Every #1 Hit by Jewish songwriters and musicians from 1960-1989

Introduction to The Diversity of Classic Rock Chart Toppers Project

Five years ago I wrote a blog post titled Every Black #1 of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I am proud to say this is one of my blog’s most popular posts, amassing tens of thousands of views since I published it in 2021. Because of its popularity, I wanted to follow up with a similar post, but this time it’s about Jewish #1 hits of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

This was a big project where I analysed decades worth of pop charts data from 1960-1989 in both the US and UK, historically the two largest English language markets to get an idea of much black representation was in the pop charts. Of course, this isn’t the most granular analysis because I’m not going through each week’s top 40, which would give a much better picture.

Because of time constraints, I decided to look at chart toppers since I think that’s one of the biggest achievements in pop music, having a #1 hit single. That’s what every musician dreams of, but the competition is tough, especially in the cutthroat mid 60s with the British Invasion. The charts, or (as old folks call it) the hit parade, were your guide to what’s popular, what’s hip, what are the youngsters listening to these days? The more sales and radio airplay, the higher the song’s position on the chart.

Throughout the classic rock era there was a lot of competition between artists and genres. There are so many great songs released every year, but there can only be one chart topper. In the 60s you had surf rock/instrumental rock, doo-wop, R&B, soul, folk rock, roots rock, beat music, garage rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock all vying for the top spot. In the 70s, you had hard rock, prog rock, glam rock, punk rock, soft rock, yacht rock, disco, and new wave all competing for the top spot. In the 80s, you had new wave, synthpop, heavy metal, glam metal, arena rock, alternative rock, hip-hop, and contemporary R&B in competition for the top spot.

While talking to my dad about chart music and how the charts used to be done (I talk a bit about this in my blog post about why The Beatles are the best band of all time), there weren’t just national charts (the US had Billboard and Cashbox), there were also regional charts for different cities and charts done by publications (the UK had the NME, Melody Maker, and Record Retailer charts). In those days, media ownership wasn’t as concentrated as it is now like all the media companies and streaming services buying each other out. That meant that there was more autonomy and variety in the music played by each station. Radio DJs were tastemakers and needle drops could make history, careers, and household names. It was not as top-down from corporate as it is now. But the lack of internet also meant there was more monoculture and cohesiveness in pop culture since media consumption wasn’t on-demand like it is today. You had fewer options so everyone watched and listened to the same things.

As I’ve said many times on this blog, time is a filter and a lot of chart hits get forgotten about, but #1s are usually remembered for decades to come even by younger generations since the songs often have staying power because they’re good or they get included in movie soundtracks to set the scene or in adverts to get people’s attention. My dad had many moments of “I haven’t heard that song in years!” while looking though the WLS charts (the local record charts for Chicago).

Why talk about Jewish musicians and songwriters?

In my research I’ve found that the three most influential ethnic groups in pop music are Black people, Jewish people, and Italian-Americans. When I spoke to author and Bob Dylan expert Jim Curtis, he said the same thing. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

“It’s very important that Dylan is Jewish. Not because of what he believes about Judaism or his Jewish practise, but rather because one of the remarkable things is if you just study high achievers in the arts, there is a very large number of Jews who appear there, also through Nobel Prizes [Note: Over 20% of Nobel Prize winners are Jewish].

Jewish names appear on the list of Nobel Prize Winners two or three times where they should be in terms of the proportion of the population [Actually, a lot more than that! Jewish people only make up less than 0.2% of the world population at only 14 million worldwide].“

I’d argue that Black Americans (but also Black Caribbean people in the case of the UK) are the most influential of all because pretty much every music genre has black roots: ragtime, blues, jazz, country, R&B, soul, rock & roll (and its many subgenres), folk music, disco, electronic music, and hip-hop. If we’re only talking about rock and roll, it’s all blues or jazz based. I’m no blues or jazz expert, but I always encourage rock music fans to appreciate the history of and listen to blues and jazz music to get an even better appreciation of rock and roll.

In my findings, I found that black people weren’t only influential in being the stars of the show, making the music, they also wrote a lot of hits that white and non-black musicians would cover. Doing the research for this blog post uncovered more black #1s that I missed in my research for that blog post, so I’ve found even more black representation in the charts, although you may not see it initially. This is why I believe classic rock is so much more diverse than meets the eye and ear. Look at the credits for the songs and you see a more complete picture.

In the case of Jewish people, I had to write this blog post a bit differently, counting both songwriters and musicians because if it was musicians only, it would be quite short and not taking into account the impact and influence Jewish people have in pop music. Throughout pop music history, you’ll see not only a lot of Jewish songwriters, but also Jewish producers (such as Phil Spector) and managers (like Brian Epstein and Larry Parnes).

This blog post is especially significant to me. While I have some black ancestry, the largest part of my background (50%) is Jewish. I was born Jewish, and while I have long since left the religion when I was 10 years old, Jewish culture still has a place in my heart. I love the humour and the pop culture influence. Recently during the holiday season I did my yearly rewatch of The Hebrew Hammer with my gentile friends, who loved it! As well, I watched The Chosen (based on the Chaim Potok book of the same name) for the first time and I really enjoyed it! On Christmas Eve, I combined Jewish and Hispanic traditions by going out for Chinese food.

My great grandfather grew up Orthodox Jewish and his family had hopes of him being a rabbi so he went to yeshiva (Jewish seminary) in Belarus as a teenager. He left yeshiva disillusioned with religion and more interested in worldly things like reading secular books. He moved to the US at 19 and went off the derech and that meant he didn’t keep up with a lot of traditions, but he remained unapologetically proud to be Jewish.

