FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about The Top Hits of 1962
Quiz about The Top Hits of 1962

The Top Hits of 1962 Trivia Quiz


1962 was the year of dance music. Four of the top ten ranked songs for that year, based on the Billboard Hot Hundred charts, extolled the virtues of the latest craze. Let's see how you do on those and the other top hits of the year!

A multiple-choice quiz by maddogrick16. