Billboard Hot 100 | Top 5 – Week of October 17, 1960
The Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending October 17, 1960 gave The Drifters one of the biggest moments of their career as “Save The Last Dance For Me” climbed to #1. After moving from #10 to #6 the previous week, the Atlantic Records vocal group completed its rise to the top with one of the most elegant and emotionally layered pop-soul records of the year.
Connie Francis moved to #2 with “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own,” keeping her remarkable 1960 chart run alive. Sam Cooke remained powerful at #3 with “Chain Gang,” while Brenda Lee surged from #9 to #4 with “I Want To Be Wanted,” giving the chart another major female vocal ballad near the top.
Chubby Checker rounded out the Top 5 with “The Twist,” which was still a cultural force even after its #1 run. Bobby Vee entered the upper chart with “Devil Or Angel,” while Larry Verne’s former #1 novelty hit “Mr. Custer” dropped to #7 after its brief but memorable stay at the top.
The week of October 17, 1960 showed a chart where vocal-group elegance, female pop ballads, soul crossover, teen heartbreak, dance music, novelty comedy, doo-wop, and Elvis Presley all shared the Top 10.
Top 5 Songs (October 17, 1960)
1. “Save The Last Dance For Me” – The Drifters
The Drifters reached #1 with “Save The Last Dance For Me,” one of the most graceful and enduring vocal-group records of 1960.
Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, the song paired a dance-floor setting with a deeper emotional message. The narrator allows his partner to dance with others but asks her to remember who will take her home.
That combination of romance, restraint, and quiet vulnerability gave the record more emotional weight than a simple dance song.
With Ben E. King’s lead vocal and Atlantic’s polished production, “Save The Last Dance For Me” became one of The Drifters’ signature hits and one of the finest examples of early pop-soul sophistication.
2. “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” – Connie Francis
Connie Francis climbed back to #2 with “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own,” continuing one of the strongest pop runs of her career.
The song had already reached #1, and its continued strength showed how deeply listeners connected with Francis’ blend of heartbreak, polish, and emotional clarity.
The title captured the central idea perfectly: even when reason says to move on, the heart refuses to cooperate.
Francis’ performance helped keep the record near the top and confirmed her place as one of the dominant female voices of 1960.
3. “Chain Gang” – Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke held the #3 position with “Chain Gang,” one of the most distinctive soul-pop crossover records of the year.
The song’s work-song rhythm and repeated vocal chant gave it a powerful identity from the opening moments.
Cooke’s smooth vocal delivery softened the roughness of the subject without removing the song’s emotional force.
“Chain Gang” helped bring soul music even closer to the center of mainstream pop radio and remained one of Cooke’s most important early 1960s hits.
4. “I Want To Be Wanted” – Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee jumped to #4 with “I Want To Be Wanted,” continuing her remarkable 1960 success.
After the huge impact of “I’m Sorry,” this record kept Lee in the emotional ballad lane that had made her one of the year’s biggest young stars.
The song’s longing lyric and dramatic vocal style gave Lee another chance to show the mature emotional control that made her stand out from many teen performers.
Its sharp rise showed that Brenda Lee’s audience was still growing and that she was moving toward another major chart peak.
5. “The Twist” – Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker remained in the Top 5 with “The Twist,” still one of the most important cultural records of 1960.
The song had already reached #1, but its impact extended far beyond the chart. Teenagers across America were learning the dance, and television helped turn it into a national phenomenon.
Written by Hank Ballard, “The Twist” became famous through Checker’s version because it was clean, energetic, and easy for mainstream audiences to follow.
Even as it moved down the Hot 100, the dance craze itself was still gaining strength.
More Weeks at #1 for “Save the Last Dance for Me”
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 October 22, 1960, this was your birthday song:
🎵 Save the Last Dance for Me by The Drifters
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Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 – Week of October 17, 1960
- Save The Last Dance For Me – The Drifters
- My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own – Connie Francis
- Chain Gang – Sam Cooke
- I Want To Be Wanted – Brenda Lee
- The Twist – Chubby Checker
- Devil Or Angel – Bobby Vee
- Mr. Custer – Larry Verne
- A Million To One – Jimmy Charles and The Revelletts
- So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) – The Everly Brothers
- It’s Now Or Never – Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires
The Drifters Brought Soulful Elegance to #1
The Billboard Hot 100 for October 17, 1960 marked a major victory for vocal-group rhythm-and-blues as The Drifters reached #1 with “Save The Last Dance For Me.”
The song stood apart because it was both danceable and emotionally rich. It had the smooth movement needed for pop radio, but the lyric carried a deeper feeling of loyalty, longing, and quiet insecurity.
The rest of the Top 10 showed how strong emotional records were during this period. Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Jimmy Charles, The Everly Brothers, and Elvis Presley all had songs centered on love, heartbreak, or longing.
At the same time, Sam Cooke kept soul moving upward, Chubby Checker kept the dance craze alive, Bobby Vee represented the new teen idol sound, and Larry Verne’s “Mr. Custer” showed that novelty comedy still had staying power.
The week of October 17, 1960 remains one of the strongest examples of how broad the early 1960s Hot 100 had become — polished soul, female pop ballads, dance records, novelty hits, teen idols, doo-wop heartbreak, and Elvis all sharing one national chart.