Billboard Hot 100 | Top 5 – Week of September 26, 1960
The Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending September 26, 1960 gave Connie Francis another major milestone as “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” climbed to #1. After already making history earlier in the year with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” Francis proved that her chart dominance in 1960 was no accident.
Chubby Checker slipped to #2 with “The Twist,” but the record remained one of the most important songs in America. Even after leaving the top spot, its cultural impact was only beginning to grow as the dance craze spread through television, teen parties, and dance floors across the country.
Sam Cooke climbed to #3 with “Chain Gang,” one of the most powerful soul-pop crossover records of the year. Larry Verne held at #4 with the novelty hit “Mr. Custer,” while Jimmy Charles and The Revelletts reached #5 with the emotional doo-wop ballad “A Million To One.”
The week of September 26, 1960 showed a remarkably varied Top 5: polished female pop, dance-craze rock-and-roll, soul crossover, comedy novelty, and doo-wop heartbreak all competing at the highest level.
Top 5 Songs (September 26, 1960)
1. “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” – Connie Francis
Connie Francis reached #1 with “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own,” giving her another major chart-topping record in 1960.
The song continued the emotional pop style that had worked so well for Francis earlier in the year. Its lyric captured the struggle between reason and feeling, with the heart refusing to follow what the mind knows is best.
Francis delivered the song with clarity and emotional control, making the heartbreak feel personal without becoming overly dramatic.
Its rise to #1 confirmed Connie Francis as one of the most successful and consistent female pop stars of the early 1960s.
2. “The Twist” – Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker slipped to #2 with “The Twist,” but the record’s influence was still expanding rapidly.
The song had already reached #1 the previous week, but its importance went far beyond chart position. “The Twist” was becoming a national dance craze, helped by its simple movement, strong rhythm, and television-friendly appeal.
Written by Hank Ballard, the song became famous through Checker’s version, which made the dance easy for mainstream audiences to embrace.
Even at #2, “The Twist” remained one of the most culturally important records of 1960.
3. “Chain Gang” – Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke climbed to #3 with “Chain Gang,” one of the strongest soul-pop crossover records of the year.
The song’s work-song rhythm, memorable vocal chant, and Cooke’s smooth but emotional delivery gave it a sound unlike anything else in the Top 5.
Cooke brought rhythm-and-blues feeling into a polished pop structure, helping make the record accessible to a wide audience while still keeping its emotional force.
“Chain Gang” showed why Sam Cooke was becoming one of the most important voices in American popular music.
4. “Mr. Custer” – Larry Verne
Larry Verne held the #4 position with “Mr. Custer,” one of the biggest novelty records of the fall of 1960.
The song used spoken comedy, character voices, and a historical setting built around General Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Its success continued a strong year for novelty records, following earlier 1960 hits like “Alley-Oop” and “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini.”
“Mr. Custer” stood out because it played like a miniature comedy sketch set to music, giving listeners something funny and instantly memorable.
5. “A Million To One” – Jimmy Charles and The Revelletts
Jimmy Charles and The Revelletts climbed to #5 with “A Million To One,” a dramatic doo-wop ballad filled with teenage heartbreak.
The record’s emotional vocal, group backing, and pleading lyric connected with listeners who loved sincere, romantic pop ballads.
Its rise into the Top 5 showed that doo-wop and vocal-group ballad traditions still had a strong place on the Hot 100 in 1960.
“A Million To One” added another layer of emotional depth to a chart already packed with major pop, soul, novelty, and dance records.
More Weeks at #1 for “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own”
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 1, 1960, this was your birthday song:
🎵 My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own by Connie Francis
▶ Watch and experience this song →
🎂 Try your own birthday:
Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 – Week of September 26, 1960
- My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own – Connie Francis
- The Twist – Chubby Checker
- Chain Gang – Sam Cooke
- Mr. Custer – Larry Verne
- A Million To One – Jimmy Charles and The Revelletts
- It’s Now Or Never – Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires
- Walk — Don’t Run – The Ventures
- Kiddio – Brook Benton
- So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) – The Everly Brothers
- Save The Last Dance For Me – The Drifters
Connie Francis Returned to #1 as Soul and Doo-Wop Rose Fast
The Billboard Hot 100 for September 26, 1960 showed Connie Francis returning to #1 with another polished heartbreak record, but the rest of the Top 10 showed how quickly American pop was changing.
Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” remained a major force at #2, while Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang” climbed to #3 and brought soul crossover even closer to the top of the chart.
Jimmy Charles and The Revelletts reached the Top 5 with “A Million To One,” The Everly Brothers returned to the Top 10 with “So Sad,” and The Drifters entered the Top 10 with “Save The Last Dance For Me,” a record that would soon become one of the most important vocal-group hits of the year.
The week of September 26, 1960 remains a strong snapshot of a chart in transition — Connie Francis at #1, dance music still powerful, soul rising fast, doo-wop ballads still connecting, and The Drifters preparing for a major chart takeover.
“`