Regardless if you’re religious or secular, one popular Jewish saying is “Everyone is Jewish”, which results in a game where you point out who is Jewish without even being asked. My dad always said that his grandfather was the Jewish version of the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding who would say that everything is Greek. I have kept up this tradition, writing blog posts about Jewish classic rock musicians from Europe, South Africa, the US, and Canada (there were so many that I had to write a part 1 and part 2). These blog posts were written in the early days of the blog, but thanks to researching for this blog post, I’ve added quite a few new names, so give these blog posts a read if you haven’t read them already. This blog post where I talk about Jewish chart toppers was an idea that I’ve had in my head for a long time now and I’m so glad I’ve researched and written this.

Methodology

This isn’t a blog post about religion or politics, but about the Jewish impact on pop culture, specifically classic rock and I’m proud to present every US and UK #1 hit written by a Jewish songwriter or performed by a Jewish musician (sometimes both!).

Like in my previous blog post about Black musicians who have topped the charts, I used Wikipedia to find the lists of #1s. The lists will be linked below. From there, I checked the musicians’ pages and the songwriters’ pages to see if I can find any mention of them being Jewish. In the case of bands, I checked each band member’s page. The J-Info website also has a good list of songs written by Jewish people, but it wasn’t an exhaustive list and I found it Americanocentric.

Sometimes on Wikipedia it doesn’t mention them being Jewish, so I do a Google search and newspapers, blogs, and websites will mention it. As someone who was born Jewish and grew up in an area with a decent sized Jewish population (about 20-25% of my primary school class was Jewish), I’m pretty good at telling who is Jewish based on surname. A common thing you’ll see in show biz is Jews changing their names to typically something Anglo sounding, which is easy for me to clock as someone who has done the same myself. In general, many of the Brill Building/Tin Pan Alley songwriters are Jewish, but not all. London’s Denmark Street is the British equivalent to Tin Pan Alley and there were some Jewish songwriters, but not as many as the US.

One common question in the Jewish community is “Who is a Jew?” You ask Jewish people this question and you’ll get all sorts of answers. For our purposes, if a musician is at least 1/4 Jewish, then they will be counted as Jewish, regardless if they are a practicing or religious Jew or if they have converted to another religion. I will only be counting songwriters and musicians/band members. I will not be counting session musicians. In some cases I had a hunch that a songwriter or musician might be Jewish, but if I couldn’t find anything indicating that they are I did not count them. My approach is to keep things factual and avoid speculation. I did my best to verify which musicians and songwriters are Jewish. If I make any mistakes, please let me know (politely) and I’ll fix it! Thanks!

Complete list of #1 Hits of the 60s, 70s, and 80s in the US and UK:

US #1s by Jewish Songwriters and Musicians: The Full List

One thing I noticed is that over the years Jewish representation in the charts went from being purely songwriters to a few Jewish musicians here and there to being majority Jewish musicians/singer-songwriters. This tracks with what I know of popular music history in general with the British Invasion disrupting pop music and increasing the prominence of singer-songwriters. The Beatles certainly weren’t the first singer-songwriters in rock and roll. They’ve always existed in rock and roll. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Paul Anka, and Neil Sedaka wrote their own songs. Of course, with the rise of singer-songwriters, you had more Jewish musicians and a greater diversity of musicians.

I will divide this list by decade and if it’s a Jewish musician, I’ll put the song in blue and bold/underline the musician’s name. If the song was co-writers, the Jewish musicians names will be in bold and underlined. Each song will have the year listed.

Interesting facts – Jewish Billboard Chart Firsts:

The first Jewish musician to reach #1 in the 1960s in the US is Canadian born bandleader Percy Faith
The first Jewish female singer to reach #1 in the 1960s is Lesley Gore with “It’s My Party” in 1963
The first Jewish composer to get a #1 hit is Max Steiner, who composed “Theme From a Summer Place”
The first Jewish person to top the charts with their own composition in the 1960s was David Rose with his composition “The Stripper” in 1962
The first Jewish female songwriter to reach #1 in the 1960s is Carole King, who co-wrote The Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” with Gerry Goffin
The first Jewish songwriters to get a #1 in the 70s were Burt Bacharach and Hal David with “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” by BJ Thomas
The first Jewish artists to get a #1 in the 1970s were Simon & Garfunkel with “Bridge Under Troubled Water” in 1970
The first Jewish female singer-songwriter to reach #1 in the 1970s is Carole King with “It’s Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move”
The first Jewish #1 of the 1980s is Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)”
The first Jewish female singer to reach #1 in the 1980s is Olivia Newton-John with “Magic”

Jewish #1 hits of the 1960s (United States)

