Artists · Billboard Hot 100

Roy Orbison

Also credited as Roy Orbison And The Candy Men

Charting Jan 18, 1960 → May 20, 1989 · 264 weeks with chart power

Charted in 2 of 2 markets · crowned Artist of the Week in all of them — Billboard Hot 100 264 wk (8 crowns), UK Singles Chart 315 wk (5 crowns)

Compare with other artists →

Image credits

Photo: Jack de Nijs for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Honours

Artist of the Year: 1963

Artist of the Week

Billboard Hot 100
8 crowns
Longest reign 5 weeks (Oct–Nov 1963) · First crown Oct 1961
UK Singles Chart
5 crowns
Longest reign 2 weeks (Dec 1964) · First crown Oct 1960
Global Music Power
15 crowns
19601993
Longest reign 6 weeks (Oct–Nov 1963) · First crown Nov 1960

Billboard Hot 100 · 264 wk UK Singles Chart · 315 wk Global Music Power · 391 wk

Peak Power: 2.70%; week of Nov 6, 1961
Career Power: 385; share-weeks
Crowns: 8; weeks crowned Artist of the Week

Peak Year: 93; April 1961 – April 1962
Peak Five Years: 324; April 1960 – March 1965
Top-five weeks: 26; weeks ranked 1–5
Longevity: 264; weeks with chart power
Dominance: 4.35%; week of Oct 9, 1961
Comebacks: 1; Apr 1989, after 24 quiet years

Ranked by weekly Power Share, part of the ChartReign Power model — not the chart's own positions. How it works →

Exponentially smoothed share of the week's total power (the primary metric).

Songs on the Billboard Hot 100

30 records · 385 share-weeks of Career Power

Power contributed is what each song earned this artist: their weekly Power Share, split across their songs (a featured credit takes its reduced share). Record Power is the song's own figure, the same for every artist on it. Bar length compares songs within this list.

Song	Peak	Weeks	On chart	Power contributedPower	Record Power
Only The Lonely (Know How I Feel)Apple Music	#2July 1960	21	June 1960 – October 1960	39.9	38.8
Oh, Pretty WomanApple Music	#1September 1964	15	August 1964 – December 1964	38.4	37.6
CryingApple Music	#2October 1961	16	August 1961 – November 1961	33.8	33.3
Running ScaredApple Music	#1June 1961	17	April 1961 – July 1961	33.3	32.8
Mean Woman BluesApple Music	#5November 1963	13	September 1963 – November 1963	24.9	24.6
In DreamsApple Music	#7March 1963	13	February 1963 – May 1963	24.0	23.6
You Got ItApple Music	#9April 1989	18	January 1989 – May 1989	23.0	22.7
Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)Apple Music	#4March 1962	12	February 1962 – May 1962	21.1	20.8
It's OverApple Music	#9May 1964	11	April 1964 – June 1964	20.3	18.8
Blue AngelApple Music	#9November 1960	14	September 1960 – December 1960	17.6	17.4
Pretty PaperApple Music	#15January 1964	7	December 1963 – January 1964	10.2	10.1
GoodnightApple Music	#21March 1965	7	February 1965 – March 1965	9.4	9.3
The CrowdApple Music	#26July 1962	10	June 1962 – August 1962	9.0	9.0
Ride AwayApple Music	#25October 1965	10	August 1965 – October 1965	8.8	8.6
FallingApple Music	#22July 1963	8	June 1963 – July 1963	8.3	8.2
Candy ManApple Music	#25November 1961	14	August 1961 – November 1961	7.7	11.2
LéahApple Music	#25November 1962	10	October 1962 – December 1962	7.4	8.1
Workin' For The Man	#33November 1962	11	September 1962 – December 1962	6.6	7.6
Breakin' Up Is Breakin' My HeartApple Music	#31March 1966	8	January 1966 – March 1966	6.5	6.4
I'm HurtinApple Music	#27January 1961	8	December 1960 – January 1961	6.0	6.0
Blue BayouApple Music	#29October 1963	10	September 1963 – November 1963	5.9	9.0
(Say) You're My GirlApple Music	#39August 1965	7	July 1965 – August 1965	4.5	4.5
Twinkle ToesApple Music	#39May 1966	6	April 1966 – June 1966	4.5	4.4
Crawling BackApple Music	#46December 1965	7	November 1965 – December 1965	3.5	3.5
Cry Softly Lonely OneApple Music	#52August 1967	6	July 1967 – September 1967	3.0	3.0
Communication BreakdownApple Music	#60January 1967	7	December 1966 – January 1967	2.4	2.3
Too Soon To KnowApple Music	#68August 1966	5	August 1966 – September 1966	1.6	1.5
Up Town	#72February 1960	6	January 1960 – February 1960	1.4	1.4
That Lovin' You Feelin' Againwith Emmylou HarrisApple Music	#55July 1980	8	June 1980 – August 1980	1.4	2.7
Let The Good Times RollApple Music	#81November 1965	3	November 1965 – November 1965	0.4	0.6

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At their peak

1961 in music →

Roy Orbison's best twelve months on the Billboard Hot 100 ran from April 1961 to April 1962. The most powerful artists over those weeks:

Ranked by Era Power over the same weeks.

Their decades: the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s.