American Songwriter highlights three songs from the 1950s that helped establish the "crossover hit" as a defining feature of the emerging pop genre, when tracks could top multiple genre charts simultaneously. This mattered because it showed how rock 'n' roll, country and rhythm and blues were beginning to merge into a broader mainstream pop audience, shaping the commercial template that pop hits would follow for decades afterward.

The three examples are Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956), which topped pop, country, R&B and western charts and launched his stardom; Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line," which went from a country No. 1 to a Top 20 pop hit; and The Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream," which reached No. 1 on every Billboard singles chart at once. The article includes background on each song's writing and reception, including quotes from Elton John on "Heartbreak Hotel" and Phil Everly on the Everly Brothers track.

– Elvis's "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956) topped pop, country, R&B and western charts
– Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" crossed from country No. 1 to pop's Top 20
– The Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream" hit No. 1 on every Billboard chart