What was the first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100?

The first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 was Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool.”

Billboard introduced the Hot 100 in August 1958, combining sales, radio airplay, and jukebox activity into one national singles chart. “Poor Little Fool” became the inaugural chart-topper on the first Hot 100 published on August 4, 1958.

Nelson recorded the song after Sharon Sheeley wrote it about a troubled relationship. Nelson’s then-wife, Kristin Harmon, helped inspire its recording, and the track appeared on his album Ricky Sings Again. It was released on Imperial Records and became Nelson’s first No. 1 single.

A common mix-up is naming an earlier hit such as “Heartbreak Hotel.” That song was a major U.S. chart success, but it predated the Hot 100 and topped Billboard’s separate Best Sellers in Stores chart. The Hot 100’s first No. 1 is specifically “Poor Little Fool.”