🎵 #1 Song This Week
“Calcutta” – Lawrence Welk
- Weeks at #1: 2 (second and final week)
- A lively instrumental featuring accordion
- A standout easy listening crossover hit
👉 “Calcutta” held the #1 position for a second week, completing its run atop the Billboard Hot 100.
🔝 Top 5 Songs – February 20, 1961
- Calcutta – Lawrence Welk
- Shop Around – The Miracles
- Exodus – Ferrante & Teicher
- Will You Love Me Tomorrow – The Shirelles
- Wonderland by Night – Bert Kaempfert
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🎶 What Was Happening This Week
- Instrumentals completed another successful run at #1
- Motown continued rising with “Shop Around” climbing higher
- The charts showed a blend of traditional and modern sounds
🧠Why This Chart Week Matters
This week represents:
- The final week of a 2-week #1 run
- One of the last major instrumental hits to top the charts in this era
- A transition toward more vocal-driven hits moving forward
🎯 Snapshot of the Moment
By late February 1961:
- Instrumentals were still competitive—but beginning to fade
- Vocal groups and Motown artists were gaining momentum
- The sound of the 1960s was starting to take shape
At the top was “Calcutta” by Lawrence Welk, finishing its brief but memorable run as the #1 song in America.