“Theme From a Summer Place” by Percy Faith (Composer: Max Steiner) – 1960
“Stuck On You” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Aaron Schroeder and J. Leslie McFarland) – 1960
“Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” by Connie Francis (Songwriters: Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield) – 1960
“Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” by Brian Hyland (Songwriters: Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss) – 1960
“It’s Now or Never” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Wally Gold and Aaron Schroeder) – 1960
“My Mind Has a Heart of Its Own” by Connie Francis (Songwriters:
Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield) – 1960
“Save The Last Dance For Me” by The Drifters (Songwriters: Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman) – 1960
“Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Lou Handman and Roy Turk) – 1960/1961
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles (Songwriters: Gerry Goffin and Carole King) – 1961
“Surrender” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman, and Ernesto De Curtis) – 1961
“Blue Moon” by The Marcels (Songwriters: Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) – 1961
“Wooden Heart” by Joe Dowell (Songwriters: Fred Wise, Ben Weisman, Kay Twomey, Bert Kaempfert) – 1961
“Take Good Care of My Baby” by Bobby Vee (Songwriters: Gerry Goffin and Carole King) – 1961
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens (Songwriters: Solomon Linda, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss, and Albert Stanton; all of The Tokens were Jewish) – 1961/1962
“Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You” by Connie Francis (Songwriters: Benny Davis and Murray Mencher) – 1962
“Johnny Angel” by Shelley Fabares (Songwriters: Lyn Duddy and Lee Pockriss) – 1962
“Good Luck Charm” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Wally Gold and Aaron Schroeder) – 1962
“Soldier Boy” by The Shrielles (Songwriters: Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg) – 1962
“The Stripper” by David Rose (Composer: David Rose) – 1962
“Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” by Neil Sedaka (Songwriters: Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield) – 1962
“The Loco-Motion” by Little Eva (Songwriters: Gerry Goffin and Carole King) – 1962
“Go Away Little Girl” by Steve Lawrence (Songwriters: Gerry Goffin and Carole King) – 1963
“Our Day Will Come” by Ruby & The Romantics (Songwriters: Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson) – 1963
“I Will Follow Him” by Little Peggy March (Songwriters: Franck Pourcel, Paul Mauriat, Arthur Altman, and Norman Gimbel) – 1963
“It’s My Party” by Lesley Gore (Songwriters: Wally Gold, John Gluck, Herb Weiner, and Seymour Gottlieb) – 1963
“My Boyfriend’s Back” by The Angels (Songwriters: Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer) – 1963
“Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton (Songwriters: Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris) – 1963
“Deep Purple” by Nino Tempo and April Stevens (Songwriters: Peter DeRose and Mitchell Parish) – 1963
“There! I’ve Said It Again” by Bobby Vinton (Songwriters: Redd Evans and David Mann) – 1964
“Hello, Dolly!” by Louis Armstrong (Songwriter Jerry Herman) – 1964
“Chapel of Love” by The Dixie Cups (Songwriters: Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector) – 1964
“Everybody Loves Somebody” by Dean Martin (Songwriters: Irving Taylor and Ken Lane) – 1964
“Do Wah Diddy Diddy” by Manfred Mann (Songwriters: Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, keyboard player Manfred Mann is also Jewish) – 1964
“Leader of the Pack” by The Shangri-Las (Songwriters: Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich) – 1964
“Ringo” by Lorne Green – 1964
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” by The Righteous Brothers (Songwriters: Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil) – 1965
“This Diamond Ring” by Gary Lewis & The Playboys (Songwriters: Al Kooper, Bob Brass, and Irwin Levine) – 1965
“I’m Telling You Now” by Freddie and the Dreamers (Songwriters Freddie Garrity and Mitch Murray) – 1965
“Mr Tambourine Man” by The Byrds (Songwriter: Bob Dylan) – 1965
“Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire (Songwriter: P.F. Sloan) – 1965
“Hang On Sloopy” by The McCoys (Songwriters: Wes Farrell and Bert Berns) – 1965
“The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel (Songwriter: Paul Simon) – 1966
“You’re My Soul and Inspiration” by The Righteous Brothers (Songwriters: Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil) – 1966
“Good Lovin’” by The Rascals (Songwriters: Rudy Clark and Artie Resnick) – 1966
“Monday, Monday” by The Mamas & The Papas (Vocalist Cass Elliot was Jewish) – 1966
“Strangers in the Night” by Frank Sinatra (Songwriters: Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, and Eddie Snyder) – 1966
“Hanky Panky” by Tommy James & The Shondells (Songwriters: Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich) – 1966
“Summer in the City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful (guitarist Zal Yanovsky was Jewish) – 1966
“Poor Side of Town” by Johnny Rivers (Songwriters: Johnny Rivers and Lou Adler) – 1966
“I’m a Believer” by The Monkees (Songwriter: Neil Diamond) – 1966/1967
“Happy Together” The Turtles (Jewish band members: Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman) – 1967
“Windy” by The Association (Songwriter: Ruthann Friedman) – 1967
“Light My Fire” by The Doors (guitarist Robby Krieger is Jewish) – 1967
“To Sir With Love” by Lulu (Songwriters: Mark London and Don Black) – 1967
“Incense and Peppermints” by The Strawberry Alarm Clock (keyboard player Mark Weitz is Jewish) – 1967
“Mrs Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (Songwriter: Paul Simon) – 1968
“This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert (Songwriters: Burt Bacharach and Hal David) – 1968
“Hello, I Love You” by The Doors (guitarist Robby Krieger is Jewish) – 1968
“Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies (Songwriters: Jeff Barry and Andy Kim) – 1969
“Wedding Bell Blues” by The 5th Dimension (Songwriter: Laura Nyro) – 1969
“Leaving On a Jet Plane” by Peter, Paul, and Mary (Peter Yarrow was Jewish) – 1969

Total Jewish #1s from the Billboard Hot 100 1960-1969: 61

Number of songs by Jewish Artists: 18 (~30%)

Jewish #1 hits of the 1970s (United States)

