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List of Billboard number-one country songs of 1952

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A dark-haired man wearing an elaborately-patterned suit and holding a guitar
A woman with long dark hair wearing a polka dot blouse
Hank Thompson's song "The Wild Side of Life" was followed into the number one position by "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" by Kitty Wells, which had been written as an answer song to it.

In 1952, Billboard magazine published three charts covering the best-performing country music songs in the United States. At the start of the year, the charts were published under the titles Most-Played Juke Box (Country & Western) Records, Best-Selling Retail Folk (Country & Western) Records and Country & Western Records Most Played By Folk Disk Jockeys.[1] Beginning with the issue of Billboard dated November 15, the titles of the charts were changed to Most Played in Juke Boxes, National Best Sellers, and Most Played By Jockeys respectively, with the genre denoted in an overall page title rather than within the titles of the charts themselves.[1] All three charts are considered part of the lineage of the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart, which was first published in 1958.[1]

In the first issue of Billboard of the year, "Slow Poke" by Pee Wee King retained its place at number one on both the juke box and retail charts from the previous week but was displaced from the top spot on the jockeys chart by Carl Smith's "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way".[2] Smith had three number-one country songs in 1952, two of which topped all three listings. Webb Pierce was the only other artist to take as many as three different songs to the top spot in 1952, although none of his songs reached number one on all three charts during the year. The longest-running number one on both the juke box and retail charts was "The Wild Side of Life" by Hank Thompson, which on both listings spent fifteen consecutive weeks in the top spot before being replaced by "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" by Kitty Wells. Wells' song, which had been written as an answer song to "The Wild Side of Life", was the first million-selling country single by a female artist and the first Billboard country number one by a solo female.[3][4][5] Despite this success, it did not top the jockeys chart, as the song's lyrics were deemed too controversial by some radio stations.[6]

The longest-running number one on the jockeys chart was "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" by Hank Williams, which spent thirteen non-consecutive weeks atop the chart. The Cajun-inspired song was the final number one of the year on both that chart and the retail listing and was thus in the top spot when Williams died early on January 1, 1953.[7] The year's final number one on the juke box chart was "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" by Skeets McDonald, which reached the peak position in the issue of Billboard dated December 27. McDonald's version of the song reached the top spot three weeks after its writer,[8] Slim Willet, had taken his own recording of the track to number one on the jockeys chart. The song would prove to be the only country number one for both McDonald and Willet and both had only short chart careers; in Willet's case it was his only charting song.[9] In contrast, the three other singers who reached number one for the first time in 1952 would go on to achieve further chart-toppers and be elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in recognition of their long and successful careers.[5][10][11] Hank Thompson and Kitty Wells each gained the first of three number ones in 1952 and remained top 10 regulars until the late 1960s.[12] Webb Pierce topped the jockeys chart in March with "Wondering", his first charting song. It was the first of 12 number ones which the singer gained in less than four years, and he achieved more than 80 top 40 entries during his career.[13]

