Top 100 songs for November 20, 1961
This weekly snapshot follows the songs and artists competing across the Billboard Hot 100. Open any entry for its full chart history, or explore 1961 and the 1960s.
This week’s No. 1 is “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean. Meanwhile, “Up A Lazy River” by Si Zentner And His Orchestra rises from No. 84 to No. 51. 10 songs are listed in their first chart week.
See debuts and biggest movers
This week’s chart highlights
Biggest climbers
- Up A Lazy River — Si Zentner And His Orchestraup 33 places, No. 84 → No. 51
- The Twist — Chubby Checkerup 28 places, No. 55 → No. 27
- Run To Him — Bobby Veeup 28 places, No. 57 → No. 29
New to this week’s Top 10
- Goodbye Cruel World — James DarrenNo. 4
New to this week’s Top 40
- The Twist — Chubby CheckerNo. 27
- Run To Him — Bobby VeeNo. 29
- Let There Be Drums — Sandy NelsonNo. 30
- Walk On By — Leroy Van DykeNo. 31
- Gypsy Woman — The ImpressionsNo. 37
- Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody — Aretha FranklinNo. 39
- So Long Baby — Del ShannonNo. 40
First-week entries
- Peppermint Twist - Part I — Joey Dee & the StarlitersNo. 68
- When The Boy In Your Arms (Is The Boy In Your Heart) — Connie FrancisNo. 80
- Revenge — Brook BentonNo. 83
- When I Fall In Love — The LettermenNo. 89
- If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody — James RayNo. 90
- Love (I'm So Glad) I Found You — The SpinnersNo. 91
- There's No Other (Like My Baby) — The CrystalsNo. 92
- Greetings (This is Uncle Sam) — ValadiersNo. 93
- What A Walk — Bobby LewisNo. 94
- You're Following Me — Perry ComoNo. 97
First-week entries have one recorded chart week. Climbs and Top 10/Top 40 arrivals use recorded previous positions for consecutive chart weeks; returning songs without a previous position are not classified as debuts.