“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” by BJ Thomas (Songwriters: Burt Bacharach and Hal David) – 1970
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel (Songwriter: Paul Simon) – 1970
“Mama Told Me Not To Come” by Three Dog Night” (Songwriter: Randy Newman, vocalist Chuck Negron is of partial Jewish descent) – 1970
“They Long to Be Closer To You” by The Carpenters (Songwriters: Burt Bacharach and Hal David) – 1970
“Cracklin’ Rosie” by Neil Diamond (Songwriter: Neil Diamond) – 1970
“Knock Three Times” by Tony Orlando & Dawn (Songwriters: Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown) – 1971
“Joy To The World” by Three Dog Night” (vocalist Chuck Negron is of partial Jewish descent) – 1970
“It’s Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King (Songwriter: Carole King) – 1971
“You’ve Got A Friend” by James Taylor (Songwriter: Carole King) – 1971
“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” by Paul & Linda McCartney – 1971
“Go Away Little Girl” by Donny Osmond (Songwriters: Gerry Goffin and Carole King) – 1971
“The Candy Man” by Sammy Davis Jr (Songwriters: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley)- 1972
“Song Sung Blue” by Neil Diamond (Songwriter: Neil Diamond) – 1972
“Brandy You’re a Fine Girl” by Looking Glass (Songwriter/band member Elliot Lurie is Jewish, Larry Gonsky is Jewish as well) – 1972
“Black and White” by Three Dog Night (Songwriters: David I. Arkin and Earl Robinson, vocalist Chuck Negron is of partial Jewish descent) – 1972
“Ben” by Michael Jackson (Songwriters: Don Black and Walter Scharf) – 1972
“I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy (Songwriters: Ray Burton and Helen Reddy) – 1972
“You’re So Vain by Carly Simon (Songwriter: Carly Simon) – 1973
“Killing Me Softly With His song” by Roberta Flack (Songwriters: Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel, and Lori Liberman) – 1973
“The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia Vicki Lawrence – 1973
“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Ole Oak Tree” by Tony Orlando & Dawn (Songwriters: Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown) – 1973
“My Love” by Wings (keyboard player Linda McCartney was Jewish) – 1973
“The Morning After” by Maureen McGovern (Songwriters: Joel Hirschhorn and Al Kasha) – 1973
“Touch Me In The Morning” by Diana Ross (Songwriters: Ron Miller and Michael Masser) – 1973
“Brother Louie” by Stories (keyboardist Michael Brown was Jewish and bassist Kenny Aaronson is Jewish) – 1973
“Delta Dawn” by Helen Reddy – 1973
“We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad (bassist Mel Schacher is Jewish) – 1973
“The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand (Songwriters: Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Marvin Hamlisch) – 1974
“TSOP” by MFSB (lead guitarist Bobby Eli was Jewish) – 1974
“The Loco-Motion” by Grand Funk Railroad (Gerry Goffin and Carole King composition, bassist Mel Schacher is Jewish) – 1974
“Band on the Run” by Wings (keyboard player Linda McCartney was Jewish) -1974
“Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods (Songwriters: Mitch Murray and Peter Callander) – 1974
“The Night Chicago Died” by Paper Lace (Songwriters: Mitch Murray and Peter Callander) – 1974
“I Honestly Love You” by Olivia Newton-John (Songwriters: Jeff Barry and Peter Allen) – 1974
“Angie Baby” by Helen Reddy -1974
“Mandy” by Barry Manilow (Songwriters: Scott English and Richard Kerr) – 1975
“Laughter in the Rain” by Neil Sedaka (Songwriters: Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody) – 1975
“Have You Never Been Mellow” by Olivia Newton-John – 1975
“Lovin’ You” by Minnie Riperton (Songwriters: Minnie Riperton and Richard Rudolph) – 1975
“Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tennille (Songwriters: Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield) – 1975
“Listen to What the Man Said” by Wings (keyboard player Linda McCartney was Jewish) – 1975
“Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell” (Songwriter: Larry Weiss) – 1975
“Bad Blood” by Neil Sedaka (Songwriters: Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody) – 1975
“I Write The Songs” by Barry Manilow – 1976
“Theme From Mahogany” by Diana Ross (Songwriters: Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin) – 1976
“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon (Songwriter: Paul Simon) – 1976
“December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” by The Four Seasons (keyboard player Lee Shapiro is Jewish) – 1976
“Silly Love Songs” by Wings (keyboard player Linda McCartney was Jewish) – 1976
“Torn Between Two Lovers” by Mary MacGregor (Songwriters: Peter Yarrow and Phillip Jarrell) – 1977
“Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (keyboard player Manfred Mann is Jewish) – 1977
“Evergreen” by Barbra Streisand (Songwriters: Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams) – 1977
“Don’t Give Up On Us” by David Soul (Songwriter: Tony Macaulay) – 1977
“When I Need You” by Leo Sayer (Songwriters: Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager) – 1977
“Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti (Songwriters: Bill Conti, Carol Connors, and Ayn Robbins) – 1977
“Da Do Ron Ron” by Shaun Cassidy (Songwriters: Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector) – 1977
“Looks Like We Made It” by Barry Manilow – 1977
“You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone (Songwriter: Joe Brooks) – 1977
“With a Little Luck” by Wings (keyboard player Linda McCartney was Jewish) – 1978
“You’re The One That I Want” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – 1978
“Kiss You All Over” by Exile (Songwriters: Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn) – 1978
“You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond (Songwriters: Neil Diamond and Alan and Marilyn Bergman) -1978
“Heart of Glass” by Blondie (Songwriters: Debbie Harry and Chris Stein – the latter is the guitarist) – 1979
“My Sharona” by The Knack (Songwriters: Doug Fieger and Berton Averre) -1979
“Rise” by Herb Alpert (Songwriters: Andy Armer and Randy Alpert) – 1979
“No More Tears” by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer – 1979
“Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes – 1979/1980

Total Jewish #1s from the Billboard Hot 100 1970-1979: 66

Number of songs by Jewish Artists: 43 (~65%)

Jewish #1 hits of the 1980s (United States)

“Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes – 1979/1980
“Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. (Songwriter: Steven Greenberg) – 1980
“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” by Billy Joel (Songwriter: Billy Joel) – 1980
“Magic” by Olivia Newton-John – 1980
“Sailing” by Christopher Cross (Songwriter: Christopher Cross)- 1980
“Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand – 1980
“The Tide is High by Blondie (Guitarist Chris Stein is Jewish) – 1981
“Rapture” by Blondie (Guitarist Chris Stein is Jewish) – 1981
“Arthur’s Theme” by Christopher Cross (Songwriters: Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen) – 1981
“Physical” by Olivia Newton-John – 1981-1982
“Centerfold” by J. Geils Band (Songwriter: Seth Justman, Band members Peter Wolf, Danny Klein, Seth Justman, and Magic Dick are Jewish) – 1982
“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett (Songwriters: Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker) – 1982
“Mickey” by Toni Basil (Songwriters: Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn) – 1982
“Tell Her About It” by Billy Joel (Songwriter: Billy Joel) – 1983
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler (Songwriter: Jim Steinman) – 1983
“Owner of a Lonely Heart” by Yes (Songwriter and guitarist Trevor Rabin is Jewish) – 1984
“Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club (co-writer and drummer Jon Moss is Jewish) – 1984
“Jump” by Van Halen (cowriter and lead vocalist David Lee Roth is Jewish) – 1984
“Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper (Songwriters: Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman) – 1984
“Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince & The Revolution (Matt Fink and Bobby Z of The Revolution are Jewish) – 1984
“Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham! (Songwriter George Michael was 1/4 Jewish and Andrew Ridgeley is half Sephardic Jewish) – 1984
“Like a Virgin” by Madonna (Songwriter: Billy Steinberg) 1984-1985
“Careless Whisper” by George Michael (Songwriters George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley – of Jewish descent) – 1985
“We Are The World” by USA For Africa (Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Bob Geldof, Bette Midler, and Harry Belafonte all performed on this song) – 1985
“Everything She Wants” by Wham! (Songwriter George Michael was 1/4 Jewish and Andrew Ridgeley is half Sephardic Jewish) – 1985
“Money For Nothing’ by Dire Straits (Songwriter Mark Knopfler and his brother and bandmate David Knopfler are Jewish) – 1985
“Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston (Songwriters: Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin) – 1985
“We Built This City” by Starship (Songwriters: Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Wolf) – 1985
“Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston (Songwriters: Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin) – 1986
“On My Own” by Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald (Songwriters: Burt Bacarach and Carole Bayer Sager) – 1986
“Holding Back The Years” by Simply Red (co-writer and lead singer Mick Hucknall is part Jewish) – 1986
“True Colours” by Cyndi Lauper (Songwriters: Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg) – 1986
“You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi (keyboard player David Bryan is Jewish) – 1986
“Walk Like an Egyptian” by The Bangles (Songwriter: Liam Sternberg, Vocalist and guitarist Susannah Hoffs is Jewish) – 1986/1987
“Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi (keyboard player David Bryan is Jewish) – 1987
“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship (Songwriters: Diane Warren and Albert Hammond) – 1987
“I Knew You Were Waiting For Me” by Aretha Franklin and George Michael – 1987
“Alone” by Heart (Songwriters: Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly) – 1987
“La Bamba” by Los Lobos (Founding member Louie Perez is Sephardic Jewish) – 1987
“Didn’t We Almost Have It All” by Whitney Houston (Songwriters: Michael Masser and Will Jennings) – 1987
“I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany (Songwriter: Ritchie Cordell) – 1987
“Mony Mony” by Billy Idol (Songwriters: Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom) – 1987
“I’ve Had The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (Songwriters: John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz, and Franke Previte) – 1987
“Faith” by George Michael (Songwriter: George Michael) – 1987/1988
“So Emotional” by Whitney Houston (Songwriters: Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly) – 1988
“Could’ve Been” by Tiffany (Songwriter: Lois Blaisch) – 1988
“Father Figure” by George Michael (Songwriter: George Michael) – 1988
“One More Try” by George Michael (Songwriter: George Michael) – 1988
“Hold On To The Nights” by Richard Marx (Songwriter: Richard Marx) – 1988
“Monkey” by George Michael (Songwriter: George Michael) – 1988
“Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns n Roses (co-writer and drummer Steve Adler is Jewish) – 1988
“Red Red Wine” by UB40 (Songwriter: Neil Diamond) – 1988
“A Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins (Songwriters: Carole Bayer Sager and Toni Wine) – 1988
“Bad Medicine” by Bon Jovi (keyboard player David Bryan is Jewish) – 1988
“Look Away” by Chicago (Songwriter: Diane Warren) – 1988
“Straight Up” by Paula Abdul (Songwriter: Elliot Wolff) – 1989
“Eternal Flame” by The Bangles (Songwriters: Susannah Hoffs and Billy Steinberg) – 1989
“I’ll Be There For You” by Bon Jovi (keyboard player David Bryan is Jewish) – 1989
“Forever Your Girl” by Paula Abdul (Songwriter: Oliver Leiber – son of Jerry Leiber) – 1989
“Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler (Songwriters: Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley) – 1989
“Satisfied” by Richard Marx (Songwriter: Richard Marx) – 1989
“If You Don’t Know Me By Now” by Simply Red (lead singer Mick Hucknall is part Jewish) – 1989
“Toy Soldiers” by Martika (Songwriters: Martika and Michael Jay) – 1989
“Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx (Songwriter: Richard Marx) – 1989
“Cold Hearted” by Paula Abdul (Songwriter: Elliot Wolff) – 1989
“When I See You Smile” by Bad English (Songwriter: Diane Warren) – 1989
“Blame It On The Rain” by Milli Vanilli (Songwriter: Diane Warren) – 1989
“We Didn’t Start The Fire” by Billy Joel (Songwriter: Billy Joel – 1989

Total Jewish #1s from the Billboard Hot 100 1970-1979: 68

Number of #1 singles by Jewish Artists: 44 (~65%)

Grand total of Jewish Billboard Hot 100 #1s from 1960-1989: 195

Grand total of #1 Billboard Hot 100 singles by Jewish Artists from 1960-1989: 105 (~54%)

UK #1s by Jewish Songwriters and Musicians: The Full List

One thing I noticed as I expected is that this list is shorter, but in certain years there were more Jewish chart-toppers than in the US. The US has way more Jewish people than the UK. There are some different names on here and you’ll see Britain’s Jewish songwriters listed here like Lionel Bart, Tony Macaulay, Mitch Murray, and Nicky Chinn. One thing I did not expect is that there was no year in which there was no Jewish songwriter or musician to top the charts. I also found that it was more stable as opposed to the peaks and valleys in the US. It’s also interesting to see which songs topped the chart first: US or UK.

