1962 in music

List of years in music (table)
… 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 …
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Events

• January 1 - The Beatles and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes both audition at Decca Records, a company which has the option of signing one group only. The Beatles are rejected, mainly as they come from Liverpool and the others are Dagenham-based nearer London.
• January 24 - Brian Epstein signs to manage the Beatles.
• April 6 - Glenn Gould's performance of Brahms's 1st piano concerto with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic for which Gould used unusually slow tempi, which Bernstein did not favour.
• April 7 - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards meet Brian Jones at The Ealing Club, a blues club in London
• April 10 - Former Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe dies from cerebral paralysis caused by a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg, Germany.
• April 12 - A recording is made of Bob Dylan's concert at the Town Hall, in New York City by Columbia Records. Columbia eventually release the recording of "Tomorrow is a Long Time" from this concert
• August 16 - The Beatles fire Pete Best and replace him with Ringo Starr.
• August 17 - Telstar is released in the UK. The song would eventually be the first song by an English group to ever reach the top spot on the Billboard Top 100, proving to be a precursor to the British Invasion.
• August 23 - John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell.
• Georges Auric becomes director of the Opéra National de Paris.
• André Hodeir's book, Since Debussy, makes controversial claims about the importance of Jean Barraqué as a composer.
• October 5 - Release of EMI's first Beatles single, "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You", in the United Kingdom.
• The Spokane Philharmonic orchestra becomes the Spokane Symphony.
• Dalida is Named Calabrian Citizen of Honour and receives the Radio Monte Carlo Oscar with Johnny Hallyday.
• Otis Redding's musical career begins
• Booker T. & the MG's' musical career begins
• The Rolling Stones form in London.
• Isaac Hayes' recording career begins.
• Paul & Paula make their first appearance together while attending Howard Payne College in Brownwood, Texas.

Albums released

• Adam Faith - Adam Faith
• All Aboard the Blue Train - Johnny Cash
• All Alone - Frank Sinatra
• All The Way - Brenda Lee
• The Best Of Ball, Barber And Bilk - Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, and Acker Bilk
• The Best of Julie London - Julie London
• Big Band Percussion - Ted Heath & His Music
• Billy Rose's Jumbo - Doris Day
• Bobby Vee Meets The Crickets - Bobby Vee and The Crickets
• Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan Debut Album
• Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
• Bo Diddley & Company - Bo Diddley
• Bo Diddley's A Twister - Bo Diddley
• Caravan - Art Blakey
• Chuck Berry Twist - Chuck Berry
• Close Up In Swing - Erroll Garner
• Coltrane - John Coltrane
• Come Swing With Me - Frank Sinatra
• Del Shannon - Del Shannon
• Duet - Doris Day
• Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson - Ella Fitzgerald
• Ella Swings Gently with Nelson - Ella Fitzgerald
• The First Family - Vaughn Meader
• For Twisters Only - Chubby Checker
• Girls! Girls! Girls! (OST) - Elvis Presley
• Go - Dexter Gordon
• Golden Age of Donegan - Lonnie Donegan
• Great Motion Picture Themes - Various Artists
• Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain - Frank Sinatra
• Hancock - Tony Hancock
• Hits Of The Rockin' 50s - Bobby Vee
• How My Heart Sings - Bill Evans
• Hymns from the Heart - Johnny Cash
• I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Tony Bennett
• Instant Party - Everly Brothers
• It's Trad, Dad! (OST) - Various Artists
• Jerry Lee Lewis Volume 2 - Jerry Lee Lewis
• Judy at Carnegie Hall - Judy Garland
• Let's Face the Music - Shirley Bassey with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra
• Love Letters - Julie London
• A Million Dollars' Worth Of Twang Volume 2 - Duane Eddy
• Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music - Ray Charles
• Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two - Ray Charles
• Moon Beams - Bill Evans
• The Music Man (OST) - Various Artists
• Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays - Nat King Cole and the George Shearing Quintet
• On Stage with the George Mitchell Minstrels - George Mitchell Minstrels
• Out of the Shadows - The Shadows
• A Picture of You - Joe Brown
• Point of No Return - Frank Sinatra
• Porgy and Bess - Original Soundtrack
• Pot Luck - Elvis Presley
• The Real Ambassadors - Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, Carmen McRae, and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
• Rock 'N' Roll No.2 - Elvis Presley (re-issue)
• Rhythm Is My Business - Ella Fitzgerald
• S Wonderful 'S Marvellous - Ray Conniff
• Sacred Songs - Harry Secombe
• Sentimentally Yours - Patsy Cline
• Shirley Bassey - Shirley Bassey
• Sinatra and Strings - Frank Sinatra
• Sinatra and Swingin' Brass - Frank Sinatra
• Sing Something Simple - Cliff Adams Singers
• Sophisticated Lady - Julie London
• The Sound of Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash
• Stranger On The Shore - Acker Bilk
• Take Good Care Of My Baby - Bobby Vee
• Takin' Off - Herbie Hancock
• 32 Minutes and 17 Seconds - Cliff Richard and The Shadows
• Time Further Out - Dave Brubeck
• Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall - Tony Bennett
• Tops with Me - Helen Shapiro
• Twangy Guitar - Silky Strings - Duane Eddy
• Twist With Chubby Checker - Chubby Checker
• Twistin' and Twangin' - Duane Eddy
• Twistin' Knights at the Roundtable - Bill Haley & His Comets
• Vamp of the Roaring Twenties - Dorothy Provine
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Ray Conniff
• West Side Story - Original Soundtrack
• West Side Story: Oscar Peterson Trio - Oscar Peterson
• Whispering Hope - Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae
• You'll Never Walk Alone - Doris Day

