Hot 100 4/4/1964

[Gary]

50 Years Ago Today: The Beatles Boast Nos. 1-5 On Billboard Hot 100
News /

By Gary Trust | April 04, 2014 10:37 AM EDT

"Just about everyone is tired of the Beatles."

So read the first line of a story on page 1 of the Billboard magazine dated April 4, 1964, exactly 50 years ago today. That was the week that the Beatles made history as the only act ever to simultaneously occupy the Billboard Hot 100 chart's entire top five positions.

So … why was Billboard printing such seeming blasphemy?

How The Beatles Went Viral in 1964

"Disk jockeys are tired of playing the hit group," the story continued. (Cleverly headlined "Chart Crawls With Beatles," the item was written by Jack Maher and Tom Noonan, the latter of whom launched the Hot 100 in 1958.) "The writers of trade and consumer publication articles are tired of writing about them and the manufacturers of product other than the Beatles are tired of hearing about them."

Billboard, of course, noted one key exception.

"Everyone's tired of the Beatles – except the listening and buying public."

With a 27-1 second-week blast to the top for "Can't Buy Me Love," the Fab Four locked up the Hot 100's entire top five: No. 1, "Can't Buy Me Love" / No. 2, "Twist and Shout" / No. 3, "She Loves You" / No. 4, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" / No. 5, "Please Please Me"

The closest any artist has come to the Beatles' airtight top five mark is 50 Cent, who placed three titles simultaneously – "Candy Shop" (No. 1); the Game's "How We Go," on which he's featured (No. 4); and "Disco Inferno" (No. 5) – in the top five on the charts dated March 12 and 19, 2005.



Beginning a five-week reign, "Buy" marked the Beatles' third No. 1, directly following "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and second leader "She Loves You." No other act has linked three consecutive No. 1s in the Hot 100's 55-year history.

The 26-position jump to the summit for "Buy" additionally stood as a record for the greatest jump to No. 1 for nearly 38 years, until Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" rocketed 52-1 in 2002. (Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" currently holds the mark, courtesy of a 97-1 vault in February 2009).

With 20 career leaders, the Beatles lead all acts for the most No. 1s in the Hot 100's archives.

Slightly more than two months prior to their top five stranglehold, the Fab Four had made their landmark debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show," kicking off American Beatlemania. Billboard recapped the shift in music and pop culture forever more that the group's stateside invasion spurred in the magazine's Jan. 11 cover story.

Meanwhile, chart trivia fans, take note: What was the highest-ranking non-Beatles single the week of April 4, 1964? Terry Stafford's "Suspicion," which rose 7-6. The single, released on the Crusader label, would peak at No. 3 the following week. Later audiences would come to know Stafford's work thanks to another Billboard record-holder, George Strait, who boasts the most No. 1s (44) in the Hot Country Songs chart's history. Strait's cover of Stafford's "Amarillo By Morning" (co-written with Paul Fraser) hit No. 4 Hot Country Songs in 1982 and remains one of the King of Country's signature songs.

[Gary]