Jewish #1 hits of the 1960s (UK)

“Starry Eyed” by Michael Holliday (Songwriters: Earl Shuman and Mort Garson) – 1960
“Do You Mind?” by Anthony Newley (Songwriter: Lionel Bart) – 1960
“Tell Laura I Love Her” by Ricky Valence (Songwriters: Jeff Barry and Ben Raleigh) – 1960
“It’s Now or Never” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Wally Gold and Aaron Schroeder) – 1960
“Poetry In Motion” by Johnny Tillotson (Songwriters: Mike Anthony and Paul Kaufman) – 1961
“Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Lou Handman and Roy Turk) – 1961
“Wooden Heart” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Fred Wise, Ben Weisman, Kay Twomey, Bert Kaempfert) – 1961
“Blue Moon” by The Marcels (Songwriters: Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) – 1961
“Surrender” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman, and Ernesto De Curtis) – 1961
“Temptation” by The Everly Brothers (Songwriters: Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed) – 1961
“You Don’t Know” by Helen Shapiro – 1961
“Climb Ev’ry Mountain” by Shirley Bassey (Songwriters: Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II) – 1961
“Kon-Tiki” by The Shadows (Composer: Michael Carr) – 1961
“Walkin’ Back To Happiness” by Helen Shapiro – 1961
“The Young Ones” by Cliff Richard & The Shadows (Songwriters: Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett) – 1962
“Can’t Help Falling in Love/Rock A Hula” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss/Ben Weisman, Fred Wise, and Dolores Fuller) – 1962
“Nut Rocker” by B. Bumble and the Stingers (Al Hazan played piano) – 1962
“Good Luck Charm” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Wally Gold and Aaron Schroeder) – 1962
“She’s Not You” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Doc Pomus) – 1962
“Lovesick Blues” by Frank Ifield (Songwriters: Cliff Friend and Irving Mills) – 1962
“The Next Time” by Cliff Richard & The Shadows (Songwriters: Buddy Kaye and Philip Springer) – 1963
“The Wayward Wind” by Frank Ifield (Songwriters: Stanley Lebowsky and Herb Newman) – 1963
“How Do You Do It?” by Gerry and the Pacemakers (Songwriter: Mitch Murray) – 1963
“I Like It” by Gerry and the Pacemakers (Songwriter: Mitch Murray) – 1963
“You’re The Devil In Disguise” by Elvis Presley (Songwriters: Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, and Florence Kaye) – 1963
“Sweets For My Sweet” by The Searchers (Songwriters: Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman) – 1063
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers (Songwriters: Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II) – 1963
“Diane” by The Bachelors (Songwriters: Ernö Rappée and Lew Pollack) – 1964
“Anyone Who Had a Hear” by Cilla Black (Songwriters: Burt Bacharach and Hal David) – 1964
“Little Children” by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas (Songwriters: J. Leslie McFarland and Mort Shuman) – 1964
“Don’t Throw Your Love Away” by The Searchers (Songwriters: Billy Jackson and Jimmy Wisner) – 1964
“You’re My World” by Cilla Black (Songwriters: Umberto Bindi, Gino Paoli, and Carl Sigman) – 1964
“Do Wah Diddy Diddy” by Manfred Mann (Songwriters: Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, keyboard player Manfred Mann is also Jewish) – 1964
“I’m Into Something Good” by Herman’s Hermits (Songwriters: Gerry Goffin and Carole King) – 1964
“There’s Always Something There To Remind Me” by Sandie Shaw (Songwriters: Burt Bacharach and Hal David) – 1964
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” by The Righteous Brothers (Songwriters: Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil) – 1965
“Mr Tambourine Man” by The Byrds (Songwriter: Bob Dylan) – 1965
“Make It Easy On Yourself” by The Walker Brothers (Songwriters: Burt Bacharach and Hal David) – 1965
“Pretty Flamingo” by Manfred Mann (Songwriter: Mark Barkan, keyboard player Manfred Mann is also Jewish) – 1966
“Strangers in the Night” by Frank Sinatra (Songwriters: Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, and Eddie Snyder) – 1966
“I’m a Believer” by The Monkees (Songwriter: Neil Diamond) – 1967
“A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum (Songwriters: Keith Reid, Gary Brooker, and Matthew Fisher) – 1967
“Baby Now That I’ve Found You” by The Foundations (Songwriters: Tony Macaulay and John Macleod) – 1967
“Let The Heartaches Begin” by Long John Baldry (Songwriters: Tony Macaulay and John Macleod) – 1967
“The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde” by Georgie Fame (Songwriters: Mitch Murray and Peter Callendar) – 1968
“The Mighty Quinn” by Manfred Mann (Songwriter: Bob Dylan, keyboard player Manfred Mann is Jewish) – 1968
“Cinderella Rockafella” by Esther and Abi Ofarim – 1968
“What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong (Songwriters: Bob Thiele and George David Weiss) – 1968
“I Pretend” by Des O’Connor – 1968
“Mony Mony” by Tommy James & The Shondells (Songwriters: Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom) – 1968
“Those Were The Days” by Mary Hopkin (Songwriters: Boris Fomin and Gene Raskin) – 1968
“Albatross” by Fleetwood Mac (Songwriter: Peter Green) – 1969
“Je t’aime moi non plus” by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg (Songwriter: Serge Gainsbourg) – 1969
“Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies (Songwriters: Jeff Barry and Andy Kim) – 1969

