Top Songs of 1959

The musical landscape of 1959

Popular music was balancing traditional pop, vocal harmony, country influence and the fast-growing force of rock and roll. Singles, jukeboxes, radio and television helped create a distinct youth market.

Bobby Darin appears 2 times in the Top 20, making the artist one of the clearest recurring presences in this year’s list.

What to listen for

Listen for the contrast between polished orchestral records, vocal-group harmonies and the sharper backbeat of early rock and roll.

This list contains 16 different credited artists. The number gives a quick indication of whether the year was concentrated among repeat hitmakers or spread across a wider field.

Billboard Year-End Top 20 songs of 1959

Build a 1959 playlist

Start with “The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton, then alternate familiar high-ranking records with contrasting selections from the lower half of the list.

Open the playlist builder

How this page should be used

Year-End charts summarize performance across an extended chart year. They are not simply a list of songs that reached number one, and historical methodology has changed. Treat this page as a guided listening resource and compact chart-history reference rather than a mathematical comparison with other eras.