Radio Luxembourg Charts 1960 to 1968

PLAY ALL THE SONGS ON YOUTUBE

A much loved and well-remembered pastime was lying in bed late at night with a radio under the bed-clothes, listening to the most famous radio station in Europe – The English service of Radio Luxembourg. Founded in 1933, Luxy, as the station was affectionately known, broadcast entertainment and popular music to a continent that was poorly served in that regard by their national broadcasters. One of the most popular programmes on Radio Luxembourg was the "Top Twenty Show," which holds the distinction of being Europe's very first regular popular music chart countdown. This beloved programme made its debut on Friday, 1st October 1948, and during its early years, it relied on sheet music charts as the primary source of data to determine the chart rankings.

As the late 1950s approached, Radio Luxembourg recognised the shifting musical preferences of its audience, moving away from catering primarily for adults and redirecting its focus towards the burgeoning teenage market. The station began using the NME (New Musical Express) record chart to accurately reflect the records that the younger audience was buying. This change was in line with the record company-sponsored shows, which had now become a significant portion of Radio Luxembourg's programming. It is the NME charts that this book features.

In this book, you will find a complete compilation of weekly charts aired on Radio Luxembourg spanning from January 1960 to December 1968. These charts offer a comprehensive overview of the popular music during that period. The charts indicate which version of the NME charts were used (NME) for the standard chart and (SPE) for the specially compiled version which the NME sent to Radio Luxembourg between August 1965 and June 1966. The dates shown are the Saturday of that week – the broadcast was on Sunday, the following day.

Following the weekly charts is a list of all the records which became hits together with the highest positions they achieved. This valuable information provides a comprehensive and insightful look into the pop landscape of a most dynamic musical era. Every song has a link to play on YouTube.