🏆 Billboard Chart Week of February 17, 1968
🎵 #1 Song: “Love Is Blue (L’amour Est Bleu)” by Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra
⏱ Week at #1: Week 2 of 5
⚡ What Happened This Week
The Billboard Hot 100 chart for February 17, 1968 showed that softer orchestral music could still dominate American radio — even during one of rock music’s most experimental eras.
“Love Is Blue (L’amour Est Bleu)” remained at #1 for a second week as psychedelic rock, soul music, and emotional pop ballads continued battling for chart position beneath it.
The chart reflected the incredible musical diversity of early 1968.
🎂 What Was the #1 Song on Your Birthday?
If you were born during the week ending February 17, 1968, this was your birthday song:
🎵 Love Is Blue by Paul Mauriat
▶ Watch and experience this song →
🎂 Try your own birthday:
📊 Billboard Hot 100 – Top 5 Songs (February 17, 1968)
“Love Is Blue (L’amour Est Bleu)” – Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra
“Green Tambourine” – The Lemon Pipers
“Spooky” – Classics IV
“I Wish It Would Rain” – The Temptations
“(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls” – Dionne Warwick
⬅️ Previous Week | Next Week ➡️
🎻 “Love Is Blue” Continues Its Surprising Run
Paul Mauriat’s orchestral instrumental held onto the #1 position for a second week.
The song’s calm melody and sweeping arrangement gave listeners something completely different from the louder psychedelic sounds dominating much of late-1960s radio.
Its success proved that instrumental music could still become a massive crossover hit during the rock era.
🥁 Psychedelic Pop Remains Strong
“Green Tambourine” stayed at #2.
The Lemon Pipers continued riding the psychedelic music wave that had exploded across America during 1967.
The song’s dreamy production and unusual sound effects helped make it one of the defining psychedelic pop records of the period.
👻 “Spooky” Keeps Climbing
Classics IV held steady at #3 with “Spooky.”
The song blended:
- smooth jazz influences,
- soft rock melodies,
- and haunting vocals.
Its laid-back style helped separate it from many of the heavier rock songs beginning to appear on the charts.
🌧 The Temptations Deliver One Of Motown’s Saddest Hits
“I Wish It Would Rain” climbed to #4 for The Temptations.
Unlike many upbeat Motown hits, this song carried a much darker emotional tone.
The group’s heartbreaking performance and dramatic production helped turn the song into one of the most emotional soul recordings of the decade.
It showed how Motown artists were beginning to explore deeper emotional themes in their music.
🎬 Dionne Warwick Brings Hollywood To The Charts
“(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls” jumped into the Top 5 at #5.
Dionne Warwick’s elegant vocals helped transform the movie theme into a major pop hit.
The song’s orchestral style matched the sophisticated sound that Burt Bacharach and Hal David had perfected throughout the 1960s.
🎶 The Charts Continue Evolving
The February 17, 1968 chart demonstrated how many musical styles could coexist at the same time.
The Top 5 featured:
- orchestral instrumentals,
- psychedelic pop,
- jazz-influenced soft rock,
- Motown soul,
- and cinematic pop ballads.
Popular music was becoming increasingly creative and unpredictable as 1968 continued unfolding.
🔥 Final Thoughts
The Billboard chart week of February 17, 1968 captured a fascinating moment in music history.
While “Love Is Blue” surprisingly remained America’s biggest song, soul music, psychedelia, and sophisticated pop orchestration were all competing for listeners across the country.