Billboard AC Chart Flashback: September 28, 1968

[johnm1120]

September 28, 1968

TW LW 2W WC Artist - Title

01 01 01 08 Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 - The Fool on the Hill
02 02 02 06 Herb Alpert - To Wait For Love
03 03 04 06 Frank Sinatra - My Way of Life
04 06 11 04 The Vogues - My Special Angel
05 05 10 05 Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley P.T.A.
06 14 15 06 Dionne Warwick - Who's Gonna Love Me
07 04 03 15 Mason Williams - Classical Gas
08 07 06 18 The Vogues - Turn Around, Look At Me
09 11 13 06 Tom Jones - Help Yourself
10 12 18 06 Eddy Arnold - Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye

11 09 09 07 Dean Martin - April Again
12 08 07 11 Petula Clark - Don't Give Up
13 10 05 12 The Mamas & The Papas - Dream A Little Dream of Me
14 13 08 12 Roger Williams - The Impossible Dream
15 16 30 03 Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band - I Say A Little Prayer
16 17 17 07 Paul Mauriat - San Francisco (Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)
17 20 29 04 The irish Rovers - The Biplane Evermore
18 37 ** 02 Gary Puckett & The Union Gap - Over You
19 31 35 03 Margaret Whiting - Can't Get You Out of Mu Mind
20 24 31 03 Vikki Carr - A Dissatisfied Man

21 22 22 04 Robert Goulet - Thirty Days Hath September
22 19 24 06 Dean Martin - That Old Time Feeling
23 18 12 09 Ed Ames - All My Love's Laughter
24 21 21 08 Harper's Bizarre - Battle of New Orleans
25 25 37 03 Vic Damone - Why Can't I Walk Away
26 23 23 06 Claudine Longet - Walk in the Park
27 15 14 11 Bobby Vinton - Halfway to Paradise
28 35 40 03 Ronnie Dove - Tomboy
29 27 27 15 Hugo Montenegro - Hang 'Em High
30 30 34 03 Steve Lawrence - Runaround

31 32 32 03 Alan Copeland Singers - Mission: Impossible/Norwegian Wood
32 33 33 03 Booker T. & The MGs - Soul Limbo
33 34 36 03 Barbra Streisand - I'd Rather Be Blue Over You Than Happy With Someone Else
34 DEBUT 01 Frankie Lane - Please Forgive
35 36 ** 02 Robin Wilson - Where Are They Now
36 DEBUT 01 Lana Cantrell - Catch the Wind
37 DEBUT 01 Ray Conniff Singers - Look Homeward Angel
38 40 ** 02 Mel Carter - I Pretend
39 39 ** 02 Strawberry Alarm Clock - Barefoot in Baltimore
40 DEBUT 01 Jerry Vale - Till Now


Tops of the Other Charts:

Singles
Hot 100: The Beatles - Hey Jude
Country: Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley P.T.A.
R&B: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Tarrell - You're All I Need to Get By

Albums
Billboard 200: The Rascals - Time Piece/Greatest Hits
Country: Tammy Wynette - D-I-V-O-R-C-E
R&B: Aretha Franklin - Aretha Now


Events of 1968:


President Lyndon Johnson makes a shocking announcement saying he will not seek re-election.

More shocks across the country in a wave of assassinations. Martin Luther King dies on April 4th at the age of 39. On June 6th, Robert Kennedy is assassinated at the age of 42.

Roan & Martin's "Laugh In" premieres on NBC.

"One Life to Live" premieres on ABC.

CBS premieres "Hawaii 5-0" and "60 Minutes."

Jackie Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis

Richard Nixon wins the 1968 election.

The Beatles open Apple Records

Elvis & Priscilla's only daughter Lisa Marie Presley is born.

Frankie Lymon from "The Teenagers" dies from a drug overdose.



Births in music:


Anastacia
Celine Dion
Kristin Chenoweth
Kylie Minogue
Lisa Loeb
LL Cool J
Sarah McLachlan
Shaggy
Sonique

[Verisimilitude]

Weird. Was "Hey Jude" really not AC friendly at the time? It seems like one of the obvious songs you'd hear on AC / Oldie's stations along "Yesterday" and "Let It Be".

[johnm1120]

AC was very anti-rock at the time, and of course The Beatles were the ones who ushered in the British Rock wave. Their AC success was very limited, and pretty much all after the Beatles' heyday.

[mkarns]

"Dream a Little Dream of Me" was actually credited to Mama Cass with the Mamas and the Papas (as per Billboard), and is usually considered Mama Cass' first solo hit.

In light of AC then being anti-rock, it's interesting to note that the Billboard issue which included this chart had a cover story on "uptempo middle of the road" radio, noting willingness by some AC programmers to include selected progressive rock records in the format. Perhaps this was a precursor to what is now known as "Hot AC."