List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1962

The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart published since August 1958 by Billboard magazine which ranks the best-performing singles in the United States.^[1] In 1962, it was compiled based on a combination of sales and airplay data sourced from surveys of retail outlets and playlists submitted by radio stations respectively,^[1] and 21 different singles spent time at number one.

On the chart dated January 6, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens was at number one, retaining its position from the previous week.^[2] A week later, Chubby Checker took the top spot with "The Twist". The single had topped the Hot 100 in September 1960,^[3] but had been re-released following a fresh surge in the popularity of the twist, the dance craze for which it was named.^[4] It was the first time that a single which had previously reached number one returned to the top spot as part of a second distinct chart run;^[5] this did not occur again until 2020.^[6] Two weeks later, Checker's song was displaced from the top spot by another twist-related song, "Peppermint Twist" by Joey Dee and the Starliters. Dee's single was followed in the top spot by "Duke of Earl" by Gene Chandler and "Hey! Baby" by Bruce Channel; all three were the first and only number one for their act.^[7] Shelley Fabares, one of the stars of TV's The Donna Reed Show, gained her sole number one in April with "Johnny Angel",^[8] which was featured on an episode of the ABC show.^[9] In May, the jazz clarinettist Mr. Acker Bilk topped the chart with "Stranger on the Shore"; it was his first U.S number one^[10] and the first Hot 100 chart-topper by a British act.^[11][a] A second British act, the Tornados, reached number one for the first time in December with "Telstar".^[13]

Eight consecutive number ones between July and November were by first time chart-toppers. In July, the composer and orchestra leader David Rose, who had charted in the pre-Hot 100 era as early as 1944, gained his first number one with "The Stripper", his final chart entry;^[14] in contrast Bobby Vinton reached number one with his first charting single, "Roses Are Red (My Love)".^[15] Neil Sedaka, Little Eva, and Tommy Roe all topped the chart for the first time in August and September.^[16] The Four Seasons had their first number one in September with "Sherry",^[17] which spent five weeks at number one. Just a month after the song exited the top spot, they were back at number one with "Big Girls Don't Cry", which also spent five weeks atop the Hot 100. The two songs tied with "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles for the year's longest-running number one. The Four Seasons were the only act with more than one number one in 1962 and their total of 10 weeks in the top spot was the most achieved by any act. Between the Four Seasons' two number ones, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers gained their only chart-topper with the Halloween-themed novelty song "Monster Mash" and the Crystals topped the chart for the first time with "He's a Rebel".^[18] Despite the credit on the label, none of the members of the Crystals actually performed on the song.^[19] Their producer, Phil Spector, decided to rush-release a version of the song after learning of the impending release of a competing version but, with the group unavailable, used session singers the Blossoms while still crediting the single to the Crystals.^[20] Both "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "He's a Rebel" have been included in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.^[21][22]