Here are the 40 biggest hits of 1961 in the U.S.:

1 TOSSIN' AND TURNIN' Bobby Lewis
2 I FALL TO PIECES Patsy Cline
3 MICHAEL Highwaymen
4 CRYIN' Roy Orbison
5 RUNAWAY Del Shannon
6 MY TRUE STORY Jive Five
7 PONY TIME Chubby Checker
8 WHEELS String-A-Longs
9 RAINDROPS Dee Clark
10 WOODEN HEART Joe Dowell

11 CALCUTTA Lawrence Welk
12 TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY Bobby Vee
13 RUNNING SCARED Roy Orbison
14 DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE Shirelles
15 LAST NIGHT Mar-Keys
16 WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW Shirelles
17 EXODUS Ferrante & Teicher
18 WHERE THE BOYS ARE Connie Francis
19 HIT THE ROAD JACK Ray Charles
20 SAD MOVIES (MAKE ME CRY) Sue Thompson

21 MOTHER-IN-LAW Ernie K-Doe
22 BRISTOL STOMP Dovells
23 TRAVELIN' MAN Ricky Nelson
24 SHOP AROUND Miracles
25 THE BOLL WEEVIL SONG Brook Benton
26 A HUNDRED POUNDS OF CLAY Gene McDaniels
27 THE MOUNTAIN'S HIGH Dick & Deedee
28 DON'T WORRY Marty Robbins
29 ON THE REBOUND Floyd Cramer
30 PORTRAIT OF MY LOVE Steve Lawrence

31 QUARTER TO THREE Gary "U.S." Bonds
32 WHO PUT THE BOMP (IN THE BOMP, BOMP, BOMP) Barry Mann
33 CALENDAR GIRL Neil Sedaka
34 I LIKE IT LIKE THAT Chris Kenner
35 APACHE Jorgen Ingmann
36 DON'T BET MONEY HONEY Linda Scott
37 WITHOUT YOU Johnny Tillotson
38 WINGS OF A DOVE Ferlin Husky
39 LITTLE SISTER Elvis Presley
40 BLUE MOON Marcels

And here are the 20 biggest hits of the same year in the U.K.:

1 RUNAWAY Del Shannon
2 WOODEN HEART Elvis Presley
3 YOU DON'T KNOW Helen Shapiro
4 HALFWAY TO PARADISE Billy Fury
5 WELL I ASK YOU Eden Kane
6 ARE YOU SURE? Allisons
7 WALKIN' BACK TO HAPPINESS Helen Shapiro
8 WALK RIGHT BACK c/w EBONY EYES Everly Brothers
9 JOHNNY REMEMBER ME John Leyton
10 LITTLE SISTER c/w HIS LATEST FLAME Elvis Presley

11 HELLO MARY LOU c/w TRAVELLIN' MAN Ricky Nelson
12 SURRENDER Elvis Presley
13 A GIRL LIKE YOU Cliff Richard & the Shadows
14 TEMPTATION Everly Brothers
15 F.B.I. Shadows
16 BLUE MOON Marcels
17 SAILOR Petula Clark
18 ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT? Elvis Presley
19 THEME FOR A DREAM Cliff Richard & the Shadows
20 REACH FOR THE STARS c/w CLIMB EV'RY MOUNTAIN {tied} Shirley Bassey
20 THE FRIGHTENED CITY {tied} Shadows

The 20 biggest hits in Australia for the same year:

1 MOON RIVER Henry Mancini and Jerry Butler (shared)
2 EXODUS Ferrante & Teicher
3 A SCOTTISH SOLDIER Andy Stewart
4 WOODEN HEART Elvis Presley
5 LET THERE BE DRUMS Sandy Nelson
6 ASIA MINOR Kokomo
7 CRYING / CANDY MAN Roy Orbison
8 I'M COUNTING ON YOU Johnny O'Keefe
9 TRAVELIN' MAN Rick Nelson
10 WHEN THE GIRL IN YOUR ARMS, IS THE GIRL IN YOUR HEART Cliff Richard

