Billboard Hot 100 | Top 5 – Week of December 26, 1960
The Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending December 26, 1960 closed the year with Elvis Presley still at #1 with “Are You Lonesome To-night?” The romantic ballad remained the dominant record of the holiday season and capped a major comeback year for Elvis.
Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra climbed to #2 with “Wonderland By Night,” while Floyd Cramer slipped to #3 with “Last Date.” Kathy Young With The Innocents moved back up to #4 with “A Thousand Stars,” and Ferrante & Teicher reached #5 with “Exodus.”
This final 1960 chart showed how strongly instrumentals shaped the end of the year. Three of the Top 5 records were instrumentals, while Elvis and Kathy Young represented romantic vocal pop.
Top 5 Songs (December 26, 1960)
1. “Are You Lonesome To-night?” – Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires
Elvis Presley remained at #1 with “Are You Lonesome To-night?,” ending 1960 with one of his most successful romantic ballads.
The song’s soft vocal, spoken-word section, and sentimental mood gave Elvis a dramatic late-year hit that stood far from his earlier rock-and-roll sound.
Its continued hold at #1 confirmed how strongly listeners had embraced his smoother post-Army pop direction.
2. “Wonderland By Night” – Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra
Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra climbed to #2 with “Wonderland By Night,” one of the strongest instrumental records on the late-1960 chart.
The song’s smooth trumpet-led melody and polished orchestration gave it a romantic easy-listening sound.
Its rise showed that instrumental pop could still compete powerfully with major vocal records.
3. “Last Date” – Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer held the #3 position with “Last Date,” continuing one of the year’s most impressive instrumental runs.
The record’s slip-note piano style helped give Nashville’s country-pop sound a major national spotlight.
Even as it moved down one spot, “Last Date” remained one of the defining instrumental hits of 1960.
4. “A Thousand Stars” – Kathy Young With The Innocents
Kathy Young With The Innocents climbed back to #4 with “A Thousand Stars,” a tender teenage doo-wop ballad.
The song’s dreamy vocal, soft harmony backing, and sincere romantic mood helped it remain one of the sweetest hits of late 1960.
Its Top 5 strength showed that young vocal-group romance still had major pop appeal.
5. “Exodus” – Ferrante & Teicher
Ferrante & Teicher climbed to #5 with “Exodus,” giving the chart another major movie-theme instrumental.
The record’s dramatic piano arrangement and sweeping mood helped it stand apart from lighter teen-pop records.
Its rise into the Top 5 showed the strong late-year appetite for cinematic instrumental pop.
More Weeks at #1 for “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”
This song spent multiple weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Explore each chart week below:
🎂 What Was the #1 Song on Your Birthday?
If you were born during the week ending December 31, 1960, this was your birthday song:
🎵 Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Elvis Presley
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Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 – Week of December 26, 1960
- Are You Lonesome To-night? – Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires
- Wonderland By Night – Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra
- Last Date – Floyd Cramer
- A Thousand Stars – Kathy Young With The Innocents
- Exodus – Ferrante & Teicher
- North To Alaska – Johnny Horton
- Many Tears Ago – Connie Francis
- You’re Sixteen – Johnny Burnette
- Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea) – Lolita
- Corinna, Corinna – Ray Peterson
1960 Ended With Elvis and Instrumentals on Top
The Billboard Hot 100 for December 26, 1960 closed the year with Elvis Presley still leading the chart, but the bigger pattern was the strength of instrumental records.
“Wonderland By Night,” “Last Date,” and “Exodus” all sat inside the Top 5, showing how strongly orchestral, piano, and movie-theme instrumentals connected with listeners at the end of the year.
The rest of the Top 10 added country storytelling from Johnny Horton, female pop from Connie Francis, teen rock-and-roll from Johnny Burnette, international flavor from Lolita, and a revived pop standard from Ray Peterson.
The final chart week of 1960 remains a fitting snapshot of the year: Elvis still powerful, instrumentals unusually strong, teen pop still active, country crossover rising, and the Hot 100 open to many different sounds at once.