Biggest hit singles

The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in 1962.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Elvis Presley	Return to Sender	1962		UK 1 - Nov 1962, Canada 1 - Oct 1962, Norway 1 - Dec 1962, Éire 1 - Dec 1962, Peel list 1 of 1961, US BB 2 - Oct 1962, RYM 6 of 1962, US BB 8 of 1962, POP 8 of 1962, US CashBox 10 of 1963, Germany 15 - Jan 1963, DDD 27 of 1962, Scrobulate 83 of rock & roll, Acclaimed 2154
2	Ray Charles	I Can't Stop Loving You	1962		UK 1 - Jun 1962, US BB 1 - May 1962, Canada 1 - May 1962, Australia 1 for 1 weeks Dec 1961, Norway 4 - Jul 1962, US CashBox 6 of 1962, DDD 6 of 1962, Germany 8 - Sep 1962, South Africa 11 of 1962, RYM 16 of 1962, US BB 30 of 1962, POP 30 of 1962, Italy 75 of 1963, Scrobulate 80 of r & b, Rolling Stone 161, Acclaimed 507
3	The Tornados	Telstar	1962		UK 1 - Aug 1962, US BB 1 - Nov 1962, Canada 1 - Nov 1962, Éire 1 - Nov 1962, South Africa 1 of 1962, RYM 2 of 1962, Norway 3 - Oct 1962, US CashBox 5 of 1963, Germany 6 - Jan 1963, Australia 8 of 1962, DDD 62 of 1962, Germany 224 of the 1960s, Acclaimed 739
4	Elvis Presley	Can't Help Falling in Love	1962		UK 1 - Feb 1962, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Aug 1961, US BB 2 - Dec 1961, US BB 4 of 1962, Canada 4 - Nov 1961, POP 4 of 1962, Australia 5 of 1962, South Africa 5 of 1962, RYM 11 of 1961, DDD 12 of 1961, US CashBox 28 of 1962, Party 33 of 2007, Scrobulate 64 of oldies, Italy 75 of 1962, Rolling Stone 394, WXPN 441, Acclaimed 1361
5	Elvis Presley	Good Luck Charm	1962		UK 1 - May 1962, US BB 1 - Mar 1962, Canada 1 - Mar 1962, Norway 1 - Apr 1962, Australia 1 for 3 weeks Oct 1961, Germany 6 - May 1962, US BB 10 of 1962, South Africa 13 of 1962, POP 17 of 1962, RYM 33 of 1962, US CashBox 42 of 1962, DDD 80 of 1962, Germany 203 of the 1960s

