January: The Navy Lark by The Michael Sammes Singers is the first #1 of the new decade. It's a novelty song. 1960 hasn't found its groove yet.

February: Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" — a reworking of the Italian song "O Sole Mio" — enters the chart. It will become his biggest UK hit, spending 8 weeks at #1.

April: Lonnie Donegan hits #1 with "My Old Man's a Dustman" — skiffle's last hurrah. The working-class humour resonates with a nation still adjusting to peacetime.

June: The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" — a perfect piece of harmony pop. It spends 7 weeks at #1 and proves American acts still rule the British charts.

August: Cliff Richard and The Shadows release "Please Don't Tease" — their third #1 in a year. British rock 'n' roll is officially a thing.

September: The Olympics in Rome. The Shadows' "Apache" — an instrumental that redefined what a guitar could sound like — is released. It reaches #1 and stays for 5 weeks. British guitar music is born.

December: Cliff Richard's "I Love You" is the Christmas #1. It's a ballad, not a rock 'n' roll song. The 60s are about to begin in earnest.

Elvis Presley — "It's Now or Never" — 8 weeks (Feb-Apr)

The Everly Brothers — "Cathy's Clown" — 7 weeks (Jun-Jul)

The Shadows — "Apache" — 5 weeks (Sep-Oct)

Lonnie Donegan — "My Old Man's a Dustman" — 4 weeks (Apr-May)

Cliff Richard & The Shadows — "Please Don't Tease" — 3 weeks (Aug)

1960 was a year of transition. The 1950s were over, but the 60s hadn't quite started. The music of 1960 was caught between two worlds — the old-fashioned variety of the post-war era and the teenage rebellion that was about to explode.

The Shadows — Britain's First Guitar Heroes

The Shadows were the backing band for Cliff Richard, but they were so good they became stars in their own right. Hank Marvin's Fender Stratocaster sound — drenched in echo, clean and melodic — defined the sound of British guitar music for the next decade. "Apache" wasn't just a hit. It was a blueprint. Every teenage boy who heard it wanted a guitar. A generation of British rock musicians — from Eric Clapton to Jimmy Page to Mark Knopfler — trace their inspiration back to that single instrumental.

Cliff Richard — The Safe Rebel

Where Elvis was dangerous, Cliff was charming. He didn't shake his hips. He didn't scandalise parents. He was rock 'n' roll for the polite young man. But that's not a criticism — Cliff's success proved that British pop could be commercially viable without copying American stars. He was the template for every British pop star who followed.

The Skiffle Hangover

Lonnie Donegan's "My Old Man's a Dustman" was the last big skiffle hit. Skiffle — a DIY genre played on washboards, tea chests, and acoustic guitars — had been the soundtrack of the mid-50s. It was cheap, accessible, and anyone could do it. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison all started in skiffle groups. By 1960, skiffle was dying. But the teenagers it had inspired were just getting started.

10. The Everly Brothers — "Cathy's Clown"
Seven weeks at #1. The perfect harmony pop single. Don and Phil Everly's voices entwined around a song about heartbreak. It influenced The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and every harmony duo that followed.

9. The Shadows — "Apache"
The most influential instrumental in British music history. Hank Marvin's twangy Stratocaster, a galloping rhythm, and a melody that's still instantly recognisable 65 years later.

8. Lonnie Donegan — "My Old Man's a Dustman"
The last great skiffle record. A comic song about a binman that captured the working-class humour of post-war Britain. It spent 4 weeks at #1 and is still a pub singalong staple.

7. Cliff Richard & The Shadows — "Please Don't Tease"
Cliff's third #1. Catchy, harmless, and perfectly produced. It's the sound of British pop finding its feet — not as raw as rock 'n' roll, not as square as variety music.

6. Adam Faith — "Poor Me"
Adam Faith was Britain's first teen idol — a handsome Londoner with a distinctive nasal voice. "Poor Me" spent 2 weeks at #1. He later became a respected actor and financial journalist.

5. Bobby Darin — "Mack the Knife"
A jazz standard from The Threepenny Opera, transformed into a swinging pop hit. It spent 1 week at #1 but its influence was enormous — a reminder that pop music could be sophisticated.

4. The Drifters — "Save the Last Dance for Me"
Written by Doc Pomus, who was confined to a wheelchair and watched his wife dance with others at their wedding reception. A beautiful, bittersweet song. It hit #2 in the UK.

3. Elvis Presley — "Stuck on You"
Elvis's second #1 of 1960. A rockabilly-tinged love song recorded before he left for army service. It's lighter than "It's Now or Never" but pure Elvis charm.

2. Cliff Richard — "I Love You"
The Christmas #1 of 1960. A tender ballad that shows Cliff moving away from rock 'n' roll and towards the middle-of-the-road pop that would sustain his career for decades.

1. Elvis Presley — "It's Now or Never"
Eight weeks at #1. A million copies sold. The biggest single of 1960. Based on an Italian opera aria, sung by a man in army uniform, loved by teenagers and their grandparents alike. It was the sound of a King who didn't need to be on a throne to rule.

Johnny Preston — "Running Bear" (1960)
A story-song about a Native American Romeo and Juliet, complete with war whoops and a tragic ending. It went to #1 in the UK. Johnny Preston never repeated the trick.

The Michael Sammes Singers — "The Navy Lark" (1960)
The first #1 of the decade. A novelty song based on a BBC radio comedy show. It's a cheerful, nonsense tune sung by a vocal group who'd never have another hit.

Bert Weedon — "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" (1960)
Bert Weedon was a session guitarist who wrote a bestselling guitar tutorial book. This instrumental hit #10. He taught a generation of Britons how to play — including a young George Harrison.

Sunglasses After Dark — "Down by the Riverside" (1960)
A bizarre trad jazz novelty that somehow charted. It's the sound of 1960 before rock 'n' roll fully took over — old-fashioned, cheerful, and utterly forgettable.

In the UK: Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister, telling the nation they'd "never had it so good." The first episode of Coronation Street aired in December. The M1 motorway had just opened. The contraceptive pill was approved for use. Britain was entering a new age — and the music reflected it.

In music: In Liverpool, a band called The Beatles — formerly The Quarrymen — were playing in clubs and coffee bars. In London, the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho was the epicentre of British rock 'n' roll. In America, Motown Records was just getting started. The 60s hadn't exploded yet. But the fuse was lit.

In March 1960, Elvis Presley was still in the US Army, serving in Germany. He hadn't performed live since 1957. He hadn't released a new film. And yet he was the biggest-selling artist in the UK in 1960, with three #1 singles.

How? Because the songs he had recorded before his induction were being released strategically by RCA Records. "It's Now or Never" was a pre-recorded track, released in February 1960. "Stuck on You" followed in April. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was released in November and hit #1 in January 1961. The King was absent — but he was everywhere.

Elvis's army service actually boosted his popularity. The clean-cut image of a soldier doing his duty appealed to parents who had been suspicious of his hip-shaking. He became acceptable. Safe. And sales soared. The "dangerous" Elvis of the 1950s became the "beloved" Elvis of the 1960s.

1960 was the year the teenager became a consumer. Post-war prosperity meant young people had disposable income for the first time. They spent it on records, coffee bars, and fashion. The music industry realised that teenagers weren't just smaller adults — they were a market.

Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, and Billy Fury were the first British pop stars built specifically for teenage consumers. They were young, handsome, and non-threatening. They sang about love, heartbreak, and dancing. They didn't challenge authority — they just wanted to entertain. It was the birth of the teen idol. And it was the beginning of pop music as we know it.