Last updated 4/28/2021
Songs 37-68 are located here.
Songs 69-100 are located here.
The extra songs are located here.
The Top Songs of 1969, as charted by Billboard Magazine, will be presented each week during the season.
Song 1
Peaked at #1 on 4/12/69 for six weeks.
As was noted last year, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye should probably be the #1 record of 1969, because four of its seven weeks at #1 were in January 1969.
This single ran 4:45, so most radio stations played a shorter edit, and sometimes even faded that out early. The edit later appeared on the group’s first Greatest Hits album.
This is the radio edit in stereo, which is rare on CD.
#1 – “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)” by The 5th Dimension
Song 2
Peaked at #1 on 7/12/69 for six weeks.
Denny Zager and Rick Evans, from Lincoln, Nebraska, never reached the Hot 100 again.
#2 – “In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)” by Zager and Evans
Song 3
Peaked at #1 on 5/24/69 for five weeks.
The single version runs longer than the later album version. This is the 2009 remaster.
#3 – “Get Back” by The Beatles
Song 4
Peaked at #1 on 9/20/69 for four weeks.
The cartoon group had one other Top 10 record.
Ron Dante (real name Carmine Granito) was the lead singer for both this and Song #87, “Tracy” by The Cuff Links.
For three weeks in October/November 1969, both records were in the Top 10, yet nobody knew who he was.
#4 – “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies
Song 5
Peaked at #1 on 8/23/69 for four weeks.
From October 1967 to April 1971, the Stones only had two Top 40 records.
Transferred from a DSD high-res digital file.
#5 – “Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones
Song 6
Peaked at #1 on 2/15/69 for four weeks.
First of the group’s three #1 records.
Transferred from a 24/192 high-res digital file.
#6 – “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone
Song 7
Peaked at #1 on 3/15/69 for four weeks.
Tommy’s second and last #1 record, seven years after the first.
#7 – “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe
Song 8
Peaked at #1 on 11/8/69 for three weeks.
Highest-charting of the three Laura Nyro songs on the list.
The group’s two #1 records this year were the only ones they had.
#8 – “Wedding Bell Blues” by The 5th Dimension
Song 9
Peaked at #1 on 10/18/69 for two weeks.
Second of the group’s four pop #1 records.
The opening of this record was reused on later Temptations singles.
#9 – “I Can’t Get Next To You” by The Temptations
Song 10
Peaked at #1 on 2/1/69 for two weeks.
Written by James and drummer Peter Lucia, who went to my high school.
Pete sings one line: “What a beautiful feeling.”
Unlike other songs where the album version was shortened for the single, in this case the single was edited to make it longer for the album.
This is the single version in stereo.
#10 – “Crimson And Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells
Song 11
Peaked at #1 on 12/6/69 for two weeks.
Yet another non-existent studio group, performing a song that refuses to go away.
This is the 3:45 single version in stereo. Most stereo versions run over four minutes.
#11 – “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Steam
Song 12
Peaked at #1 on 6/28/69 for two weeks.
Mancini’s only Top 10 record came on a song that he didn’t write. Nino Rota was the composer.
#12 – “Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet” by Henry Mancini
Song 13
Peaked at #1 on 12/20/69.
Written and first recorded by John Denver in 1966.
The last hit for the group and only #1. It first appeared on a 1967 album.
Transferred from a DSD high-res digital file.
#13 – “Leaving On A Jet Plane” by Peter, Paul and Mary
Song 14
Peaked at #1 on 11/29/69.
The other half of what was released as a double-A-side single, along with Song #38.
This is the 2019 remix, transferred from a 24/96 Blu-Ray disc.
#14 – “Come Together” by The Beatles
Song 15
Peaked at #1 on 12/27/69.
The last hit for the original Supremes, with only Diana Ross appearing on the record. It was originally intended to be the first Ross solo single.
The male voice is producer Johnny Bristol, who had co-written and recorded the song in 1961.
#15 – “Someday We’ll Be Together” by Diana Ross and the Supremes
Song 16
Peaked at #1 on 11/1/69.
Elvis had not had a #1 hit since 1962. This was his last one.
Transferred from a 24/96 high-res digital file.
#16 – “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley
Song 17
Peaked at #2 on 7/26/69 for three weeks.
James was invited to play at Woodstock that summer, but turned it down.
There are several different mixes of this song. This is a stereo mix that is close to the mono single version.
#17 – “Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James and the Shondells
Song 18
Peaked at #2 on 3/8/69 for three weeks.
Somehow two groups managed to have three hits that peaked at #2 and no #1 hits.
Transferred from a DSD high-res digital file.
#18 – “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Song 19
Peaked at #2 on 7/5/69 for three weeks.
The group’s three hits spent a total of seven weeks at #2.
This is the stereo mix of the single version.
