Petula Clark topped the Billboard Hot 100 the week of January 26, 1965, with ‘Downtown.’ It was the song’s second straight week at #1.
This single was the first U.S. chart-topper for the British singer/actress, and kicked off a phase of her career during which she released 15 consecutive Top 40 hits in the States.
Throwing back to the week of January 25, 1955, we find a slew of repeats atop the singles chart, as usual for this decade: ‘Let Me Go Lover‘ by Joan Weber, ‘Mister Sandman‘ by The Chordettes, ‘Hearts Of Stone‘ by The Fontane Sisters, and ‘The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane‘ by The Ames Brothers.
Keeping the sibling theme going at #5 that week were The McGuire Sisters with ‘Sincerely,’ a cover of a song written by Harvey Fuqua and Alan Freed for The Moonglows the previous year.
The week of January 19, 1985, saw Madonna atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Like a Virgin.’
At #2 that week was the one hit single by General Hospital‘s Jack Wagner, ‘All I Need.’ Wagner’s tune, the title track from his debut album, stayed at #2 for two weeks, kept from the top spot by Madonna.
Throwing back to the week of January 18, 1975, gives us the very first appearance of Barry Manilow on the blog. His ‘Mandy’ topped the Hot 100 that week, becoming the first #1 of his career.
Manilow would top the chart two more times over the ensuing two years, and he added another eight top 10 hits, the last one coming in 1980. He belonged to the 70s.
The week of January 12, 1965, saw The Supremes and The Beatles atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Come See About Me‘ and ‘I Feel Fine,’ respectively.
At #3 was The Searchers with ‘Love Potion No. 9,’ their take on a song first released by The Clovers in 1959. This is an example, one of many, of a white group finding more success than a Black group with the same song.
Meet Me In Montauk 