Full Hot 100

1 10 Can't Buy Me Love, The Beatles   1
2 11 Twist And Shout, The Beatles   2
3 15 She Loves You, The Beatles   1
4 15 I Want To Hold Your Hand, The Beatles   1
5 13 Please Please Me, The Beatles   3
6 15 Suspicion, Terry Stafford   3
7 22 Hello, Dolly!, Louis Armstrong   1
8 13 The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss), Betty Everett   6
9 9 My Heart Belongs To Only You, Bobby Vinton   9
10 14 Glad All Over, The Dave Clark Five   6
11 13 Dawn (Go Away), The 4 Seasons   3
12 11 The Way You Do The Things You Do, The Temptations   11
13 11 Fun, Fun, Fun, The Beach Boys   5
14 14 Don't Let The Rain Come Down (Crooked Little Man), The Serendipity Singers   6
15 10 Needles And Pins, The Searchers   13
16 11 Stay, The 4 Seasons   16
17 9 Kissin' Cousins, Elvis Presley   12
18 10 You're A Wonderful One, Marvin Gaye   15
19 16 Java, Al Hirt   4
20 11 Hi-Heel Sneakers, Tommy Tucker   11
21 9 Ain't Nothing You Can Do, Bobby Bland   20
22 11 Money, The Kingsmen   16
23 11 I Love You More And More Every Day, Al Martino   9
24 8 Hippy Hippy Shake, The Swinging Blue Jeans   24
25 14 Dead Man's Curve, Jan & Dean   8
26 9 Think, Brenda Lee   25
27 12 Navy Blue, Diane Renay   6
28 9 Blue Winter, Connie Francis   24
29 7 It Hurts Me, Elvis Presley   29
30 10 Nadine (Is It You?), Chuck Berry   23
31 11 I Saw Her Standing There, The Beatles   14
32 8 Hey Jean, Hey Dean, Dean & Jean   32
33 7 Tell It On The Mountain, Peter, Paul & Mary   33
34 14 White On White, Danny Williams   9
35 9 Hey, Bobba Needle, Chubby Checker   23
36 10 Rip Van Winkle, The Devotions   36
37 13 See The Funny Little Clown, Bobby Goldsboro   9
38 7 My Heart Cries For You, Ray Charles   38
39 9 That's The Way Boys Are, Lesley Gore   12
40 8 The New Girl In School, Jan & Dean   37
41 6 From Me To You, The Beatles   41
42 5 We Love You Beatles, The Carefrees   39
43 8 Understand Your Man, Johnny Cash   35
44 11 Forever, Pete Drake   25
45 10 Penetration, The Pyramids   18
46 11 Do You Want To Know A Secret, The Beatles   2
47 9 Ebb Tide, Lenny Welch   25
48 11 Bits And Pieces, The Dave Clark Five   4
49 7 Baby, Don't You Cry (The New Swingova Rhythm), Ray Charles   39
50 15 My Guy, Mary Wells   1
51 8 The Matador, Major Lance   20
52 8 I'll Make You Mine, Bobby Vee   52
53 9 I Can't Stand It, Soul Sisters   46
54 7 Worried Guy, Johnny Tillotson   37
55 7 He's A Good Guy (Yes He Is), The Marvelettes   55
56 9 Castles In The Sand, Stevie Wonder   52
57 7 Ain't Gonna Tell Anybody, The Fireballs   53
58 6 All My Loving, The Beatles   45
59 5 (You Can't Let The Boy Overpower) The Man In You, The Miracles   59
60 12 Shangri-La, Robert Maxwell   15
61 11 I'm So Proud, The Impressions   14
62 8 Love With The Proper Stranger, Jack Jones   62
63 5 Congratulations, Ricky Nelson   63
64 7 Book Of Love, The Raindrops   62
65 4 You Can't Do That, The Beatles   48
66 13 Look Homeward Angel, The Monarchs   47
67 6 Make Me Forget, Bobby Rydell   43
68 4 Roll Over Beethoven, The Beatles   68
69 4 Sha-La-La, The Shirelles   69
70 10 Shangri-La, Vic Dana   27
71 9 My Girl Sloopy, The Vibrations   26
72 6 Baby Baby Baby, Anna King,Bobby Byrd   52
73 12 Wish Someone Would Care, Irma Thomas   17
74 6 Giving Up On Love, Jerry Butler   56
75 7 Stay Awhile, Dusty Springfield   38
76 6 Our Everlasting Love, Ruby & The Romantics   64
77 6 T'ain't Nothin' To Me, The Coasters   64
78 4 To Each His Own, The Tymes   78
79 7 Thank You Girl, The Beatles   35
80 8 The Pink Panther Theme, Henry Mancini   31
81 5 You Lied To Your Daddy, The Tams   70
82 5 I Should Care, Gloria Lynne   64
83 7 Where Does Love Go, Freddie Scott   82
84 6 Can You Do It, The Contours   41
85 3 A Letter To The Beatles, The Four Preps   85
86 12 Soul Serenade, King Curtis   51
87 3 It's All Right (You're Just In Love), The Tams   79
88 7 That's When It Hurts, Ben E. King   63
89 7 Charade, Sammy Kaye   36
90 8 Kiss Me Sailor, Diane Renay   29
91 5 Mexican Drummer Man, Herb Alpert   77
92 7 Come To Me, Otis Redding   69
93 3 I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby, Baby Washington   93
94 4 Be Anything (But Be Mine), Gloria Lynne   88
95 3 Hand It Over, Chuck Jackson   92
96 4 Vanishing Point, The Marketts   90
97 2 How Blue Can You Get, B.B. King   97
98 8 (The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up, The Ronettes   39
99 6 Hey, Mr. Sax Man, Boots Randolph   77
100 19 People, Barbra Streisand   5

[DJDaveMick69]

What a chart. It should be noted that the numbers represent this week's rank, total weeks charted, and after the title and artist--the ultimate peak position.
TBH, my faves on the chart, beating out all Beatle songs, are "New Girl in School" (40) and "Navy Blue" (27).

[johnnywest]

I was hoping that Lady Gaga would be able to pull off the same thing.