3 Top 10 Hits From 1961 That Every 60s Kid Alive Still Remembers Today
Three songs featured in the article as memorable Top 10 hits from 1961 are Ricky Nelson’s “Hello Mary Lou”, Elvis Presley’s “I Feel So Bad” and Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”. Together, they illustrate the range of popular music at a time when new sounds and styles were emerging.
“Hello Mary Lou” was written by Gene Pitney, with Cayet Mangiaracina later credited after a lawsuit over its similarity to a song he had written. Chuck Willis wrote “I Feel So Bad” and first released it in 1954; Presley later recorded it. Willie Nelson wrote “Crazy”, which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Top 5 on Adult Contemporary, though Cline was not his first choice to record it.
In short
- Three enduring hits highlighted from 1961
- “Hello Mary Lou” had a later-added songwriter credit
- Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” reached two Billboard chart milestones
Explained simply
In 1961, American popular music included rock and roll, country and songs that crossed between the two. The Billboard charts ranked songs by their popularity in the United States, while radio and records helped performers reach large audiences.
Ricky Nelson recorded “Hello Mary Lou”, written by Gene Pitney, with Cayet Mangiaracina later credited following a lawsuit over its similarity to one of his songs. Elvis Presley recorded “I Feel So Bad”, a song Chuck Willis had first released in 1954. Patsy Cline recorded “Crazy”, written by Willie Nelson; its success helped establish it among her best-known songs.
The three recordings show how performers could bring older material or songs by other writers to new audiences. They also reflect the varied styles that were popular as American music changed in the early 1960s.
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