11 I'M GONNA KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR Eddie Hodges
12 LITTLE DEVIL Neil Sedaka
13 DREAM GIRL Mark Wynter / Bryan Davies (shared)
14 TAKE FIVE Dave Brubeck Quartet
15 RUNAWAY Del Shannon
16 RUN TO HIM Bobby Vee
17 GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD James Darren
18 MILORD Edith Piaf
19 NEVER ON SUNDAY Don Costa & his Orchestra & Chorus
20 MY BOOMERANG WON'T COME BACK Charlie Drake

Some good songs that year.  I wish I had official charts for Canada, but apart from local radio charts, our then official chart did not begin until 1965.

Good songs indeed, but what was the best-selling British LP that year?

A relic from a bygone and decidedly un-PC age - 'The Black And White Minstrel Show'...!

I like Helen Shapiro. She had a very distinct voice.

Here are the top 20 songs in France and Germany for '61:

1  André Verchuren - Les fiancés d'Auvergne
2  Edith Piaf - Non je ne regrette rien
3  Les Compagnons de la Chanson - La marche des anges
4  Dalida - 24 000 baisers
5  Dalida - Garde moi la dernière danse
6  Johnny Hallyday - Souvenirs souvenirs
7  André Verchuren - Si tu m'écrivais
8  Petula Clark - Marin
9  Les Compagnons de la Chanson - Le bleu de l'été
10 Los Machucambos - Pepito

11 Jean Claude Pascal - Nous les amoureux
12 Les Chaussettes Noires - Daniela
13 Johnny Hallyday - Viens danser le twist
14 Marcel Amont - Dans le coeur de ma blonde
15 Charles Aznavour - Il faut savoir
16 Johnny Hallyday - Kili watch
17 Edith Piaf - Exodus
18 Dario Moreno - Brigitte Bardot
19 Les Chaussettes Noires - Tu parles trop
20 Gillian Hills - Coucouche panier

As you can see, one of Edith Piaf's best known songs is at number 2. She died two years later.

1.  Ramona - Blue Diamonds
2.  Wheels - Billy Vaughn
3.  Babysitter-Boogie - Buzz Clifford (Ralf Bendix)
4.  Mit 17 fängt das Leben erst an (Save The Last Dance For Me) - Ivo Robic (Drifters)
5.  Hello Mary-Lou - Ricky Nelson (Jan & Kjeld)
6.  Weiße Rosen aus Athen - Nana Mouskouri
7.  Der Mann im Mond - Gus Backus
8.  Schöner fremder Mann - Connie Francis
9.  La Paloma - Freddy Quinn
10. Ein Schiff wird kommen - Lale Andersen (Caterina Valente)

11. Drei weiße Birken - Monika & Peter
12. Corinna Corinna - Peter Beil (Ray Peterson)
13. Wooden Heart (Muß i denn) - Elvis Presley (Gus Backus)
14. Zuckerpuppe - Bill Ramsey
15. Apache - Shadows (Jörgen Ingmann)
16. Pepito - Los Machucambos
17. Wie damals in Paris - Blue Diamonds
18. Am Sonntag will mein Süßer mit mir segeln geh'n - Old Merry Tale Jazzband
19. Are You Lonesome Tonight (Bist du einsam heut nacht) - Elvis Presley (Peter Alexander)
20. Schnaps das war sein letztes Wort - Willy Millowitsch

I like Helen Shapiro. She had a very distinct voice.

A bit confusing...you had her sounding like a young man and Del Shannon sounding like a woman!

6.  Weiße Rosen aus Athen - Nana Mouskouri


Dear ol' Nana recorded this in every conceivable language...

A monster hit on the continent, it failed to make the British listings but kept shifting enough copies to justify being kept on catalogue...

I think it finally got deleted nearly two decades later!  :P