Billboard Hot 100 | Top 5 – Week of November 23, 1968
By November 23, 1968, Hey Jude was still the song America could not stop singing. The Beatles held the number one position for another week, extending one of the most dominant chart runs of the decade. Its long, emotional build and unforgettable closing refrain had turned it into more than a hit single. It had become a shared musical moment, the kind of record that seemed to belong to everyone who heard it.
Behind The Beatles, the chart was shifting quickly. Diana Ross & The Supremes climbed to number two with Love Child, bringing Motown back into serious contention for the top spot. Mary Hopkin remained strong with Those Were The Days, giving Apple Records two of the top three songs in America. Steppenwolf held steady with Magic Carpet Ride, while Dion moved into the Top 5 with the reflective Abraham, Martin And John.
This week’s Top 10 captured the emotional range of late 1968. There was Beatles optimism, Motown social drama, nostalgic folk-pop, psychedelic rock, solemn remembrance, blues-rock, Stax soul, adult-pop warmth, and Glen Campbell’s country-pop elegance. Few chart weeks showed the range of American radio quite this clearly.
As the year moved toward its final month, the Hot 100 was no longer defined by one sound. It was a meeting place for many moods, and November 23 showed just how broad popular music had become.
Top 5 Songs (November 23, 1968)
1. Hey Jude – The Beatles
Hey Jude remained at number one, continuing its remarkable hold on the Billboard Hot 100. The Beatles had created a record that felt intimate at first, then grew into one of the biggest communal singalongs in popular music history.
The song’s length and structure made its success even more impressive. Most singles were built for quick radio play, but Hey Jude took its time, building emotion until the closing chorus became impossible to resist.
By late November, the song had already secured its place among the defining records of 1968 and one of the most important singles of The Beatles’ career.
2. Love Child – Diana Ross & The Supremes
Love Child climbed to number two, giving Diana Ross & The Supremes one of their strongest chart moments of the year. The song carried a more serious theme than many earlier Supremes hits, helping it feel timely and powerful.
Motown’s production kept the record polished and radio-friendly, but the subject matter gave it extra weight. Diana Ross delivered the lyric with urgency, making the song feel both personal and socially aware.
Its move into the runner-up position made it the strongest challenger to Hey Jude and signaled that Motown was ready to reclaim the top spot.
3. Those Were The Days – Mary Hopkin
Those Were The Days slipped to number three but remained one of the most distinctive records on the chart. Mary Hopkin’s clear voice and the song’s nostalgic melody gave it a timeless quality that stood apart from the harder rock and soul records around it.
The song’s success also continued Apple Records’ strong presence near the top of the Hot 100. With The Beatles at number one and Hopkin still in the Top 3, the label was enjoying an extraordinary fall season.
Its staying power showed that listeners still responded to melody, mood, and memory, even during one of pop music’s most experimental years.
4. Magic Carpet Ride – Steppenwolf
Magic Carpet Ride held at number four, continuing Steppenwolf’s strong late-1968 run. After the success of Born To Be Wild, the band proved it could return quickly with another major rock hit.
The song’s swirling sound, driving rhythm, and psychedelic energy gave it a different feel from the smoother pop records nearby. It captured the harder, more adventurous side of late-decade radio.
Its continued Top 5 position showed how firmly rock had moved into the mainstream by the end of 1968.
5. Abraham, Martin And John – Dion
Dion climbed into the Top 5 with Abraham, Martin And John, one of the most reflective and emotional songs of the year. The record looked back on the losses of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy, giving it deep resonance in 1968.
Its gentle arrangement and solemn tone gave listeners space to reflect during a year filled with grief and uncertainty. Dion’s restrained performance made the song feel sincere rather than sentimental.
Its rise into the Top 5 showed how strongly the record connected with a country still processing recent history.
More Weeks at #1 for “Hey Jude”
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 November 23, 1968, this was your birthday song:
🎵 Hey Jude by The Beatles
▶ Watch and experience this song →
🎂 Born in the 60s? Try your own birthday:
Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 This Week
- Hey Jude – The Beatles
- Love Child – Diana Ross & The Supremes
- Those Were The Days – Mary Hopkin
- Magic Carpet Ride – Steppenwolf
- Abraham, Martin And John – Dion
- White Room – Cream
- Hold Me Tight – Johnny Nash
- Who’s Making Love – Johnnie Taylor
- Little Green Apples – O.C. Smith
- Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell
Chart Movers This Week
Looking Back at November 1968
The November 23, 1968 chart mattered because it showed the emotional range of late-1960s popular music. Hey Jude remained a unifying anthem, while Love Child brought social realism, and Abraham, Martin And John offered national reflection.
The chart also showed how strong Apple Records had become, with The Beatles and Mary Hopkin still near the top. At the same time, Motown, Stax, hard rock, and country-pop were all moving through the Top 10.
Looking back, this week stands as a powerful snapshot of 1968 near its close: hopeful, reflective, restless, and musically wide open.
