More Lyrics From 1961! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stand By Me

Without doubt, this has become Ben E. King's most enduring and covered song. It even returned to the charts with its re-release in 1986 as a #9 hit when it was featured in the movie of the same name. Others to chart with this song include Spyder Turner (#12 in 1967), John Lennon (#20 in 1975) and Mickey Gilley (#22 in 1980).

Answer: Crying

Roy Orbison scored the first hit with "Crying" and oddly enough, it wasn't the biggest hit of the record... the flip or "A" side was "Running Scared" and it was #1 in June of 1961. "Crying" ultimately peaked at #2 in the late fall. Jay and The Americans had a #25 hit with the song in 1966 and Don McLean hit #5 in 1981.

In Canada, k.d.lang's version got a lot of airplay in the early 1990's but it never did break onto the Billboard charts.

Answer: Will You Love Me Tomorrow

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow" would be the first of two #1 hits for the Shirelles, the second being "Soldier Boy" the following year. With the exception of The Supremes of course, The Shirelles no doubt had the biggest impact on pop music of all the girl groups in the early '60's in terms of chart success and career durability.

They were active well into the 1970's although the hits had dried up by then.

Answer: Fool #1

This song was recorded by Brenda Lee and it was her eleventh top 40 song on the pop charts. She would have eighteen more before becoming exclusively a "country" artist in the late 1960's.

Answer: Runaway

I hope I didn't trick you with "Crying In The Rain", a #6 song by the Everly's in 1962. "Runaway" was Del Shannon's breakout hit and was #1 for four weeks in the spring of '61. His intelligent song writing and falsetto voice helped him maintain his popularity until about 1965 and the "British" invasion.

After 1965, he was financially secure due to prudent real estate investments but he continued to tour hoping to duplicate his successes of the early '60's. Although he did have one more moderate hit with a cover of "Sea Of Love" in 1982, years of alcohol and drug abuse coupled with severe depression resulted in his suicide by gunshot in 1990 at the age of 50.

Answer: Larry

"Hats Off To Larry" was the #5 follow-up hit to Del Shannon's "Runaway".

Answer: Bristol Stomp

"Bristol Stomp" was #2 song for The Dovells in the fall of 1961. The group was from the Philadelphia area and Bristol is a small town just outside of Philadelphia. The group had one more big hit "You Can't Sit Down" in 1963. Later that year, the group's lead singer, Len Barry, went solo and although the group carried on, no hits ensued. Barry didn't fare much better although he did have one big hit in 1965, a #2 song "1-2-3".

Answer: False

Bobby Vee's #6 hit from January 1961 was simply "Rubber Ball". In 1966, The Cyrkle had a #2 hit with "Red Rubber Ball", an entirely different song!

Answer: Wings Of A Dove

Ferlin Husky recorded this song in 1960 and it was #1 for several weeks on the country charts that year. It finally crossed over to the pop charts in 1961. Husky only had one other pop chart success, "Gone", a #4 hit in 1957 but he was a stalwart country music performer for many, many years.

Answer: The Marvelettes

"Please Mr. Postman" was the Marvelettes only #1 song and they did it with their debut top 40 song! They followed up with a series of moderately successful hits until they finally disbanded in 1969. The song was also a #1 hit for the Carpenters in 1975.