Chart history

[edit]
A dark-haired man wearing a neckerchief, a shirt with fringes dangling from the sleeves, and pants with a guitar pictured on them, smiling broadly while leaning on a guitar
Lefty Frizzell took the song "Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)" to number one in February.
A man wearing a cowboy hat and a light-colored jacket, holding a guitar
Hank Williams ended the year at number one on the retail chart. He died in the early hours of January 1, 1953.
A fair-haired man in a dark jacket and light-coloured sweater playing a guitar and singing
"A Full Time Job" by Eddy Arnold (pictured in later life) topped only the jockeys chart.
Chart history
Issue date Juke Box Best Sellers Jockeys Ref.
Title Artist(s) Title Artist(s) Title Artist(s)
January 5 "Slow Poke" Pee Wee King "Slow Poke" Pee Wee King "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" Carl Smith [2]
January 12 [14]
January 19 "Slow Poke" Pee Wee King [15]
January 26 [16]
February 2 "Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)" Lefty Frizzell [17]
February 9 "Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)" Lefty Frizzell "Slow Poke" Pee Wee King [18]
February 16 "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" Carl Smith "Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)" Lefty Frizzell [19]
February 23 "Slow Poke" Pee Wee King [20]
March 1 "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" Carl Smith "Wondering" Webb Pierce [21]
March 8 "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" Carl Smith [22]
March 15 "Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)" Lefty Frizzell [23]
March 22 [24]
March 29 "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" Carl Smith "(When You Feel Like You're in Love) Don't Just Stand There" Carl Smith [25]
April 5 [26]
April 12 "(When You Feel Like You're in Love) Don't Just Stand There" [27]
April 19 "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" "(When You Feel Like You're in Love) Don't Just Stand There" [28]
April 26 [29]
May 3 "Easy on the Eyes" Eddy Arnold [30]
May 10 "(When You Feel Like You're in Love) Don't Just Stand There" "The Wild Side of Life" Hank Thompson [31]
May 17 "The Wild Side of Life" Hank Thompson [32]
May 24 "The Wild Side of Life" Hank Thompson "(When You Feel Like You're in Love) Don't Just Stand There" Carl Smith [33]
May 31 "The Wild Side of Life" Hank Thompson [34]
June 7 [35]
June 14 [36]
June 21 [37]
June 28 [38]
July 5 [39]
July 12 "That Heart Belongs to Me" Webb Pierce [40]
July 19 "Are You Teasing Me" Carl Smith [41]
July 26 "That Heart Belongs to Me" Webb Pierce [42]
August 2 "The Wild Side of Life" Hank Thompson [43]
August 9 "That Heart Belongs to Me" Webb Pierce [44]
August 16 "A Full Time Job" Eddy Arnold [45]
August 23 "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" Kitty Wells [46]
August 30 [47]
September 6 "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" Kitty Wells "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" Hank Williams [48]
September 13 [49]
September 20 "A Full Time Job" Eddy Arnold [50]
September 27 "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" Hank Williams [51]
October 4 "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" Hank Williams [52]
October 11 "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" Hank Williams [53]
October 18 [54]
October 25 [55]
November 1 [56]
November 8 [57]
November 15 [58]
November 22 [59]
November 29 [60]
December 6 "Back Street Affair" Webb Pierce "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" Slim Willet [61]
December 13 "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" Hank Williams "Back Street Affair" Webb Pierce [62]
December 20 [63]
December 27 "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" Skeets McDonald "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" Hank Williams [64]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005. Record Research. p. ix. ISBN 9780898201659.
  2. ^ a b "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. January 5, 1952. p. 24. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  3. ^ Meyer, Carson (July 22, 2014). "Flashback: Kitty Wells Sings Controversial Song on the Opry". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  4. ^ Reese, Diana (July 17, 2012). "Honky tonk angel". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Hank Thompson Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  6. ^ Hand, Maud (2003). "Review of Kitty Wells – The Collection". BBC Music. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hank Williams Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  8. ^ Campbell, Al. "Slim Willet Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. pp. 205, 356. ISBN 9780823082896.
  10. ^ Mansfield, Brian. "Kitty Wells Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  11. ^ "Webb Pierce". Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. pp. 319, 348. ISBN 9780823082896.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Watson-Guptill. pp. 244–247. ISBN 9780823082896.
  14. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. January 12, 1952. p. 38. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. January 19, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. January 26, 1952. pp. 32–33. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  17. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. February 2, 1952. p. 36. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  18. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. February 9, 1952. p. 38. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  19. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. February 16, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  20. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. February 23, 1952. pp. 34–36. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  21. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. March 1, 1952. p. 30. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  22. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. March 8, 1952. p. 32. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  23. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. March 15, 1952. pp. 100–101. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  24. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. March 22, 1952. pp. 36–37. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  25. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. March 29, 1952. pp. 34–35. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  26. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. April 5, 1952. pp. 48–49. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  27. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. April 12, 1952. pp. 34–35. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  28. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. April 19, 1952. p. 36. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  29. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. April 26, 1952. p. 32. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  30. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. May 3, 1952. pp. 32–33. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  31. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. May 10, 1952. pp. 33–34. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  32. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. May 17, 1952. p. 46. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  33. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. May 24, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  34. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. May 31, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  35. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. June 7, 1952. p. 32. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  36. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. June 14, 1952. p. 58. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  37. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. June 21, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  38. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. June 28, 1952. p. 36. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  39. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. July 5, 1952. pp. 36–37. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  40. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. July 12, 1952. p. 36. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  41. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. July 19, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  42. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. July 26, 1952. p. 38. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  43. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. August 2, 1952. pp. 96, 100. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  44. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. August 9, 1952. p. 38. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  45. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. August 16, 1952. p. 36. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  46. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. August 23, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  47. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. August 30, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  48. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. September 6, 1952. p. 64. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  49. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. September 13, 1952. pp. 98–100. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  50. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. September 20, 1952. pp. 38–39. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  51. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. September 27, 1952. p. 36. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  52. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. October 4, 1952. p. 40. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  53. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. October 11, 1952. p. 38. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  54. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. October 18, 1952. p. 42. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  55. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. October 25, 1952. p. 66. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  56. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. November 1, 1952. p. 35. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  57. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts". Billboard. November 8, 1952. p. 46. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  58. ^ "Top Country & Western Records". Billboard. November 15, 1952. p. 58. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  59. ^ "Top Country & Western Records". Billboard. November 22, 1952. p. 40. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  60. ^ "Top Country & Western Records". Billboard. November 29, 1952. pp. 44–45. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  61. ^ "Top Country & Western Records". Billboard. December 6, 1952. p. 34. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  62. ^ "Top Country & Western Records". Billboard. December 13, 1952. p. 46. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  63. ^ "Top Country & Western Records". Billboard. December 20, 1952. pp. 40–41. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  64. ^ "Top Country & Western Records". Billboard. December 27, 1952. p. 33. Retrieved August 30, 2018.

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