Total Jewish #1 hits in the UK from 1960-1969: 54

Number of songs by Jewish Artists: 11 (~20%)

Jewish #1 hits of the 1970s (UK)

“Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes” by Edison Lighthouse (Songwriters: Tony Macaulay and Barry Mason) – 1970
“Wand’rin’ Star” by Lee Marvin (Songwriters: Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe)
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel (Songwriter: Paul Simon) – 1970
“Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum (Songwriter: Norman Greenbaum) – 1970
“Hot Love” by T. Rex (Songwriter: Marc Bolan) – 1971
“Knock Three Times” by Tony Orlando & Dawn (Songwriters: Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown) – 1971
“Get It On” by T. Rex (Songwriter: Marc Bolan) – 1971
“Telegram Sam” by T. Rex (Songwriter: Marc Bolan) – 1972
“Metal Guru” by T. Rex (Songwriter: Marc Bolan) – 1972
“Blockbuster” by Sweet (Songwriters: Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn) – 1973
“The Twelfth of Never” by Donny Osmond (Songwriters:
Jerry Livingston and Paul Francis Webster) – 1973
“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Ole Oak Tree” by Tony Orlando & Dawn (Songwriters: Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown) – 1973
“Can The Can” by Suzi Quatro (Songwriters: Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn) – 1973
“Rubber Bullets” by 10cc (Songwriters: Lol Creme, Kevin Godley, and Graham Gouldman) – 1973
“You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me” by The New Seekers (Songwriters: Tony Macaulay and Geoff Stephens) – 1974
“Tiger Feet” by Mud (Songwriters: Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn) – 1974
“Devil Gate Drive” by Suzi Quatro (Songwriters: Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn) – 1974
“Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” by Paper Lace (Songwriters: Mitch Murray and Peter Callander) – 1974
“Lonely This Christmas” by Mud (Songwriters: Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn) – 1974/1975
“I’m Not In Love” by 10cc (Songwriters: Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman, also band members Lol Creme and Kevin Godley) – 1975
“Can’t Give You Anything But My Love” by The Stylistics (Songwriters: Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss) – 1975
“I Only Have Eyes For You” by Art Garfunkel (Songwriters: Harry Warren and Al Dubin) – 1975
“December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” by The Four Seasons (keyboard player Lee Shapiro is Jewish) – 1976
“Save Your Kisses For Me” by Brotherhood of Man (Songwriters: Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee) – 1976
“Don’t Give Up On Us” by David Soul (Songwriter: Tony Macaulay) – 1977
“When I Need You” by Leo Sayer (Songwriters: Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager) – 1977
“Chanson D’Amour” by The Manhattan Transfer (Vocalists Janis Siegel and Alan Paul are Jewish) – 1977
“Angelo” by Brotherhood of Man (Songwriters: Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee) – 1977
“Silver Lady” by David Soul (Songwriters: Tony Macaulay and Geoff Stephens) – 1977
“Mull of Kintyre” by Wings (keyboard player Linda McCartney was Jewish) – 1977/1978
“Figaro” by Brotherhood of Man (Songwriters: Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee) – 1978
“You’re The One That I Want” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – 1978
“Dreadlock Holiday” by 10cc (Songwriters: Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman) – 1978
“Summer Nights” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – 1978
“Rat Trap” by The Boomtown Rats (Songwriter: Bob Geldof) – 1978
“Heart of Glass” by Blondie (Songwriters: Debbie Harry and Chris Stein – the latter is the guitarist) – 1979
“Bright Eyes” by Art Garfunkel – 1979
“Sunday Girl” by Blondie (Songwriter: Chris Stein) – 1979
“I Don’t Like Mondays” by The Boomtown Rats (Songwriter: Bob Geldof) – 1979

Total Jewish #1 hits in the UK from 1970-1979: 39

Number of songs by Jewish Artists: 20 (~51%)

Jewish #1 hits of the 1980s (UK)

