The musical landscape of 1968
Popular music changed rapidly as British groups, Motown, soul, folk-rock and psychedelic experimentation widened the sound of the charts. The single remained central, but records became increasingly ambitious.
The Beatles 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
Compare direct dance-floor records with songs that use denser arrangements, unusual instrumentation or more expansive themes.
This list contains 19 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 1968
| Rank | Song | Artist | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hey Jude | The Beatles | Spotify ↗ |
| 2 | Love Is Blue | Paul Mauriat | Spotify ↗ |
| 3 | Honey | Bobby Goldsboro | Spotify ↗ |
| 4 | Dock of the Bay | Otis Redding | Spotify ↗ |
| 5 | People Got to Be Free | The Rascals | Spotify ↗ |
| 6 | Mrs Robinson | Simon and Garfunkel | Spotify ↗ |
| 7 | Tighten Up | Archie Bell and the Drells | Spotify ↗ |
| 8 | The Good the Bad and the Ugly | Hugo Montenegro | Spotify ↗ |
| 9 | This Guys in Love with You | Herb Alpert | Spotify ↗ |
| 10 | Hello I Love You | The Doors | Spotify ↗ |
| 11 | Harper Valley PTA | Jeannie C Riley | Spotify ↗ |
| 12 | Sunshine of Your Love | Cream | Spotify ↗ |
| 13 | Judy in Disguise | John Fred and His Playboy Band | Spotify ↗ |
| 14 | Little Green Apples | OC Smith | Spotify ↗ |
| 15 | Mony Mony | Tommy James and the Shondells | Spotify ↗ |
| 16 | Lady Madonna | The Beatles | Spotify ↗ |
| 17 | I Heard It Through the Grapevine | Marvin Gaye | Spotify ↗ |
| 18 | Green Tambourine | The Lemon Pipers | Spotify ↗ |
| 19 | Dance to the Music | Sly and the Family Stone | Spotify ↗ |
| 20 | Jumpin Jack Flash | The Rolling Stones | Spotify ↗ |
Build a 1968 playlist
Start with “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, then alternate familiar high-ranking records with contrasting selections from the lower half of the list.
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.