Billboard Hot 100 | Top 5 – Week of December 12, 1960
The Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending December 12, 1960 kept Elvis Presley at #1 with “Are You Lonesome To-night?” The romantic ballad continued its strong late-year run, giving Elvis another major post-Army chart moment and proving again that his smoother pop style had fully connected with American listeners.
Floyd Cramer remained at #2 with “Last Date,” keeping RCA Victor in control of the top two positions for another week. Kathy Young With The Innocents climbed to #3 with “A Thousand Stars,” while Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra jumped to #4 with “Wonderland By Night,” adding a lush instrumental sound to the upper chart.
Johnny Horton moved to #5 with “North To Alaska,” bringing country storytelling and movie-theme adventure into the Top 5. The rest of the Top 10 showed even more variety, with international pop, early soul, female pop, teen pop, and another movie-theme instrumental all sharing space on the national chart.
Top 5 Songs (December 12, 1960)
1. “Are You Lonesome To-night?” – Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires
Elvis Presley remained at #1 with “Are You Lonesome To-night?,” one of the most memorable ballads of his early 1960s career.
The song’s gentle arrangement, emotional vocal, and spoken-word section gave it a dramatic quality that separated it from many other pop ballads on the chart.
After “It’s Now Or Never,” this record further confirmed that Elvis could dominate the Hot 100 with romantic ballads as successfully as he had once dominated with rock-and-roll.
Its continued hold at #1 made it one of the defining records of the closing weeks of 1960.
2. “Last Date” – Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer stayed at #2 with “Last Date,” one of the most important piano instrumentals of the year.
The record featured Cramer’s signature slip-note piano style, giving the melody a soft, emotional sound without any lyrics.
Its success showed the growing influence of Nashville musicians on the national pop chart.
With “Last Date” just below Elvis, RCA Victor once again controlled both of the top two positions on the Hot 100.
3. “A Thousand Stars” – Kathy Young With The Innocents
Kathy Young With The Innocents climbed to #3 with “A Thousand Stars,” one of the sweetest teenage romance records of late 1960.
The song’s dreamy vocal sound, soft group backing, and sincere romantic feeling made it a natural fit for young listeners.
Its rise into the Top 3 showed that doo-wop-influenced ballads still had strong emotional power at the end of the year.
“A Thousand Stars” brought a tender teenage love-song mood into a Top 5 filled with Elvis, Nashville piano, instrumentals, and country storytelling.
4. “Wonderland By Night” – Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra
Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra climbed to #4 with “Wonderland By Night,” a lush instrumental that gave the chart a smooth, atmospheric sound.
The record’s trumpet-led melody and elegant orchestration stood apart from the vocal-heavy pop records around it.
Its rapid rise showed that instrumental records could still become major pop hits when they had a memorable melody and a distinctive mood.
“Wonderland By Night” also pointed toward the easy-listening side of early 1960s pop, where polished arrangements and romantic atmosphere could compete strongly on the Hot 100.
5. “North To Alaska” – Johnny Horton
Johnny Horton climbed to #5 with “North To Alaska,” one of his major historical and adventure-themed hits.
The song was connected to the film North To Alaska and carried the same larger-than-life frontier feeling that made Horton’s story songs so popular.
Its driving rhythm and vivid imagery helped bring country storytelling into the pop Top 5.
By this week, “North To Alaska” had become one of the strongest country crossover records on the late-1960 chart.
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 17, 1960, this was your birthday song:
🎵 Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Elvis Presley
▶ Watch and experience this song →
🎂 Try your own birthday:
Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 – Week of December 12, 1960
- Are You Lonesome To-night? – Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires
- Last Date – Floyd Cramer
- A Thousand Stars – Kathy Young With The Innocents
- Wonderland By Night – Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra
- North To Alaska – Johnny Horton
- Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea) – Lolita
- He Will Break Your Heart – Jerry Butler
- Many Tears Ago – Connie Francis
- Poetry In Motion – Johnny Tillotson
- Exodus – Ferrante & Teicher
Instrumentals and Story Songs Were Rising Fast
The Billboard Hot 100 for December 12, 1960 showed Elvis still at #1, but the strongest new movement came from instrumentals and story-driven records.
Floyd Cramer held #2 with “Last Date,” Bert Kaempfert jumped to #4 with “Wonderland By Night,” and Ferrante & Teicher entered the Top 10 with “Exodus.” That gave the chart three major instrumental records at once.
At the same time, Johnny Horton’s “North To Alaska” climbed into the Top 5, bringing country storytelling and movie-theme adventure to a broad pop audience. Lolita’s “Sailor” added international flavor, while Jerry Butler’s “He Will Break Your Heart” brought early Chicago soul into the Top 10.
The week of December 12, 1960 remains a strong snapshot of late-year pop: Elvis balladry at #1, Nashville piano at #2, teenage doo-wop romance at #3, orchestral instrumentals rising fast, country adventure climbing, and soul beginning to take a stronger place on the national chart.