We recently did a feature spotlighting every #1 Record that fell on a Friday the 13th during The Top 40 Era.
This time around, we're looking at all of the Easter Sunday #1's for that same time frame.
Since Easter Sunday seems to be kind of a "revolving holiday," that means that it has fallen as early as March 26th and as late as April 22nd during this stretch. That's a spread of just about a month. (My sister was born on Easter Sunday, 1959 ... the story we got handed when we were kids growing up was that The Easter Bunny brought her rather than the stork!)
So here you have EVERY Billboard #1 Record for Easter Sunday, 1955 - 1990!
April 10th, 1955 - THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKETT - Bill Hayes (4th week at #1)
This popular television theme would prove to be one of the biggest hit records of the year!
April 1st, 1956 - THE POOR PEOPLE OF PARIS - Les Baxter (3rd week at #1)
Elvis would dethrone the orchestra leader a couple of weeks later with his first #1 Hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," which currently sits at #5 along with its tag-along B-Side, "I Was The One" this week in 1956. (That's OK ... he'll take the crown NEXT Easter!)
April 21st, 1957 - ALL SHOOK UP - Elvis Presley (3rd week at #1 ... with still five more weeks to go on top)
Of course, by now, this was really no big surprise ...
Elvis was King, having already scored six other #1 hits during the past year!
April 6th, 1958 - TEQUILA - The Champs (3rd week at #1)
March 29th, 1959 - VENUS - Frankie Avalon (3rd week at #1 for the new teen idol)
April 17th, 1960 - THEME FROM "A SUMMER PLACE" - Percy Faith (8th week at #1 ... and it would hang on for one more before falling to ... you guessed it, Elvis Presley ... with "Stuck On You")
April 2nd, 1961 - SURRENDER - Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)
(Are we seeing some kind of a trend developing here???)
April 22nd, 1962 - You're not going to believe me when I tell you ...
GOOD LUCK CHARM by Elvis Presley - new at #1 in his first of two weeks on top of the charts
April 14th, 1963 - HE'S SO FINE - The Chiffons (3rd of 4 weeks at #1)
March 29th, 1964 - SHE LOVES YOU - The Beatles (2nd week at #1)
[George was evidently paying close attention to the charts the previous Easter]
Looking back at early 1964, you could pretty well have predicted this one, too ...
The Beatles held down the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart for 14 straight weeks beginning in late January ... I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND (7); SHE LOVES YOU (2) and CAN'T BUY ME LOVE (5) before finally being knocked out of the top spot by HELLO DOLLY by Louis Armstrong. (Say what?!?!) Then again, they also held down the Top Five positions on the chart this week, an unheard of feat at the time.
Later that year they fell victim to another surprising upset when Dean Martin would topple their #1 soundtrack hit A HARD DAY'S NIGHT after two weeks on top of the chart with his mega-hit EVERYBODY LOVES SOMEBODY ... another case of the Old Guard showing the NEW Guard that they still had something left to show!
April 18th, 1965 - I'M TELLING YOU NOW - Freddie and the Dreamers (2nd week at #1)
Man, these guys were fun to watch!
April 10th, 1966 - (YOU'RE MY) SOUL AND INSPIRATION - The Righteous Brothers (1st of 3 weeks at #1)
What an incredible performance
March 26th, 1967 - HAPPY TOGETHER - The Turtles (1st of 3 weeks at #1)
April 14th, 1968 - HONEY - Bobby Goldsboro (1st of 5 weeks at #1)
April 6th, 1969 - DIZZY - by our buddy Tommy Roe ... who just released a brand new album after all these years!!! (DIZZY would top the Billboard Chart for four weeks in 1969 ... and this was his 4th and final week on top)
March 29th, 1970 - BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER - Simon and Garfunkel (5th of 6 weeks at #1, on its way to becoming the biggest record of the year)
April 11th, 1971 - JOY TO THE WORLD - Three Dog Night (1st of 6 weeks on top of the charts!)
April 2nd, 1972 - A HORSE WITH NO NAME - America (3rd and final week at #1)
The guys are STILL out there playing to sold-out crowds across the country ...
And they STILL have not named that damn horse!!!
April 22nd, 1973 - TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE - Tony Orlando and Dawn (2nd week at #1 - where they would stay for two more)
April 14th, 1974 - TSOP (THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA) - MFSP (featuring The Three Degrees) - 1st of two weeks at #1
March 30th, 1975 - LOVIN' YOU - Minnie Ripperton (1st and only week at #1)
April 18th, 1976 - DISCO LADY - Johnnie Taylor (4th and final week at #1 - and, as we learned recently, the first record to receive a Platinum Single Award)
April 10th, 1977 - DON'T GIVE UP ON US - David Soul (1st and only week at #1)
Way to go, Hutch!
March 26th, 1978 - NIGHT FEVER - The Bee Gees (another one you probably could have predicted)
This record spent 8 weeks at #1 that year ... and this was its third)
April 15th, 1979 - KNOCK ON WOOD - Amii Stewart (1st and only week at #1)
April 6th, 1980 - ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, PART II - Pink Floyd (4th and final week at #1)
We're giving you the whole thing ... Parts 1 and 2
(Hey, it IS Easter after all!!!)
April 19th, 1981 - KISS ON MY LIST - Daryl Hall and John Oates (3rd and final week at #1)
April 11th, 1982 - I LOVE ROCK 'N ROLL - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (5th week at #1 ... where it would remain for two more)
April 3rd, 1983 - BILLIE JEAN - Michael Jackson (I've been waiting for the Michael Jackson take-over ... and this was a big one ... #1 for 7 weeks .. before being displaced for a week, only to regain the top position with BEAT IT for another three) This was BILLIE JEAN's 6th week at #1
April 22nd, 1984 - AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW) - Phil Collins (2nd of three weeks at #1)
April 7th, 1985 - WE ARE THE WORLD - USA For Africa (1st of 4 weeks at #1) featuring an all-star cast, but conceived by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson
March 30th, 1986 - ROCK ME AMADEUS - Falco (2nd of 3 weeks at #1)
April 19th, 1987 - I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) - Aretha Franklin and George Michael (2nd and final week at #1)
April 3rd, 1988 - GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR - Billy Ocean (who knocked Michael Jackson's MAN IN THE MIRROR out of the top spot for a two-week take-over ... this was Week #1)
March 26th, 1989 - ETERNAL FLAME - The Bangles (1st and only week at #1)
April 15th, 1990 - NOTHING COMPARES 2 U - Sinead O'Connor (1st of four weeks at #1)
Did you happen to notice that Easter did not fall on April 9th A SINGLE TIME during the 36 years that we just covered?!?!?
But TODAY (April 9th, 2023) is Easter Sunday ... so I hope you all enjoy a pleasant day with your families. (kk)
DIDJAKNOW?
The reason Easter's calendar date moves around each year ... and the way the date of Easter Sunday is determined ... is the fact that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the date of The Paschal Full Moon, based on mathematical calculations, that falls on or after March 21. If the Full Moon happens to fall on a Sunday, then Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday. (March 21st is the Church's date of the March Equinox, regardless of the time zone ... so, as we've seen above, Easter is prone to occur any time between late March and late April.)
For a complete list of EVERY Easter Sunday, 1600 - 2099, you can check this out!!!
https://www.census.gov/data/software/x13as/genhol/easter-dates.html
