List of Billboard Top LP's number-one albums of 1962

The American Billboard magazine, publishes a weekly chart that ranks the highest-selling albums in the country. In 1962, the album chart was known as "Top LP's" and was divided between the mono format, with 150 chart positions and stereo with 50. In 1962, six mono and stereo albums topped the chart.

Leonard Bernstein (pictured in 1977; left) and Stephen Sondheim (pictured in 1976; right) wrote and produced the soundtrack to the 1961 film West Side Story, which would become the best performing album of 1962 and 1963 and be the longest reining album atop the Billboard album chart.

The first record to top the mono chart was the soundtrack to the 1961 film Blue Hawaii recorded by Elvis Presley. The soundtrack album reached the top in early December 1961 and stayed atop till late April for 20 consecutive weeks.[1] In July 2002, it was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[2] The soundtrack of the American film West Side Story (1961) replaced Blue Hawaii for seven weeks in May and June and for three additional weeks in September and October. Ray Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music replaced the aforementioned album and topped the chart for 14 consecutive weeks from June till September. The last number on the mono chart in the year was recorded by Vaughn Meader. His comedy album The First Family, which made fun of then-President John F. Kennedy, topped the chart for the last three weeks in December.

On the stereo chart, Stereo 35/MM by Enoch Light & the Light Brigade could continue its reign which started in mid-November of 1961. The album topped the chart in the first week of January, bringing its total to seven weeks atop. Presley's Blue Hawaii was also able to top the chart, but only for four nonconsecutive weeks. Henry Mancini's soundtrack Breakfast at Tiffany's for the film of the same name, spent twelve weeks atop, making it the second longest reigning album atop the stereo chart. West Side Story replaced it in May and topped the chart till May of the following year, for a total of 54 weeks, the longest ever.[3] In August, Ray Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, topped it for one week, bringing his total to 15 weeks in both charts.

Over 104 combined chart weeks, West Side Story was the best performing album of the year, spending a combined 53 weeks atop the chart. In 1963, it could extend its record to 71 weeks.[lower-alpha 1] Furthermore, West Side Story would go on to be the best-selling album in the US of the 1960s and being certified triple platinum by the RIAA.[4][5] The album went on to win a Grammy in the category Grammy Award for Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Original Cast From a Motion Picture or Television in 1962.[6] Albums released by Columbia Records topped the chart for 55 weeks, by RCA Victor for 33 weeks and by ABC/Paramount for 15 weeks.

Chart history
Elvis Presley's Blue Hawaii Soundtrack topped the monoaural chart for 37 and the stereo for 4 weeks.
Key
Indicates best performing album of 1962
Issue date Album (mono) Artist(s) Label Album (stereo) Artist(s) Label Ref.
January 6 Blue Hawaii Elvis Presley / Soundtrack RCA Victor Stereo 35/MM Enoch Light & the Light Brigade Command [7]
January 13 Holiday Sing Along with Mitch Mitch Miller Columbia [8]
January 20 Blue Hawaii Elvis Presley / Soundtrack RCA Victor [9]
January 27 [10]
February 3 [11]
February 10 Breakfast at Tiffany's Henry Mancini / Soundtrack RCA Victor [12]
February 17 [13]
February 24 [14]
March 3 [15]
March 10 [16]
March 17 [17]
March 24
March 31 [18]
April 7 Blue Hawaii Elvis Presley / Soundtrack RCA Victor [19]
April 14 Breakfast at Tiffany's Henry Mancini / Soundtrack RCA Victor [20]
April 21 [21]
April 28 [22]
May 5 West Side Story Soundtrack Columbia [23]
May 12 West Side Story Soundtrack Columbia [24]
May 19 [25]
May 26 [26]
June 2 [27]
June 9 [28]
June 16 [29]
June 23 Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Ray Charles ABC/Paramount [30]
June 30 [31]
July 7 [32]
July 14 [33]
July 21 [34]
July 28 [35]
August 4 [36]
August 11 Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Ray Charles ABC/Paramount [37]
August 18 West Side Story Soundtrack Columbia [38]
August 25 [39]
September 1 [40]
September 8 [41]
September 15 [42]
September 22 [43]
September 29 West Side Story Soundtrack Columbia [44]
October 6 [45]
October 13 [46]
October 20 Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary Warner Bros. [47]
October 27 [48]
November 3 [49]
November 10 [50]
November 17 [51]
November 24 [52]
December 1 My Son, the Folk Singer Allan Sherman Warner Bros. [53]
December 8 [54]
December 15 The First Family Vaughn Meader Cadence [55]
December 22 [56]
December 29 [57]

See also

Notes
  1. Combining the weeks the mono and stereo version spent atop the chart in 1962 and 1963

References
  1. Trust, Gary (August 1, 2013). "Elvis Presley's Billboard Chart Records". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  2. "Elvis Presley – Blue Hawaii". Recording Industry Association of America. July 30, 2002. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  3. "Billboard Chart Record-Breakers: The Longest Music Moments Ever". Billboard. September 5, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  4. Simpson, Paul (2003). The Rough Guide to Cult Pop. The Rough Guide. ISBN 1843532298. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  5. "Soundtrack – West Side Story". Recording Industry Association of America. November 21, 1986. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  6. "Leonard Bernstein / Stephen Sondheim – West Side Story [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  7. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. January 6, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  8. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. January 13, 1962. p. 1. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  9. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. January 20, 1962. p. 5. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  10. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. January 27, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  11. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. February 3, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  12. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. February 10, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  13. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. February 17, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  14. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. February 24, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  15. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. March 3, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  16. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. March 10, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  17. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. March 17, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  18. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. March 31, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  19. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. April 7, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  20. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. April 14, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  21. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. April 21, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  22. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. April 28, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  23. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. May 5, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  24. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. May 12, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  25. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. May 19, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  26. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. May 26, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  27. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. June 2, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  28. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. June 9, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  29. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. June 16, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  30. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. June 23, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  31. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. June 30, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  32. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. July 7, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  33. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. July 14, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  34. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. July 21, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  35. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. July 28, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  36. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. August 4, 1962. p. 3. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  37. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. August 11, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  38. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. August 18, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  39. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. August 25, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  40. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. September 1, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  41. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. September 8, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  42. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. September 15, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  43. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. September 22, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  44. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. September 29, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  45. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. October 6, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  46. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. October 13, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  47. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. October 20, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  48. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. October 27, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  49. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. November 3, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  50. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. November 10, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  51. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. November 17, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  52. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. November 24, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  53. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. December 1, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  54. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. December 8, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  55. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. December 15, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  56. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. December 22, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  57. "Billboard Music Week: Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. December 29, 1962. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
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