Top 100 Instrumentals 1955-2010

The Best of the Instrumental Hits Picture ImageTop 100 Instrumentals 1955-2010

This is a follow-up to my earlier top 100 Instrumentals from 1890-1954 chart. This is the ultimate if you are an avid instrumental hit fan of Rock N’ Roll knowing the top 100 instrumentals from 1955-2010. Some of these songs became popular on TV commercials. You may remember the Alka Seltzer commercial in which you heard the instrumental song “No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In), with the man’s stomach bouncing up and down to the beat of the song. Great commercial and great instrumental.

Ranking of the Songs

The ranking of the top 100 instrumentals the following methodology was used:

1. Peak Position

a). All records peaking at #1 are listed first, followed by records peaking at #2.
b). Ties among each highest position grouping are broken in the following order:

2. Total weeks record held its peak position
3. Total weeks charted in the Top 10
4. Total weeks charted in the Top 40
5. Total weeks charted

If there are still ties, a computerized inverse point system is used to calculate a point total for each record based on its weekly chart positions. For each week a record appears on the charts it is given points based on its chart position for that week (#1=100 points, #2=99 points, etc.). These points are added together to create a raw point total for each record and is used to break any remaining ties.

Instrumental Hits MP3 Players ImageSource used: Billboard’s “Top 3000 Plus 1955-1987” and “Pop Annual 1955-2011” by Jewl Whitburn.

Interesting Facts About This Chart

  • The year of 1961, had the most charted records with 10.
  • The artist with the most charted songs is “The Ventures” with 3.
  • There are 30 charted songs that peaked at #1.
  • There is only one song from 2000-2010 to chart and its “Old Lang Syne” by Kenny G in the year 2000 at #96.
  • There were no instrumental songs to chart in the top ten from 2001-2010.
  • For a song to make this chart, it had to peak at #8.
  • During this period, there were a total of 128 instrumentals to peak in the top 10.

Beautiful Love Songs ImageThe Top 100 Instrumentals 1955-2010

Here are the top 100 instrumentals for 1955-2010.