#19 – “Spinning Wheel” by Blood, Sweat and Tears
Song 20
Peaked at #2 on 8/23/69 for three weeks.
Cash’s only Top 10 pop hit.
Both the original single and album were bleeped. This is the uncensored recording, without the bleep, that also includes a word that was cut from the last line. Different times…
#20 – “A Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash
Song 21
Peaked at #2 on 4/12/69.
Co-writer Brenda Holloway’s recording peaked at #39 in 1967.
This is the stereo mix of the single edit.
#21 – “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” by Blood, Sweat and Tears
Song 22
Peaked at #2 on 5/10/69 for two weeks.
Their second #2 record and their last Top 40 hit. The following year, The Partridge Family took their place.
#22 – “Hair” by The Cowsills
Song 23
Peaked at #2 on 1/11/69 for two weeks.
Previous recordings of ths song were by Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne’s sister) in 1966 (peaked at #88) and Madeline Bell in 1968 (peaked at #26).
Unlike other Supremes records of the period, all three Supremes do sing on this record.
#23 – “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” by Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations
Song 24
Peaked at #2 on 10/18/69 for two weeks.
Originally, this only existed as a mono single. Stereo mixes were done several years later.
This is a 1991 stereo mix with an extended fade.
#24 – “Hot Fun In The Summertime” by Sly and the Family Stone
Song 25
Peaked at #2 on 10/4/69 for two weeks.
Theme from the film “The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.” Written by Rod McKuen.
Oliver eventually left the music business and became a pharmaceutical executive with Merck & Co.
#25 – “Jean” by Oliver
Song 26
Peaked at #2 on 5/31/69 for two weeks.
The Florida group’s only other Hot 100 record peaked at #79.
#26 – “Love (Can Make You Happy)” by Mercy
Song 27
Peaked at #2 on 9/27/69.
Last of their three #2 hits for the year.
Transferred from a DSD high-res digital file.
#27 – “Green River” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Song 28
Peaked at #2 on 11/22/69.
Greaves was a nephew of Sam Cooke. This was his only Top 20 hit.
#28 – “Take A Letter Maria” by R.B. Greaves
Song 29
Peaked at #2 on 5/3/69.
First and biggest of their three Top 10 hits.
#29 – “It’s Your Thing” by The Isley Brothers
Song 30
Peaked at #2 on 11/29/69.
Last of their three #2 hits for the year.
Songwriter Laura Nyro was dating group bassist Jim Fielder at the time.
This is the stereo version, edited to match the mono single.
#30 – “And When I Die” by Blood, Sweat and Tears
Song 31
Peaked at #2 on 6/28/69.
Second of their three #2 hits for the year.
Transferred from a DSD high-res digital file.
#31 – “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Song 32
Peaked at #2 on 3/29/69.
Their highest-charting record, and the third of their four Top 20 hits.
#32 – “Traces” by Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Song 33
Peaked at #3 on 2/22/69 for three weeks.
Their only Top 10 record, and their last Top 40 hit.
#33 – “Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations
Song 34
Peaked at #3 on 10/4/69 for two weeks.
First and biggest of Bobby’s four Top 10 hits.
#34 – “Little Woman” by Bobby Sherman
Song 35
Peaked at #3 on 2/1/69 for two weeks.
Another Jimmy Webb song originally recorded by The 5th Dimension.
Lead singer Johnny Maestro had five Top 30 hits with The Crests from 1958 to 1960.
#35 – “Worst That Could Happen” by Brooklyn Bridge
Song 36
Peaked at #3 on 3/29/69 for two weeks.
Last of their three Top 10 hits. The band broke up more than a year before this record became a hit.
#36 – “Time Of The Season” by The Zombies
671 records appeared on the Hot 100 chart in 1969.
For many 1969 records, the single version is different from the stereo album version. Sometimes it’s edited, sometimes the mix is different, sometimes both. Differences are described where appropriate.
Unless otherwise indicated, all tracks are stereo 320 kbps mp3 files, converted from CD sources (16 bits/44.1 KHz).
Some tracks were converted to mp3 from high-resolution digital files (24 bits/88.2, 96, 176.4, or 192 KHz FLAC files; or Direct Stream Digital (DSD) files at 2.8 MHz), and those are marked as “high-res”.
Others are lower-resolution mp3 files that were downloaded from Amazon Music, Google Play, or iTunes.
The source reference for this list is “Joel Whitburn’s Pop Annual 1955-1999.” Joel originated the tracking of Billboard chart data in 1970, so he’s known as the expert in the field.
The structure of the annual charts is simple: records are rated on the highest position reached on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the number of weeks spent at that position. Ties are broken by the number of weeks spent in the Top 10, Top 40, and Top 100.
If a record charted in more than one year, all of its chart history is treated as if it occurred in the year that the record first hit its peak position, so it will not appear at all in the other year’s listing.