“The Twist” is the only song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in two different releases.
Chubby Checker’s recording first topped the chart in September 1960, helping turn the Twist into a nationwide dance craze. It returned to No. 1 in January 1962 after renewed interest in the dance and the recording. That two-release achievement remains a distinctive chart record.
The song was written by Hank Ballard, whose version appeared earlier, but Checker’s cover became the major commercial hit. A common mix-up is confusing “The Twist” with Checker’s “Let’s Twist Again,” which was also a major hit but did not repeat the same No. 1 feat.
The Billboard Hot 100 began in 1958, so “The Twist” achieved its two chart-topping runs during the chart’s early years. Its cultural impact also helped make dance-focused pop central to early-1960s popular music.