Rank    Title/Artist/Peak/Weeks at Peak Position ()/Year Released

  1. Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White / Perez Prado #1 (10) 1955
  2. The Theme From A Summer Place / Percy Faith #1 (9) 1960
  3. The Poor People Of Paris / Les Baxter #1 (6) 1956
  4. Tequila / The Champs #1 (5) 1958
  5. Love Is Blue / Paul Mauriat #1 (5) 1968
  6. Autumn Leaves / Roger Williams #1 (4) 1955
  7. Lisbon Antigua / Nelson Riddle #1 (4) 1956
  8. Moonglow & Theme From Picnic / Morris Stoloff #1 (3) 1956
  9. Wonderland By Night / Bert Kaemfert #1 (3) 1961
  10. Telstar / The Tornadoes #1 (3) 1962
  11. Fly, Robin, Fly / Silver Connection #1 (3) 1975
  12. Rise / Herb Alpert #1 (2) 1979
  13. Sleep Walk / Santo & Johnny #1 (2) 1959
  14. Calcutta / Lawrence Welk #1 (2) 1961
  15. Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet / Henry Mancini #1 (2) 1969
  16. Grazing In The Grass / Hugh Masekela #1 (2) 1968
  17. TSOP / MFSB w/The Three Degrees #1 (2) 1974
  18. Star Wars Theme / Meco #1 (2) 1977
  19. Patricia / Perez Prado #1 (1) 1958
  20. Stranger On The Shore / Acker Bilk #1 (1) 1962
  21. A Fifth Of Beethoven / Walter Murphy/Big Apple Band #1 (1) 1976
  22. Chariots Of Fire / Vangelis #1 (1) 1982
  23. The Stripper / David Rose #1 (1) 1962
  24. Gonna Fly Now / Bill Conti #1 (1) 1977
  25. Love’s Theme / Love Unlimited Orchestra #1 (1) 1974
  26. Frankenstein / The Edgar Winter Group #1 (1) 1973
  27. The Happy Organ / Dave “Baby” Cortez #1 (1) 1959
  28. Miami Vice Theme / Jan Hammer #1 (1) 1985
  29. Pick Up The Pieces / AWB #1 (1) 1975
  30. The Hustle / Van McCoy #1 (1) 1975
  31. Theme From S.W.A.T. / Rhythm Heritage #1 (1) 1976
  32. The Crazy Otto / Johnny Maddox #2 (7) 1955
  33. Last Date / Floyd Cramer #2 (4) 1960
  34. Dueling Banjos / Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell #2 (4) 1973
  35. Honky Tonk (Parts I & II) / Bill Doggett #2 (3) 1956
  36. The Horse / Cliff Nobles & Co. #2 (3) 1968
  37. Canadian Sunset / Hugo Winterhalter #2 (2) 1956
  38. Classical Gas / Mason Williams #2 (2) 1968
  39. Apache / Jordan Ingmann #2 (2) 1961
  40. Melody Of Love / Billy Vaughn #2 (1) 1955
  41. Exodus / Ferrante & Tiecher #2 (1) 1961
  42. Raunchy / Bill Justis #2 (1) 1957
  43. Walk-Don’t Run / The Ventures #2 (1) 1960
  44. Wipe Out / The Surfaris #2 (1) 1963
  45. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly / Hugo Montenegro #2 (1) 1968
  46. Midnight In Moscow / Kenny Ball #2 (1) 1962
  47. Washington Square / The Village Stompers #2 (1) 1963
  48. Outa-Space / Billy Preston #2 (1) 1972
  49. Also Sprach Zarathustra / Deotado #2 (1) 1973
  50. Topsy II / Cozy Cole #3 (3) 1958
  51. Axel F / Harold Faltermyer #3 (3) 1985
  52. The Entertainer / Marvin Hamlisch #3 (2) 1974
  53. Wheels / The String-A-Longs #3 (2) 1961
  54. Last Night / Mar-Keys #3 (2) 1961
  55. Out Of Limits / The Marketts #3 (2) 1964
  56. Green Onions / Booker T. & The M. G’s #3 (1) 1962
  57. No Matter What Shape / The T-Bones #3 (1) 1966
  58. Music Box Dancer / Frank Mills #3 (1) 1979
  59. Soulful Strut / Young-Holt Limited #3 (1) 1969
  60. Express / B.T. Express #4 (3) 1975
  61. Teen Beat / Sandy Nelson #4 (2) 1959
  62. Quiet Village / Martin Denny #4 (2) 1959
  63. Space Race / Billy Preston #4 (2) 1973
  64. Pipeline / The Chantay’s #4 (2) 1963
  65. Because They’re Young / Duane Eddy #4 (2) 1960
  66. Moonglow & Theme From Picnic / George Cates #4 (1) 1956
  67. Raunchy / Ernie Freeman #4 (1) 1957
  68. Java / Al Hurt #4 (1) 1964
  69. On The Rebound / Floyd Cramer #4 (1) 1961
  70. Feels So Good / Chuck Manglone #4 (1) 1978
  71. Yellow Bird / Arthur Lyman Group #4 (1) 1961
  72. In The Mood / Ernie Fields #4 (1) 1959
  73. Songbird / Kenny G #4 (1) 1987
  74. Hawaii Five-O / The Ventures #4 (1) 1969
  75. Sail Along Silvery Moon / Billy Vaughn #5 (3) 1958
  76. Guitar Boogie Shuffle / The Vitues #5 (2) 1959
  77. Red River Rock / Johnny & The Hurricanes #5 (1) 1959
  78. The “In” Crowd / Ramsey Lewis Trio #5 (1) 1965
  79. Memphis / Lonnie Mack #5 (1) 1963
  80. Petite Fleuir (Little Flower) / Chris Barber’s Jazz Band #5 (1) 1959
  81. Scorpio / Dennis Coffey #6 (3) 1972
  82. The Happy Whistler / Don Robertson #6 (3) 1956
  83. Rebel-Rouser / Duane Eddy #6 (2) 1958
  84. Time Is Tight / Booker T. & The M. G’s #6 (2) 1969
  85. Joy / Apollo 100 #6 (1) 1972
  86. Maria Elena / Los Indios Tabajaras #6 (1) 1963
  87. The Lonely Bull / The Tijuanna Brass #6 (1) 1962
  88. Tea For Two Cha Cha / Tommy Dorsey #7 (2) 1958
  89. Taste Of Honey / The Tijuanna Brass #7 (2) 1965
  90. Theme From Mission Impossible / Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen #7 (2) 1996
  91. Rock and Roll Part 2 / Gary Glitter #7 (2) 1972
  92. Alley Cat / Bent Fabric #7 (1) 1962
  93. Let There Be Drums / Sandy Nelson #7 (1) 1961
  94. Mexico / Bob Moore #7 (1) 1961
  95. Tubular Bells / Mike Oldfield #7 (1) 1974
  96. Auld Lang Syne / Kenny G #7 (1) 2000
  97. Jungle Fever / The Cakachas #8 (3) 1972
  98. Moritat / The Dick Hyman Trio #8 (2) 1956
  99. Nadia’s Theme / Berry Devorzon & Perry Botkin Jr. #8 (2) 1976
  100. Song For A Summer Night / Mitch Miller #8 (2) 1956

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