Singles released

• "A Forever Kind of Love" - Bobby Vee
• "A Little Love a Little Kiss" - Karl Denver
• "A Picture Of You" - Joe Brown
• "Adios Amigo" - Jim Reeves
• "Ain't That Funny" - Jimmy Justice
• "Al Di La" - Emilio Pericoli
• "All Alone Am I" - Brenda Lee
• "Always You and Me" - Russ Conway
• "As You Like It" - Adam Faith
• "Ave Maria" - Shirley Bassey
• "Baby Face" - Bobby Darin
• "Baby Take a Bow" - Adam Faith
• "Ballad of Paladin" - Duane Eddy
• "Because of Love" - Billy Fury
• "Besame Mucho" - Jet Harris
• "Big Man in a Big House" - Leroy Van Dyke
• "Blue Weekend" - Karl Denver
• "Bobby's Girl" - Marcie Blane
• "Bobby's Girl" - Susan Maughan
• "Breaking up Is Hard to Do" - Neil Sedaka
• "Can Can '62" - Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers
• "Can't Help Falling in Love/Rock-A-Hula Baby" - Elvis Presley
• "Can't You Hear the Beat of a Broken Heart" - Iain Gregory
• "Cindy's Birthday" - Shane Fenton and the Fentones
• "Clown Shoes" - Johnny Burnette
• "The Comancheros" - Lonnie Donegan
• "Come Along Please" - Bob Wallis and His Storyville Jazzmen
• "Come Outside" - Mike Sarne with Wendy Richard
• "Conscience" - James Darren
• "The Crowd" - Roy Orbison
• "Cry Myself to Sleep" - Del Shannon
• "Cryin' in the Rain" - Everly Brothers
• "Cutty Sark" - John Barry Seven
• "D-Darling" - Anthony Newley
• "Dance On - The Shadows
• "Dance With The Guitar Man" - Duane Eddy
• "Dancin' Party" - Chubby Checker
• "Deep in the Heart Of Texas" - Duane Eddy
• "Desafinado" - Ella Fitzgerald
• "Desafinado" - Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd
• "Devil Woman" - Marty Robbins
• "Do You Want to Dance?/I'm Looking out the Window" - Cliff Richard
• "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" - Connie Francis
• "Don't Ever Change" - The Crickets
• "Don't Stop Twist" - Frankie Vaughan
• "Don't That Beat All" - Adam Faith
• "Dream Baby" - Roy Orbison
• "Drummin' up a Storm" - Sandy Nelson
• "Drums Are My Beat" - Sandy Nelson
• "Duke of Earl" - Gene Chandler
• "English Country Garden" - Jimmie Rodgers
• "Ever Since You Said You Goodbye" - Marty Wilde
• "Everybody's Twistin'" - Frank Sinatra
• "Fanlight Fanny" - Clinton Ford
• "Far Away" - Shirley Bassey
• "Follow That Dream (EP)" - Elvis Presley
• "Forget Me Not" - Eden Kane
• "Funny Way Of Laughin'" - Burl Ives
• "Ginny Come Lately" - Brian Hyland
• "Go Away Little Girl" - Del Shannon
• "Go Away Little Girl" - Steve Lawrence
• "Good Luck Charm" - Elvis Presley
• "Goodbye Cruel World" - James Darren
• "Gossip Calypso" - Bernard Cribbins
• "Gotta See Baby Tonight" - Acker Bilk
• "Green Leaves Of Summer" - Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen
• "Green Onions" - Booker T. & the M.G.s
• "Guitar Tango" - The Shadows
• "He Got What He Wanted" - Little Richard
• "He's a Rebel" - Crystals
• "Her Royal Majesty" - James Darren
• "Here Comes That Feeling" - Brenda Lee
• "Hey! Baby" - Bruce Channel
• "Hey Little Girl" - Del Shannon
• "Hole in the Ground" - Bernard Cribbins
• "How Can I Meet Her?" - Everly Brothers
• "I Can't Stop Loving You" - Ray Charles
• "I Cried for You" - Ricky Stevens
