Billboard Hot 100 | Top 5 – Week of September 30, 1967
The Billboard Hot 100 for September 30, 1967 shows just how wide popular music had become by the fall of 1967. At #1, “The Letter” by The Box Tops held firm for another week, proving that a short, urgent, soul-flavored pop record could still dominate during a year often remembered for psychedelia, album rock, and the Summer of Love. Its staying power came from its simplicity: a desperate vocal, a memorable hook, and a mood that sounded both young and world-weary.
Right behind it, Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode To Billie Joe” remained a major presence after its own #1 run, bringing mystery and Southern storytelling into the heart of mainstream radio. The Association moved up with “Never My Love,” one of the smoothest harmony records of the period, while Bobby Vee and Diana Ross & The Supremes kept familiar hitmakers in the Top 5.
This chart also hints at what was happening just below the surface. Soul was strong, with Jackie Wilson and Wilson Pickett both in the Top 10. Folk-pop remained visible through Peter, Paul & Mary. Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” reached the Top 10 this week, giving the chart one of its most enduring oldies. It was a week where polished pop, soul, Motown, folk, and rock all shared space.
Top 5 Songs (September 30, 1967)
1. The Letter – The Box Tops
“The Letter” stayed at #1 this week, holding the top position after reaching its peak on September 23. Its strength came from how quickly it made an impression. In a time when many records were becoming longer and more experimental, The Box Tops delivered a hit that was tight, direct, and impossible to miss.
Alex Chilton’s vocal gave the song its edge. He sounded far older than his years, which made the record feel raw and urgent. Listeners connected with the emotion immediately: someone needed to get home, and every second mattered.
2. Ode To Billie Joe – Bobbie Gentry
“Ode To Billie Joe” held at #2, still showing major strength after spending time at #1 earlier in the year. Bobbie Gentry’s record was unusual for pop radio because it worked more like a short story than a typical hit single.
The mystery surrounding Billie Joe and the Tallahatchie Bridge kept listeners engaged. Gentry never gave away too much, and that restraint helped the song linger in the public imagination long after its chart peak.
3. Never My Love – The Association
“Never My Love” climbed from #5 to #3 this week, continuing its strong upward momentum. The Association were masters of polished harmony pop, and this song gave them one of their most graceful and lasting records.
Its appeal came from warmth and restraint. While 1967 often leaned toward bolder sounds, “Never My Love” connected because it was gentle, romantic, and beautifully performed.
4. Come Back When You Grow Up – Bobby Vee And The Strangers
“Come Back When You Grow Up” slipped from #3 to #4, but it remained a strong Top 5 hit in its eleventh week on the chart. Bobby Vee had been a familiar voice since the early 1960s, and this song showed he could still reach listeners in a changing pop landscape.
The record’s message of romance, maturity, and timing gave it a relatable quality. It was less experimental than many 1967 hits, but its clean melody and emotional clarity helped it stand out.
5. Reflections – Diana Ross & The Supremes
“Reflections” moved from #4 to #5 this week, still holding a strong position after peaking at #2 earlier in September. The record marked a more modern and dramatic direction for Diana Ross & The Supremes.
Motown’s polish was still there, but “Reflections” had a deeper, more atmospheric feel than many earlier Supremes singles. It sounded like a group evolving with the times while still keeping the elegance that made them stars.
More Weeks at #1 for “The Letter”
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 September 30, 1967, this was your birthday song:
🎵 The Letter by The Box Tops
▶ Watch and experience this song →
🎂 Born in the 60s? Try your own birthday:
Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 This Week
- The Letter – The Box Tops
- Ode To Billie Joe – Bobbie Gentry
- Never My Love – The Association
- Come Back When You Grow Up – Bobby Vee And The Strangers
- Reflections – Diana Ross & The Supremes
- Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie – Jay And The Techniques
- (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher – Jackie Wilson
- Funky Broadway – Wilson Pickett
- I Dig Rock And Roll Music – Peter, Paul & Mary
- Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Chart Movers This Week
Looking Back at September 1967
This chart mattered because it captured the variety of late-1967 radio. “The Letter” was at #1, but the surrounding hits came from very different corners of popular music: Southern storytelling, harmony pop, Motown, soul, folk-rock, and blue-eyed pop.
It was also a reminder that the single was still powerful. Even as albums became more important in rock culture, the Hot 100 remained a place where a great three-minute record could define a week, a season, or even a whole era.
Looking back, September 30, 1967 feels like a bridge between the bright pop world of the early sixties and the more complex sounds that would close the decade. The chart was changing, but melody, emotion, and personality still carried the day.
