Rock ‘n’ roll, as it played out in real time, wasn’t exactly a rupture. It was a burst of excitement, sure, but it existed within a pop-music context, and plenty of its stars were old-fashioned ...

The Number Ones is a new column where I'll review every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart's beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present.