🏆 Billboard Chart Week of June 29, 1968
🎵 #1 Song: “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert
⏱ Week at #1: Week 2 of 4
⚡ What Happened This Week
The Billboard Hot 100 chart for June 29, 1968 kept Herb Alpert at #1 for a second week with the smooth ballad “This Guy’s In Love With You.”
But while Herb Alpert controlled the top spot, a major instrumental hit was rapidly charging upward. “The Horse” by Cliff Nobles & Co. exploded into the #2 position and became one of the biggest surprise hits of the summer.
The chart this week perfectly captured the wide-open musical landscape of 1968, where orchestral pop, soul instrumentals, bubblegum music, and dramatic storytelling songs all competed together.
🎂 What Was the #1 Song on Your Birthday?
If you were born during the week ending June 29, 1968, this was your birthday song:
🎵 This Guy’s in Love with You by Herb Alpert
▶ Watch and experience this song →
🎂 Try your own birthday:
📊 Billboard Hot 100 – Top 5 Songs (June 29, 1968)
“This Guy’s In Love With You” – Herb Alpert
“The Horse” – Cliff Nobles & Co.
“MacArthur Park” – Richard Harris
“Yummy Yummy Yummy” – Ohio Express
“The Look Of Love” – Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66
⬅️ Previous Week | Next Week ➡️
🎺 Herb Alpert Holds Onto #1
“This Guy’s In Love With You” remained America’s top song for a second week.
The romantic ballad showcased a softer and more emotional side of Herb Alpert, who had previously been known mostly for instrumental hits with The Tijuana Brass.
Its calm, polished sound made it especially popular with adult listeners during the summer of 1968.
🐎 “The Horse” Charges Into The Top 2
One of the biggest stories of the week was the sudden rise of “The Horse” by Cliff Nobles & Co.
The energetic instrumental track jumped from #15 all the way to #2 in a single week.
Built around:
- a driving horn section,
- powerful rhythm,
- and upbeat soul energy,
the song quickly became one of the defining instrumentals of the late 1960s.
🌧 “MacArthur Park” Remains A Major Hit
Richard Harris slipped to #3 with “MacArthur Park,” but the ambitious Jimmy Webb composition remained one of the most discussed songs in America.
Its dramatic orchestration and mysterious lyrics helped separate it from the shorter, simpler pop songs that had dominated earlier in the decade.
The song continued gaining attention for its unusual style and emotional intensity.
🍬 Bubblegum Pop Keeps Rolling
Ohio Express stayed at #4 with “Yummy Yummy Yummy.”
The catchy bubblegum hit remained especially popular with younger audiences thanks to its playful lyrics and unforgettable chorus.
Bubblegum pop continued becoming an important commercial trend during 1968.
🇧🇷 Sergio Mendes Keeps The Sophisticated Sound Alive
“The Look Of Love” by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 held at #5.
The song blended:
- smooth jazz-pop,
- Brazilian bossa nova influences,
- and elegant orchestration.
Its sophisticated sound offered a completely different listening experience from the louder rock and soul records climbing the charts.
🎶 Summer 1968 Was Musically Diverse
The June 29, 1968 chart showed just how broad popular music had become by the late 1960s.
This week’s Top 5 included:
- romantic adult pop,
- instrumental soul,
- orchestral storytelling,
- bubblegum pop,
- and Brazilian-inspired jazz-pop.
Few periods in Billboard history featured so many different styles succeeding at the same time.
🔥 Final Thoughts
The Billboard chart week of June 29, 1968 saw Herb Alpert continue his run at #1 with “This Guy’s In Love With You.”
At the same time, “The Horse” emerged as one of the hottest songs in America, while “MacArthur Park” and “The Look Of Love” showed how adventurous and sophisticated pop music had become during the summer of 1968.