1962 Romantic Movie Classic Was No. 1 Hit 64 Years Ago Today
When you're a jet, you're a jet all the way, and when you're a smash hit both on Broadway and on the big screen, it's not surprising that your soundtrack is also a huge success on the music charts.
On May 5, 1962, the original motion picture soundtrack for West Side Story went number one on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually staying in the top spot for a staggering 54 weeks, creating a record that many others have tried, and failed, to best.
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Recorded for the 1961 romantic musical movie that tells the story of Romeo and Juliet through the lens of two young New York City youths affiliated with rival gangs, the soundtrack paved the way for future soundtrack albums to top the mainstream charts, including 1968's The Graduate, with its haunting songs by Simon & Garfunkel, as well as two huge 1978 John Travoltamovies, Saturday Night Fever and Grease.
As the decades progressed, more huge music hits came from movie soundtracks, including the 1992 romantic thriller The Bodyguard, which shot to the top of the charts and spent 14 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 spot thanks to Whitney Houston's stunning reimagining of Dolly Parton's "And I Will Always Love You." But none came close to West Side Story's massive chart success.
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Originally written between 1955 and 1957 by lyricist Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein, who was by then a veteran composer, the music for the musical and later movie wasn't something that Sondheim originally felt translated well to film. Despite that, Sondheim conceded, telling The Billboard Book of Number One Albums that "What was wonderful about the film was that it introduced the piece to many thousands of people who never had a chance to see the show."
The prolific lyricist behind huge hits like Company and Into the Woods also shared that "When the show opened in New York City, they said it's all very exciting, but you can't hum anything. Then the movie came out four years later and suddenly everyone could hum everything."
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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 3:09 AM.