• "I Don't Know Why" - Eden Kane
• "I Remember You" - Frank Ifield
• "I'll See You in My Dreams" - Pat Boone
• "I'm Counting on You" - Petula Clark
• "I'm Just a Baby" - Louise Cordet
• "If a Man Answers" - Bobby Darin
• "If Only Tomorrow" - Ronnie Carroll
• "Island of Dreams" - Springfields
• "It Keeps Right on a Hurtin' - Johnny Tillotson
• "It Might As Well Rain Until September" - Carole King
• "It Only Took a Minute" - Joe Brown
• "It Started All Over Again" - Brenda Lee
• "It'll Be Me" - Cliff Richard
• "It's a Raggy Waltz" - Dave Brubeck
• "It's All Over Now" - Shane Fenton and the Fentones
• "The James Bond Theme" - John Barry Orchestra
• "Jeannie" - Danny Williams
• "Jezebel" - Marty Wilde
• "Johnny Angel" - Shelley Fabares
• "Johnny Angel" - Patti Lynn
• "Johnny Get Angry" - Joanie Sommers
• "King Kong" - Terry Lightfoot and His New Orleans Jazzmen
• "King of Clowns" - Neil Sedaka
• "The Language of Love" - John D. Loudermilk
• "Last Night Was Made for Love" - Billy Fury
• "Lesson One" - Russ Conway
• "Lessons in Love" - Allisons
• "Let's Dance" - Chris Montez
• "Let's Talk about Love" - Helen Shapiro
• "Letter Full of Tears" - Billy Fury
• "Let There Be Love" - Nat King Cole and George Shearing
• "Like I Do" - Maureen Evans
• "Limbo Rock" - Chubby Checker
• "A Little Bitty Tear" - Burl Ives and Miki & Griff
• "Little Black Book" - Jimmy Dean
• "Little Miss Lonely" - Helen Shapiro
• "The Loco-Motion" - Little Eva
• "Lone Rider" - John Leyton
• "Lonely City" - John Leyton
• "Lonesome" - Adam Faith
• "Lonely" - Acker Bilk
• "Love Me Warm and Tender" - Paul Anka
• "Love Letters" - Ketty Lester
• "Love Me Do" - The Beatles
• "Love Me Tender" - Richard Chamberlain
• "Lover Please/You Know What I Mean" - The Vernons Girls
• "Lovesick Blues" - Frank Ifield
• "Made to Love (Girls Girls Girls)" - Eddie Hodges
• "The Main Attraction" - Pat Boone
• "Main Title Theme from The Man with the Golden Arm" - Jet Harris
• "Mashed Potato Time" - Dee Dee Sharp
• "March of the Siamese Children" - Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen
• "Me and My Shadow" - Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
• "Must Be Madison" - Joe Loss Orchestra
• "My Love and Devotion" - Matt Monro
• "Never Goodbye" - Karl Denver
• "Next Door to an Angel" - Neil Sedaka
• "The Next Time/Bachelor Boy" - Cliff Richard
• "No One Can Make My Sunshine Smile" - Everly Brothers
• "Norman" - Sue Thompson
• "Nut Rocker" - B. Bumble and the Stingers
• "Oh Lonesome Me" - Craig Douglas
• "Old Rivers" - Walter Brennan
• "Once Upon A Dream" - Billy Fury
• "Onward Christian Soldiers" - Harry Simone Chorale
• "Orange Blossom Special" - The Spotnicks
• "Our Favourite Melodies" - Craig Douglas
• "Palisades Park" - Freddy Cannon
• "The Party's Over" - Lonnie Donegan
• "The Pay Off" - Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen
• "Peppermint Twist" - Joey Dee and the Starliters
• "Peppermint Twist" - Danny Peppermint and the Jumping Jacks
• "Peter and the Wolf" - Clyde Valley Stompers
• "Pianissimo" - Ken Dodd
• "Pick A Bale Of Cotton" - Lonnie Donegan
• "Please Don't Ask About Barbara" - Bobby Vee
