Longest reigning number one song during the counterculture era
The era of the counterculture in the mid-1960s brought about a significant shift in the music industry. During this time, singles were highly coveted, and young hippies were fervently collecting 45 discs featuring the likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley. These single records were considered essential additions to any jukebox’s collection, showcasing the ephemeral flames of rock and roll revolution of that period.
As the popularity of singles continued to rise, Billboard responded by consolidating its various charts to create the Hot 100, which remains a standard in American music to this day. The arrival of the British invasion further fueled the pace of churning out hit singles, with bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks following the footsteps of American artists that influenced them.
While the LP format was traditionally associated with classical music or film soundtracks, it gradually gained acceptance in the rock and pop scene. This change allowed artists to explore greater creative ambitions and conceptual depth that aligned with the evolving countercultural movements of the time. Icons like The Beach Boys, The Mothers of Invention, The Who, and Bob Dylan mastered the concept of the album as a cohesive work of art, where each track contributed to a unified stylistic theme.
The emergence of the Billboard 200 album chart signaled a shift from the dominance of singles on the Hot 100. However, singles never completely faded away. While rock music ventured into the realm of LPs, ultimately reaching its progressive rock zenith, pop music continued to chase the commercial success of securing a number one spot. Many artists, like those celebrated by Rolling Stone magazine, managed to maintain a presence on both singles and album charts.
Defining the exact boundaries of the counterculture era is a subjective task. By 1965, London was already experiencing a vibrant music scene, while Ken Kesey was hosting Acid Test parties across the US, well before psychedelic culture became mainstream. Setting arbitrary bookends for this era, one could argue that it began in 1967 with the peak of the summer of love and the release of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which set the gold standard for the album format. The era might have closed around 1972 with the rise of glam rock, posing a new musical challenge to the Woodstock generation.
Looking back at the music charts of the time, “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies dominated the UK charts for eight weeks in 1969, becoming one of the decade’s top-selling singles. This catchy tune, penned by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, showcased the success of a virtual band drawn from the pages of the Archie comic book series. In the US, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water” held the Hot 100’s top spot for six weeks in 1970. However, the kings of the singles chart during the countercultural age were The Beatles with their iconic track “Hey Jude.” Released in August 1968, this sing-along anthem penned by Paul McCartney enjoyed an unprecedented seven-minute runtime and set records for its number one reign, cementing its status as a classic in McCartney’s solo career.