film King Creole, this song reached #2 on the “Top 100” for just one week, held off the top spot by “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters.
• Burning Love (1972): Elvis’s last major US hit single, “Burning Love” was very successful but peaked at #2 on the “Hot 100” in October 1972, unable to dislodge Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-a-Ling.”

Colorful picture sleeve for Elvis Presley’s chart-topping 1960 single It’s Now or Never.

Conclusion

While debates about chart methodologies can continue, the verifiable fact remains that Elvis Presley achieved 14 number one singles on Billboard magazine’s primary pop chart lineage – the “Top 100” and its successor, the “Hot 100.” The figure of 18 arises from including #1 rankings on Billboard’s other, secondary charts that were active in the earlier part of his career, a methodology later adopted by Joel Whitburn but differing from his original, more consistent approach. Recognizing the specific Elvis Presley #1 song count based on the industry-standard Top/Hot 100 chart provides the clearest picture of his unparalleled success within the most widely accepted framework for comparing pop music artists of the rock era. While his impact certainly extends beyond any single chart, understanding this specific metric clarifies a frequently misrepresented statistic in music history.