TOP 100 CAPITOL HITS
1950-1969
- Vaya Con Dios - Les Paul and Mary Ford - 1953
- Mona Lisa - Nat "King" Cole - 1950
- Hey Jude - The Beatles - 1968
- Too Young - Nat "King" Cole - 1951
- How High the Moon - Les Paul and Mary Ford - 1951
- Wheel of Fortune - Kay Starr - 1952
- Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford - 1955
- I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles - 1964
- The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter - 1956
- Lisbon Antigua - Nelson Riddle - 1956
- Memories Are Made of This - Dean Martin - 1956
- Ode to Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry - 1967
- Tom Dooley - The Kingston Trio - 1958
- Get Back - The Beatles with Billy Preston - 1969
- Yesterday - The Beatles - 1965
- True Love - Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly - 1956
- That's Amore - Dean Martin - 1953
- Unchained Melody - Les Baxter - 1955
- Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles - 1964
- Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto - 1963
- St. George and the Dragonet - Stan Freberg - 1953
- It's in the Book - Johnny Standley - 1952
- April in Portugal - Les Baxter - 1953
- We Can Work it Out - The Beatles - 1966
- I Get Around - The Beach Boys - 1964
- Learnin' the Blues - Frank Sinatra - 1955
- Young Love - Sonny James - 1957
- He's Got the Whole World in His Hands - Laurie London - 1958
- Young-At-Heart - Frank Sinatra - 1954
- Help! - The Beatles - 1965
- The Wild Side of Life - Hank Thompson - 1952
- I Feel Fine - The Beatles - 1964
- Help Me, Rhonda - The Beach Boys - 1965
- A Blossom Fell - Nat "King" Cole - 1955
- A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles - 1964
- Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys - 1966
- Mockin' Bird Hill - Les Paul and Mary Ford - 1951
- A World Without Love - Peter and Gordon - 1964
- Hello Goodbye - The Beatles - 1967
- I Get So Lonely (When I Dream About You) - The Four
Knights - 1954 - Oh! - Pee Wee Hunt - 1953
- Come Together - The Beatles - 1969
- I'm Telling You Now - Freddie and the Dreamers - 1965
- All You Need is Love - The Beatles - 1967
- The Blacksmith Blues - Ella Mae Morse - 1952
- Pretend - Nat "King" Cole - 1953
- Eight Days a Week - The Beatles - 1965
- Gone - Ferlin Husky - 1957
- Teen-Age Crush - Tommy Sands - 1957
- Ramblin' Rose - Nat "King" Cole - 1962
- Georgy Girl - The Seekers - 1967
- Those Were the Days - Mary Hopkin - 1968
- Send For Me - Nat "King" Cole - 1957
- Love's Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens - 1963
- Paperback Writer - The Beatles - 1966
- Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys - 1963
- I'll Never Be Free - Kay Starr and Tennessee Ernie - 1950
- The World is Waiting for the Sunrise - Les Paul and
Mary Ford - 1951 - Ticket to Ride - The Beatles - 1965
- Return to Me - Dean Martin - 1958
- 26 Miles (Santa Catalina) - The Four Preps - 1958
- Penny Lane - The Beatles - 1967
- Dragnet - Ray Anthony - 1953
- Bonaparte's Retreat - Kay Starr - 1950
- I Love You Because - Al Martino - 1963
- Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell - 1968
- You're the Reason I'm Living - Bobby Darin - 1963
- If You Love Me (Really Love Me) - Kay Starr - 1954
- Yellow Submarine - The Beatles - 1966
- Looking Back - Nat "King" Cole - 1958
- Love and Marriage - Frank Sinatra - 1955
- I'll Never Find Another You - The Seekers - 1965
- Time Won't Let Me - The Outsiders - 1966
- Galveston - Glen Campbell - 1969
- Answer Me, My Love - Nat "King" Cole - 1954
- Hey! Jealous Lover - Frank Sinatra - 1956
- Lady Madonna - The Beatles - 1968
- Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys - 1966
- Meet Mister Callaghan - Les Paul - 1952
- Big Man - The Four Preps - 1958
- Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky - 1961
- California Girls - The Beach Boys - 1965
- Hello Walls - Faron Young - 1961
- Be-Bop-A-Lula - Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps - 1956
- Sloop John B - The Beach Boys - 1966
- A Dear John Letter - Jean Shepard with Ferlin Huskey - 1953
- Country Girl - Faron Young - 1959
- Nowhere Man - The Beatles - 1966
- Somewhere Along the Way - Nat "King" Cole - 1952
- Ballad of Davy Crockett - Tennessee Ernie Ford - 1955
- The Man Upstairs - Kay Starr - 1954
- Alone With You - Faron Young - 1958
- Whispering - Les Paul - 1951
- Peter Gunn - Ray Anthony - 1959
- Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You -
The Lettermen - 1968 - The High and the Mighty - Les Baxter - 1954
- Fever - Peggy Lee - 1958
- The Happy Whistler - Don Robertson - 1956
- Nobody But Me - The Human Beinz - 1968
- Willie and the Hand Jive - The Johnny Otis Show - 1958
This list is comprised of songs released on Capitol Records and its subsidiary labels Prep, Tower and Apple. Rankings are based on the popularity of each song during the period of 1950 through 1969.
The Beatles lead all artists on the list with 19 hits (including one with Billy Preston), followed by Nat "King" Cole with nine entries and The Beach Boys with seven. Les Paul has six (four of which feature vocalist/wife Mary Ford) and Kay Starr has five (including one with Tennessee Ernie Ford), while Les Baxter and Frank Sinatra are on the list with four apiece. The company's fortunes were hit-and-miss throughout the two decades. The year 1953, when Cole and Les Paul and Mary Ford were riding high, is represented by eight hits. The late '50s were more diverse: 1958 has nine entries by eight different artists. There are eight songs apiece from the years 1965 and 1966, when the Beach Boys and the Beatles were at the height of their popularity.
