Throwing back to the week of February 7, 1956, we find a trio of repeats atop the Billboard Hot 100: The Platters’ ‘The Great Pretender,’ Dean Martin’s ‘Memories Are Made of This,’ and Kay Starr’s ‘Rock and Roll Waltz.’
In fourth place that week was another kind of throwback, to the sort of songs that populated the chart in the early 50s. ‘Lisbon Antigua’ is an instrumental track conducted by Nelson Riddle, based on a 1930s Portuguese tune called ‘Lisboa Antiga.’
The week of Feb. 1, 1986, found Dionne Warwick & Friends hanging on to the #1 spot for the third straight week with ‘That’s What Friends are For.’
Behind it at #2, where it would spend two weeks, is one of the most glaring examples of trying to make lightning strike twice — Survivor’s ‘Burning Heart.’
Throwing back to the week of January 31, 1976, we find Ohio Players stop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Love Rollercoaster,’ enjoying its first and only week at #1.
The R&B/funk band had made it to #1 a year earlier with ‘Fire.’ After this hit, they would never again reach the top ten, though later in 1976 they would hit #18 with ‘Who’d She Coo?’
Throwing back to the week of January 25, 1966, we find The Beatles hanging on to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘We Can Work It Out,’ in its third week at #1. Nipping at their heels were The Beach Boys, whose ‘Barbara Ann’ jumped from #15 to #2 that week.
The Beatles fell from #1 the following week, but The Beach Boys weren’t able to capitalize and score their third #1 hit (that would happen later in the year). Instead, Petula Clark leapfrogged them with a song that will likely show up on a future Throwback Weekend.
Some familiar names topped the Billboard Hot 100 on the weekend of January 24, 1956: Dean Martin with ‘Memories Are Made of This,‘ The Platters with ‘The Great Pretender,’ and Tennessee Ernie Ford with ‘Sixteen Tons.’
At #4 that week, on its way to a 4-week stint at #1, was the novelty track ‘Rock and Roll Waltz’ by vocalist Kay Starr. The track, written by Shorty Allen and Roy Alfred, depicts the singer coming home to find her parents dancing (a waltz, naturally) to her rock and roll records.
