The chart of America’s favorite songs launched 58 years ago — these were the top hits
RCA Victor
Elvis Presley’s “Hard Headed Woman” was a top 10 hit in 1958.
On August 4, 1958, Billboard magazine launched its first Billboard Hot 100 chart.
When the chart ranking premiered that day in print, Billboard was tracking the nation’s top songs through a formula that encompassed “such factors as [radio] disc jockey plays, jukebox activity, and record sales.”
Today, radio airplay still counts for a third of Billboard’s song ranking formula, while downloads, physical sales, and streaming — “the modern-era, digital jukebox” — make up the rest.
Check out which songs made the top 10 on Billboard’s first Hot 100 list:
10. Peggy Lee — “Fever”
9. Johnny Otis — “Willie and the Hand Jive”
8. Jack Scott — “My True Love”
7. The Coasters — “Yakety Yak”
6. Duane Eddy — “Rebel-’Rouser”
5. The Kalin Twins — “When”
4. Elvis Presley — “Hard Headed Woman”
3. Bobby Darin — “Splish Splash”
2. Perez Pardo — “Patricia”
1. Ricky Nelson — “Poor Little Fool”
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