Billboard Hot 100 | Top 5 – Week of December 21, 1968
As Christmas week approached in 1968, the Billboard Hot 100 remained deep in a Motown moment. Marvin Gaye held the number one position with I Heard It Through The Grapevine, one of the most dramatic and emotionally charged records of the year. Its dark groove, tense arrangement, and unforgettable vocal performance gave the chart a very different feeling from the bright pop sounds that had dominated earlier in the decade.
Motown’s strength was impossible to miss. Diana Ross & The Supremes remained at number two with Love Child, while Stevie Wonder held steady at number three with For Once In My Life. Three of the top three records were connected to the Motown family, but each sounded distinct. Gaye brought suspicion and heartbreak, The Supremes brought social drama, and Wonder brought joy and confidence.
The rest of the Top 5 added even more emotional depth. Dion stayed at number four with Abraham, Martin And John, a reflective song that captured the grief and memory of a difficult decade. Glen Campbell climbed into the Top 5 with Wichita Lineman, bringing country-pop elegance and quiet loneliness into the heart of the Hot 100.
This chart captured late 1968 beautifully. Soul music was dominant, but folk reflection, country-pop storytelling, soft pop, and rock all remained in the conversation. It was a fitting snapshot of a year that had been musically rich, emotionally heavy, and constantly changing.
Top 5 Songs (December 21, 1968)
1. I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Marvin Gaye
I Heard It Through The Grapevine remained at number one, continuing Marvin Gaye’s powerful late-year run. The song’s tense atmosphere and controlled emotional force helped make it one of Motown’s most unforgettable recordings.
Gaye’s vocal performance carried hurt, suspicion, and restraint all at once. Rather than oversinging, he allowed the pressure inside the song to build slowly. That gave the record a darker and more mature feel than many earlier Motown hits.
By late December, Grapevine had become one of the defining records of 1968 and one of the strongest performances of Marvin Gaye’s career.
2. Love Child – Diana Ross & The Supremes
Love Child held at number two after its own run at the top. Diana Ross & The Supremes had delivered one of their most serious and socially aware records, showing how the group’s sound had evolved with the times.
The song’s subject matter gave it emotional weight, while the Motown production kept it sharp and accessible. Ross brought urgency to the performance, helping the song feel both personal and timely.
Its continued strength near the top confirmed its place as one of the major Supremes records of the late 1960s.
3. For Once In My Life – Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder remained at number three with For Once In My Life, bringing a burst of optimism to a Top 5 filled with emotional intensity. His version turned the song into an energetic celebration of confidence and possibility.
Wonder’s performance was full of movement, personality, and joy. His harmonica added a distinctive signature, while his vocal delivery made the song feel fresh and alive.
Its steady success showed that Stevie Wonder was becoming an increasingly important force within Motown and across popular music as a whole.
4. Abraham, Martin And John – Dion
Abraham, Martin And John held at number four, continuing its emotional run near the top of the chart. Dion’s reflective ballad spoke directly to the national grief and memory that shaped much of 1968.
The song’s gentle arrangement gave listeners room to think about the losses of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy. Its quiet tone made it powerful without becoming overly dramatic.
Its continued popularity showed how strongly audiences connected with music that helped them process the decade’s pain and uncertainty.
5. Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell climbed into the Top 5 with Wichita Lineman, one of the most beautifully written and recorded country-pop songs of the era. Its lonely mood and spacious arrangement gave it a distinctive place on the chart.
Campbell’s vocal performance was understated and sincere, capturing the quiet longing at the center of the song. The record connected with pop, country, and adult listeners because it felt simple, human, and deeply memorable.
Its rise into the Top 5 showed how strongly country-pop storytelling could resonate with mainstream audiences at the close of 1968.
More Weeks at #1 for “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
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 21, 1968, this was your birthday song:
🎵 I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye
▶ Watch and experience this song →
🎂 Born in the 60s? Try your own birthday:
Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 This Week
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Marvin Gaye
- Love Child – Diana Ross & The Supremes
- For Once In My Life – Stevie Wonder
- Abraham, Martin And John – Dion
- Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell
- Stormy – Classics IV Featuring Dennis Yost
- Who’s Making Love – Johnnie Taylor
- Both Sides Now – Judy Collins
- I Love How You Love Me – Bobby Vinton
- Magic Carpet Ride – Steppenwolf
Chart Movers This Week
Looking Back at December 1968
The December 21, 1968 chart mattered because it showed Motown at full strength. Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & The Supremes, and Stevie Wonder held the top three positions, each with a very different kind of record.
Beyond Motown, the chart reflected the emotional range of the year’s final weeks. Dion offered reflection, Glen Campbell brought quiet loneliness, Judy Collins entered the Top 10 with folk sophistication, and Steppenwolf kept rock’s psychedelic edge alive.
Looking back, this week feels like one of the strongest closing statements of 1968: soulful, reflective, polished, and deeply human.
