The musical landscape of 1964
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 4 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 15 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 1964
| Rank | Song | Artist | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Want to Hold Your Hand | The Beatles | Spotify ↗ |
| 2 | She Loves You | The Beatles | Spotify ↗ |
| 3 | Hello Dolly | Louis Armstrong | Spotify ↗ |
| 4 | Oh Pretty Woman | Roy Orbison | Spotify ↗ |
| 5 | I Get Around | The Beach Boys | Spotify ↗ |
| 6 | Everybody Loves Somebody | Dean Martin | Spotify ↗ |
| 7 | Where Did Our Love Go | The Supremes | Spotify ↗ |
| 8 | People | Barbra Streisand | Spotify ↗ |
| 9 | A Hard Days Night | The Beatles | Spotify ↗ |
| 10 | Do Wah Diddy Diddy | Manfred Mann | Spotify ↗ |
| 11 | Chapel of Love | The Dixie Cups | Spotify ↗ |
| 12 | Baby Love | The Supremes | Spotify ↗ |
| 13 | Rag Doll | The Four Seasons | Spotify ↗ |
| 14 | Love Me Do | The Beatles | Spotify ↗ |
| 15 | There Ive Said It Again | Bobby Vinton | Spotify ↗ |
| 16 | House of the Rising Sun | The Animals | Spotify ↗ |
| 17 | Little Old Lady from Pasadena | Jan and Dean | Spotify ↗ |
| 18 | Come See About Me | The Supremes | Spotify ↗ |
| 19 | You Dont Own Me | Lesley Gore | Spotify ↗ |
| 20 | Java | Al Hirt | Spotify ↗ |
Build a 1964 playlist
Start with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” 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.