🏆 Billboard Chart Week of July 20, 1968
🎵 #1 Song: “Grazing In The Grass” by Hugh Masekela
⏱ Week at #1: Week 1 of 2
⚡ What Happened This Week
The Billboard Hot 100 chart for July 20, 1968 saw Hugh Masekela’s upbeat instrumental “Grazing In The Grass” rise to the #1 position.
The summer of 1968 was now fully underway, and the charts reflected an incredible blend of musical styles. Instrumental hits, blues-rock, orchestral pop ballads, and soulful vocal performances all competed for attention at the same time.
This week’s chart showed how international influences and experimental sounds were becoming an increasingly important part of American pop music.
🎂 What Was the #1 Song on Your Birthday?
If you were born during the week ending July 20, 1968, this was your birthday song:
🎵 Grazing in the Grass by Hugh Masekela
▶ Watch and experience this song →
🎂 Try your own birthday:
📊 Billboard Hot 100 – Top 5 Songs (July 20, 1968)
“Grazing In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
“Lady Willpower” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – The Rolling Stones
“This Guy’s In Love With You” – Herb Alpert
“The Horse” – Cliff Nobles & Co.
⬅️ Previous Week | Next Week ➡️
🌿 Hugh Masekela Reaches #1
“Grazing In The Grass” climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first week.
South African musician Hugh Masekela brought a fresh international sound to American radio with the joyful instrumental hit.
Built around:
- energetic brass,
- catchy melodies,
- and upbeat rhythms,
the song became one of the most memorable summer records of 1968.
🎤 Gary Puckett Keeps Rising
“Lady Willpower” climbed to #2 for Gary Puckett And The Union Gap.
The emotional ballad continued the group’s successful run of dramatic pop hits and connected strongly with listeners who still favored polished traditional pop arrangements during the rapidly changing musical climate of the late 1960s.
🎸 The Rolling Stones Hold Strong
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” remained at #3.
The Rolling Stones’ powerful blues-rock anthem became one of the defining rock songs of the era thanks to its aggressive energy and unforgettable guitar riff.
The song helped push rock music toward a heavier and rawer sound.
🎺 Herb Alpert Begins Sliding Down
After four weeks at #1, Herb Alpert’s “This Guy’s In Love With You” dropped to #4.
Even though it had left the top spot, the smooth romantic ballad remained one of the biggest crossover hits of the year and continued receiving heavy radio airplay.
🐎 “The Horse” Remains A Major Instrumental Hit
Cliff Nobles & Co. rounded out the Top 5 with “The Horse.”
The energetic soul instrumental remained one of the summer’s most popular dance records and continued standing out during an era increasingly dominated by vocal performances.
Its powerful groove made it instantly recognizable.
🎶 Instrumentals Were Still Thriving In 1968
One of the biggest stories of the July 20, 1968 chart was the continued success of instrumental music.
Both “Grazing In The Grass” and “The Horse” proved that energetic instrumental tracks could still become major mainstream hits even as rock bands and singer-songwriters were beginning to dominate popular music.
🔥 Final Thoughts
The Billboard chart week of July 20, 1968 marked Hugh Masekela’s rise to #1 with the joyful instrumental “Grazing In The Grass.”
Meanwhile, rock songs like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and polished ballads like “Lady Willpower” showed just how diverse and unpredictable the sound of 1968 had become.