• "Puff" - Kenny Lynch
• "Ramblin' Rose" - Nat King Cole
• "Reminiscing" - Buddy Holly
• "Return To Sender" - Elvis Presley
• "Right Said Fred" - Bernard Cribbins
• "Rocket Man" - The Spotnicks
• "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
• "Roses Are Red (My Love)" - Ronnie Carroll
• "Roses Are Red (My Love)" - Bobby Vinton
• "Sealed with a Kiss" - Brian Hyland
• "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" - Johnny Tillotson
• "Sharing You" - Bobby Vee
• "She's Got You" - Patsy Cline
• "She's Not You" - Elvis Presley
• "Shelia" - Tommy Roe
• "Sherry" - The Four Seasons
• "Slow Twistin' - Chubby Checker
• "Small Sad Sam" - Phil McLean
• "So Do I" - Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen
• "Softly, as I Leave You" - Matt Monro
• "Soldier Boy" - Shirelles
• "Some People" - Carol Deene
• "Son This Is She" - John Leyton
• "Spanish Harlem" - Jimmy Justice
• "Speak To Me Pretty" - Brenda Lee
• "Speedy Gonzales" - Pat Boone
• "Stranger on the Shore" - Acker Bilk
• "Stranger on the Shore" - Andy Williams
• "Sun Arise" - Rolf Harris
• "Susie Darlin'" - Tommy Roe
• "Sweet Little Sixteen" - Jerry Lee Lewis
• "Swinging in the Rain" - Norman Vaughan
• "Swiss Maid" - Del Shannon
• "The Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
• "Tall Dark Stranger" - Rose Brennan
• "Tears" - Danny Williams
• "Tell Me What He Said" - Helen Shapiro
• "Telstar - The Tornados
• "That Noise" - Anthony Newley
• "Theme From Dr. Kildare" - Johnnie Spence
• "Theme from Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight)" - Richard Chamberlain
• "Theme from Maigret" - Joe Loss
• "Theme from Z-Cars" - Johnny Keating
• "Theme from Z-Cars" - Norrie Paramor and His Orchestra
• "Things" - Bobby Darin
• "Tonight" - Shirley Bassey
• "Town Without Pity" - Gene Pitney
• "The Twist" - Chubby Checker
• "Twistin' the Night Away" - Sam Cooke
• "Unsquare Dance" - Dave Brubeck
• "Up on the Roof" - Kenny Lynch
• "Vacation" - Connie Francis
• "Venus in Blue Jeans" - Mark Wynter
• "Walk Away" - Shane Fenton and the Fentones
• "Walk On By" - Leroy Van Dyke
• "Walk Right In" - The Rooftop Singers
• "The Wanderer" - Dion
• "Warmed Over Kisses" - Brian Hyland
• "We're Gonna Go Fishin'" - Hank Locklin
• "Welcome Home Baby" - The Brook Brothers
• "Wonderful Land" - The Shadows
• "What A Crazy World We're Living In" - Joe Brown
• "What Kind Of Fool Am I?/Gonna Build A Mountain" - Sammy Davis Jr.
• "What Now My Love" - Shirley Bassey
• "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" - Craig Douglas
• "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" - The Drifters
• "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" - Jimmy Justice
• "Will I What" - Mike Sarne
• "Wimoweh" - Karl Denver
• "Wonderful World of the Young" - Danny Williams
• "Ya Ya Twist" - Petula Clark
• "Yes My Darling Daughter" - Eydie Gorme
• "You Don't Know Me" - Ray Charles
• "The Young Ones" - Cliff Richard
• "Young World" - Ricky Nelson
• "Your Cheatin' Heart" - Ray Charles
• "Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night" - Doug Sheldon
• "Your Tender Look" - Joe Brown

