The King has long been royalty on the Billboard Hot 100, and his chart success even predates the survey’s start.
Upon the Friday (June 24) box-office premiere of Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Austin Butler in the title role, a look at Elvis Presley‘s achievements on Billboard‘s signature songs chart reflects that he earned a combined total of 17 No. 1s on the Hot 100 and its key predecessor ranking Best Sellers in Stores.
Presley notched 10 No. 1 singles on Best Sellers in Stores, beginning with “Heartbreak Hotel” in April 1956. He added seven more No. 1s on the Hot 100, once the tally premiered in August 1958 (replacing Best Sellers in Stores and other charts), last leading with “Suspicious Minds” in November 1969.
Despite his career pre-dating the Hot 100’s start, Presley became the first artist to chart as many as 100 entries on the ranking, and he held the record for the most charted Hot 100 titles from late 1964 through early 2011.
The late legendary Presley most recently appeared on the Hot 100 over the 2020 holiday season, with “Blue Christmas.” First recorded and released in 1957, the carol debuted on the Hot 100 during the 2018 holidays, granting Presley his highest rank on the chart since 1981.
(Notably, as Presley originally broke through, his impact helped spur the Hot 100’s inception itself, as Seymour Stein, Sire Records co-founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enshrinee, recalled of the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, origin.)
Here’s a chronological recap of Presley’s iconic 17 No. 1 singles on the all-genre Best Sellers in Stores and Hot 100 charts.
Elvis Presley’s No. 1s On:
Best Sellers in Stores
“Heartbreak Hotel,” eight weeks at No. 1, beginning April 21, 1956
“I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,” one, July 28, 1956
“Hound Dog”/”Don’t Be Cruel” (double-sided single), 11, Aug. 18, 1956
“Love Me Tender,” five, Nov. 3, 1956
“Too Much,” three, Feb. 9, 1957
“All Shook Up,” eight, April 13, 1957
“(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear,” seven, July 8, 1957
“Jailhouse Rock,” seven, Oct. 21, 1957
“Don’t,” five, Feb. 10, 1958
“Hard Headed Woman,” two, July 21, 1958
Billboard Hot 100:
“A Big Hunk O’ Love,” two weeks at No. 1, beginning Aug. 10, 1959
“Stuck on You,” four, April 25, 1960
“It’s Now or Never,” five, Aug. 15, 1960
“Are You Lonesome To-night?,” six, Nov. 28, 1960
“Surrender,” two, March 20, 1961
“Good Luck Charm,” two, April 21, 1962
“Suspicious Minds,” one, Nov. 1, 1969 (also the 75th-anniversary date of the first Billboard issue)
Presley has also scored 10 No. 1s on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, from Elvis Presley in May 1956 through Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits in October 2002. In the list’s history (which dates to March 24, 1956, and is, thus, more inclusive of Presley’s overall catalog than the Hot 100), he ranks third among solo males and fourth among all acts for the most No. 1s, after The Beatles (19), Jay-Z (14), Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand (11 each). Drake, Eminem, Taylor Swift and Ye have also achieved 10 Billboard 200 No. 1s each.
