# Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 1961 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 6, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146 "2015-01-06T19:04:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146/1 "2015-01-06T19:04:05Z")
Our survey now takes us once again to the year in which my mother was born (and she should know), and it feels like I should at this point elaborate a little on how the Year-End Hot 100 works. Billboard publishes its year-end charts every year in the issue dated for the third Saturday of December, which, due to the traditional lead time and advance dating of magazines, means it usually hits the shelves on Thursday of the second week of December. The year-end Hot 100 tracks the top singles of the year over the 52 weeks immediately prior to when the list was compiled; due to its early publication date, Billboard’s “year” usually ends on the third Saturday of November. From its inception until 1991, the year-end Hot 100 used a points system wherein any given song received points each week based inversely upon its position in the weekly Hot 100; i.e., the #1 song got 100 points, the #2 song got 99 points, the #3 song got 98 points, and so on. After 1991, this system was abandoned and the year-end formula became identical to the formula used to calculate the weekly charts, using data from 52 weeks instead of just one. That being said, these are the 27 songs from 1961’s year-end Hot 100 that never made it to #1. What’s your favorite? Previous polls: [1956](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744629) [1957](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744819) [1958](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744978) [1959](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745151) [1960](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745331) Best #1 single polls: [1955-56](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731649) [1957](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731871) [1958](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732021) [1959](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732199)[1960](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732526) [1961](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732691) [1962](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732872) [1963](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733112) [1964](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733297) [1965](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733526) [1966](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733750) [1967](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733958) [1968](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734168) [1969](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734331) [1970](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734535) [1971](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734741) [1972](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735107) [1973](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735304) [1974](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735502) [1975](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735659) [1976](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735871) [1977](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736076) [1978](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736316) [1979](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736501) [1980](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736705) [1981](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736957) [1982](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737099) [1983](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737315) [1984](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737488) [1985](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737732) [1986](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737957) [1987](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738178) [1988](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738403) [1989](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738639) [1990](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738829) [1991](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739067) [1992](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739360) [1993](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739525) [1994](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739880) [1995](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740122) [1996](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740302) [1997](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740497) [1998](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740709) [1999](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740859) [2000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741047) [2001](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741267) [2002](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741450) [2003](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741604) [2004](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741730) [2005](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741915) [2006](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742069) [2007](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742147) [2008](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742282) [2009](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742467) [2010](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742676) [2011](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742846) [2012](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=675664) [2013](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710843) [2014](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743899) [1950s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743046) [1960s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743240) [1970s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743399) [1980s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743597) [1990s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743803) [2000s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743981) [2010s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744176) [All-time](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744358) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146/2 "2015-01-06T19:44:47Z")
I am not familiar with a lot of those songs. Some I suspect I just never knew the title/artist, but some probably just never get played on oldies radio. Anyway, Patsy Cline for me. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146/3 "2015-01-06T19:54:00Z")
I voted “Apache,” but I was thinking of The Shadows version. The Jörgen Ingmann version is good, too, so I don’t feel I wasted a vote. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146/4 "2015-01-06T20:05:05Z")
Patsy’s I Fall To Pieces. But also in the running: both Roy Orbison songs Take Good Care Of My Baby Dedicated To the One I Love Shop Around Calendar Girl ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146/5 "2015-01-07T03:06:53Z")
Voted for “Shop Around”. “Calendar Girl” is the second choice. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146/6 "2015-01-07T03:36:20Z")
Went with Roy Orbison, but Shop Around was so tempting! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146/7 "2015-01-07T04:43:04Z")
Patsy Cline again, but really it’s a tie with “Crying” for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1961/709146/8 "2015-01-08T02:41:01Z")
“Crying” finishes highest in the world-famous **Ponch8 Music Rating System** in a tight race. My top three choices (in order, “Crying,” “Shop Around,” “I Fall to Pieces”) are #1, 2, and 3 in the poll so far. I don’t know if that’s ever happened before. “Who Put the Bomp…” really sucks and finishes dead-ass last in this [NIT](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Invitation_Tournament#The_reputation_of_the_NIT)of Billboard polls.