See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1962 (USA)

Published popular music

• "Ahab The Arab" w.m. Ray Stevens
• "Blowin' in the Wind" w.m. Bob Dylan
• "Bossa Nova Baby" w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "The Boys' Night Out" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film Boys' Night Out
• "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" w.m. Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield
• "Call Me Irresponsible" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film Papa's Delicate Condition
• "Can't Get Used To Losing You" w.m. Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman
• "Can't Help Falling in Love" w.m. Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti & George David Weiss
• "Comedy Tonight"     w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "Danke Schoen" w. Milton Gabler & Kurt Schwabach m. Bert Kaempfert
• "Days of Wine and Roses" w. Johnny Mercer m. Henry Mancini from the film Days of Wine and Roses
• "Desafinado" w. Newton Mendonca m. Antonio Carlos Jobim
• "Devil Woman" w.m. Marty Robbins
• "Don't Make Me Over" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
• "Dream Baby" w.m. Cindy Walker
• "Everybody Ought To Have A Maid"     w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" w.m. Ewan MacColl
• "Free"     w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "Go Away, Little Girl" w.m. Gerry Goffin & Carole King
• "Gonna Build A Mountain" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley from the musical Stop The World - I Want To Get Off
• "Have A Dream"     w.Lee Adams m. Charles Strouse
• "He's A Rebel"     w.m. Gene Pitney
• "Her Royal Majesty"     w.m. Gerry Goffin & Carole King
• "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
• "I'm Calm"     w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "I'm Not The Marrying Kind" w. Mack David m. Sherman Edwards
• "I've Got Your Number"     w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman
• "Impossible"     w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "It's The Only Way To Travel" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in the film The Road to Hong Kong
• "Johnny Get Angry" w. Mack David m. Sherman Edwards
• Let's Not Be Sensible w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in the film The Road to Hong Kong
• "Little Boxes" w.m. Malvina Reynolds
• "Loads of Love" w.m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Diahann Carroll in the musical No Strings
• "Look No Further" w.m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley in the musical No Strings
• "Love I Hear"     w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "Lovely"     w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "Make It Easy On Yourself" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
• "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
• "More" w. Marcello Ciorciolini & Norman Newell m. Nino Oliviero & Riz Ortolani from the film Mondo Cane
• "Old Rivers" w.m. Cliff Crofford
• "On The Other Side Of The Tracks" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman from the musical Little Me
• "Once In A Lifetime" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley from the musical Stop The World - I Want To Get Off
• "Once Upon a Time" w. Lee Adams m. Charles Strouse. Introduced by Ray Bolger and Eileen Herlie in the musical All American
• "One Note Samba" w. Jon Hendricks & Newton Mendonca m. Antonio Carlos Jobim
• "Only Love Can Break a Heart" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
• "Patches" w.and m Barry Mann and Larry Kolber Dickey Lee
• "Pretty Little Picture"     w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "Quando, Quando, Quando" w. Pat Boone & Alberto Testa m. Elio Cesari
• "Ramblin' Rose" w.m. Noel Sherman & Joe Sherman
• "Real Live Girl" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman. Introduced by Sid Caesar in the musical Little Me.
• "The Road to Hong Kong" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film The Road to Hong Kong
• "The Stripper" m. David Rose
• "The Sweetest Sounds"     w.m. Richard Rodgers from the musical No Strings
• "A Swingin' Safari" m. Bert Kaempfert
• "Teamwork" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Joan Collins in the film The Road to Hong Kong
• "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer" w. Charles Tobias m. Hans Carste
• "Vacation" w.m. Connie Francis, Hank Hunter & Gary Weston
• "A Walk In The Black Forest" m. Horst Jankowski
• "Walk on the Wild Side" w. Mack David m. Elmer Bernstein from the film Walk On The Wild Side
• "Warmer Than a Whisper" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Dorothy Lamour in the film The Road to Hong Kong
• "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley. Introduced by Anthony Newley in the musical Stop The World - I Want To Get Off
• "What Now, My Love?" w. Pierre Delanoë & Carl Sigman m. Gilbert Bécaud
• "Wolverton Mountain" w.m. Merle Kilgore & Claude King

Classical music

• George Barati - Chamber Concerto
• Morley Calvert - Suite from the Montenegrin Hills
• George Crumb - Five Pieces for piano
• Mario Davidovsky
  • Electronic Study No. 2
  • Synchronisms No. 1 for flute and electronic sound
  • Trio for Clarinet, Trumpet, and Viola
• Ding Shande - Long March Symphony
• Francis Jackson - Intrada for Organ, Op 84 no 6
• Krzysztof Penderecki - Stabat Mater
• Francis Poulenc - Sonata for Oboe
• Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13 B flat minor, Op. 113 "Babi-Yar"
• Ezra Sims - Third Quartet
• La Monte Young - The Second Dream of the High-Tension Line Stepdown Transformer

Opera

• Mozart Camargo Guarnieri - Um homem só (tragic opera in one act, libretto by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri, premiered on November 29 at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro)
• Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - The Importance of Being Earnest
• Carlisle Floyd - The Passion of Jonathan Wade
• Michael Tippett - King Priam