“Atomic” by Blondie (guitarist Chris Stein is Jewish) – 1980
“Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me, Girl” by The Spinners (Songwriters: Denny Randell, Sandy Linzer, and Michael Zager) – 1980
“Theme From M.A.S.H.” by The Mash (Songwritsers: Mike Altman and Johnny Mandel) – 1980
“Xanadu” by Olivia Newton-John and ELO – 1980
“Use It Up And Wear It Out” by Odyssey (Songwriters: Sandy Linzer and L. Russell Brown) – 1980
“Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand – 1980
“The Tide is High” by Blondie (guitarist Chris Stein is Jewish) – 1980
“It’s My Party” by Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin (Songwriters:
Wally Gold, John Gluck Jr, and Herb Weiner) – 1981
“I’ve Never Been To Me” by Charlene (Songwriters:
Ron Miller and Kenneth Hirsch) – 1982
“Happy Talk” by Captain Sensible (Songwriters: Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II) – 1982
“Fame” by Irene Cara (Songwriters: Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford) – 1982
“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” by Culture Club (co-writer and drummer Jon Moss is Jewish) – 1982
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler (Songwriter: Jim Steinman) – 1983
“Red Red Wine” by UB40 (Songwriter: Neil Diamond) – 1983
“Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club (co-writer and drummer Jon Moss is Jewish) – 1983
“Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel (Songwriter: Billy Joel) – 1983
“Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham! (Songwriter George Michael was of Jewish descent and Andrew Ridgeley is half Sephardic Jewish) – 1984
“Careless Whisper” by George Michael (Songwriters George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Jewish descent) – 1984
“Freedom” by Wham! (Songwriter George Michael was of Jewish descent and Andrew Ridgeley is half Sephardic Jewish) – 1984
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid (Bob Geldof, George Michael, and Jon Moss performed on this song) – 1984/1985
“You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” by Dead or Alive (co-writer and lead singer Pete Burns was Jewish) – 1985
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” by The Crowd (Songwriters: Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II) – 1985
“Frankie” by Sister Sledge (Songwriter: Denise Rich) – 1985
“The Power of Love” by Jennifer Rush (Songwriters: Jennifer Rush and Mary Susan Applegate) – 1985
“I’m Your Man” by Wham! (Songwriter George Michael was 1/4 Jewish and Andrew Ridgeley is half Sephardic Jewish) – 1985
“Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston (Songwriters: Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin) – 1985
“Living Doll” by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank Marvin (Songwriter: Lionel Bart) – 1986
“A Different Corner” by George Michael (Songwriter George Michael was of partial Jewish descent) – 1986
“Spirit in the Sky” by Doctor and the Medics (Songwriter: Norman Greenbaum) – 1986
“The Edge of Heaven” by Wham! (Songwriter George Michael was 1/4 Jewish and Andrew Ridgeley is half Sephardic Jewish) – 1986
“I Knew You Were Waiting For Me” by Aretha Franklin and George Michael – 1987
“Stand By Me” by Ben E. King (Songwriters: Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller) – 1987
“Let It Be” by Ferry Aid (Mark Knopfler played a guitar solo in this song) – 1987
“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship (Songwriters: Diane Warren and Albert Hammond) – 1987
“La Bamba” by Los Lobos (Founding member Louie Perez is Sephardic Jewish) – 1987
“I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany (Songwriter: Ritchie Cordell) – 1988
“Don’t Turn Around” by Aswad (Songwriters: Albert Hammond and Diane Warren) – 1988
“Doctorin’ The Tardis” by The Timelords (samples The Sweet’s “Blockbuster”, a Chapman/Chinn song) – 1988
“Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” by Glenn Medeiros (Songwriters: Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin)
“A Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins (Songwriters: Carole Bayer Sager and Toni Wine) – 1988
“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” by The Hollies (Songwriters: Bob Russell and Bobby Scott) – 1988
“First Time” by Robin Beck – 1988
“Sealed With a Kiss” by Jason Donovan (Songwriters: Peter Udell and Gary Geld) – 1989
“That’s What I Like” by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers (Samples:
Morton Stevens’ Hawaii Five-O Theme and “Let’s Twist Again” written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell) – 1989
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid II (Kevin Godley and Bob Geldof perform in this one) – 1989

Total Jewish #1 hits in the UK from 1980-1989: 45

Number of songs by Jewish Artists: 21 (~47%)

Grand total of Jewish UK #1s from 1960-1989: 138

Grand total of #1 Billboard Hot 100 singles by Jewish Artists from 1960-1989: 52 (~38%)

Charts Analysis: Trends and Observations

In both countries, I definitely noticed that Jewish representation in the pop music charts went from being nearly exclusively behind the scenes roles like songwriting and producing to being the musicians as well and often writing your own material too. This tracks with the increase in popularity and prominence of singer-songwriters starting in the mid 60s with the British Invasion. What really surprised me was that there was no year with zero Jewish songwriters or singers topping the charts, but not every year had Jewish musicians topping the charts.

Unsurprisingly I kept seeing the same names pop up over and over again, especially when it comes to songwriters. This is because there were a lot of songwriting duo powerhouses in the 60s, but also in other decades too. Clearly these songwriters are creating something brilliant to end up in the charts over and over again. That’s a talent! Here are some of the names that I saw the most:

George Michael got 8 #1s in the US in the 80s as a solo artist, as Wham! and as a duet with Aretha Franklin.
Tony Macaulay wrote 6 UK #1s
Gerry Goffin/Carole King: 6 #1s in the US between 1961 and 1971 + 1 #1 in the UK. Gerry Goffin got a few more hits in the 70s and 80s, writing songs with Michael Masser. Carole King got a #1 hit with “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel The Earth Move”
Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich: 5 #1s in the US between 1964 and 1977. Jeff Barry went on to have 2 more #1 hits with other songwriters.
Nicky Chinn got 5 #1 hits in the UK in the 70s
Barbra Streisand got 5 #1s in the US
Carole Bayer Sager co-wrote 4 US #1 hits
Mitch Murray co-wrote 4 UK #1s
Neil Sedaka wrote 4 US #1 hits
Diane Warren wrote 4 US #1 hits
Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote 4 #1 UK hits from 1960-1989
Burt Bacharach/Hal David: got 3 #1s in both the US and UK
Aaron Schroeder got 3 #1s in the US and 2 #1s in the UK.
Paul Simon wrote 4 US #1 hits plus sang on “We Are The World”
Billy Joel got 4 #1s in the US in the 80s
Bob Geldof got 4 #1s in the UK in the 70s and 80s
Two of Britain’s most successful Jewish singer-songwriters are Marc Bolan and 10cc (or 3/4 of the classic lineup). Marc Bolan had 4 #1s with T. Rex and 10cc had 3 #1s.
1989 was the year with the most Jewish #1s in the US,
1962 was the year with the most Jewish #1s in the UK
Jewish musicians got a #1 hit every year in the US except for 1965, when the British Invasion peaked
Meanwhile in the UK, there were five years where Jewish musicians didn’t get a #1: 1960, 1963, 1965, 1974, and 1981

This was a fun analysis and I loved seeing how much Jewish artistry, talent, and influence there is in pop music and I think this blog post is a celebration of that. Below you can see some charts I made to visualise the stats:

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Every Jewish #1 Hit of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s