Musical theater

• All-American     Broadway production
• Blitz! (Lionel Bart) - London production
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Stephen Sondheim) - Broadway production
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes     London production
• The Golden Apple     Broadway revival
• I Can Get It for You Wholesale     Broadway production
• Little Mary Sunshine     London production
• Little Me     Broadway production opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November17 and ran for 257 performances
• No Strings Broadway production opened at the 54th Street Theatre on March 15 and ran for 580 performances
• Scapa London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on March 8 and ran for 44 performances
• Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse) - Broadway production

Musical films

• Billy Rose's Jumbo released December 6 starring Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Stephen Boyd and Martha Raye
• Gypsy starring Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood and Karl Malden. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
• The Music Man starring Robert Preston, Shirley Jones and Hermione Gingold. Directed by Morton DaCosta.
• The Road to Hong Kong
• State Fair

Births

• January 4 - Robin Guthrie, The Cocteau Twins
• January 13 - Tony Rebel, reggae/dancehall artist
• January 16 - Paul Webb, Talk Talk
• January 28 - Leslie Phillips/Sam Phillips, singer
• February 1 - Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese guitarist (Boøwy)
• February 6 - Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses
• February 7 - David Bryan, keyboardist for the band Bon Jovi
• February 7 - Garth Brooks, country singer
• February 10- Cliff Burton, bassist for Metallica d. 1986
• February 11 - Sheryl Crow, American singer
• February 19 - Francisco Alejandro Gutierrez, singer
• February 22 - Michael Wilton, Queensrÿche
• March 2 - Jon Bon Jovi, lead singer for the band Bon Jovi
• March 5 - Craig Reid, The Proclaimers
• March 5 - Charlie Reid, The Proclaimers
• March 7 - Taylor Dayne
• March 30 - M.C. Hammer
• April 3 - Mike Ness, Social Distortion
• April 8 - Izzy Stradlin of Guns N' Roses
• April 16 - Ian MacKaye, lead singer of Minor Threat and Fugazi
• May 9 - David Gahan, Depeche Mode
• May 12 - Brett Gurewitz, Bad Religion
• May 31 - Corey Hart
• June 8 - Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran
• June 19 - Paula Abdul, pop vocalist
• June 20 - Mark De Gli Antoni, Soul Coughing
• June 26 - Andrej Šeban, guitarist
• July 7 - Mark White, Spin Doctors
• July 21 - Lee Aaron
• July 22 - Steve Albini, guitarist
• July 27 - Karl Mueller, Soul Asylum
• August 4 - Paul Reynolds, A Flock of Seagulls
• August 7 - Andrew Glover, Composer
• August 25 - Vivian Campbell, Def Leppard
• October 3 - Tommy Lee, Mötley Crüe
• October 12 - Chris Botti, trumpeter
• October 15 - Mark Reznicek, Toadies
• October 16 - Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone
• October 16 - Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• October 25 - Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• November 1 - Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of Red Hot Chili Peppers
• November 3 - Marilyn, pop vocalist
• November 9 - Steve "Silk" Hurley, house-music producer and club DJ
• November 18 - Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist of Metallica
• November 21 - Steven Curtis Chapman
• November 27 - Charlie Benante, Anthrax
• November 28 - Matt Cameron, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam
• November 27 - Mike Bordin, Faith No More
• December 4 - Vinnie Dombroski, Sponge
• December 8 - Marty Friedman, Megadeth

Deaths

• January 29 - Fritz Kreisler
• February 5 - Jacques Ibert, composer
• February 17 - Bruno Walter, conductor
• February 22 - Attila the Hun, calypso singer
• March 24 - Jean Goldkette, jazz musician
• April 10 - Stuart Sutcliffe, former member of The Beatles, cerebral paralysis caused by a brain hemorrhage
• May 27 - Egon Petri, pianist
• June 12 - John Ireland, composer
• June 13 - Sir Eugène Aynsley Goossens, conductor
• June 15 - Alfred Cortot, pianist and conductor
• July 12 - Roger Wolfe Kahn, bandleader
• July 25 - Christie MacDonald, actress and singer
• September 6 - Hanns Eisler, composer
• October 6 - Solomon Linda, Zulu musician
• December 7 - Kirsten Flagstad
• December 13 - Harry Barris, US singer, composer and pianist
• December 22 - Roy Palmer, jazz trombonist

Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1962

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1962

See also

• Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1962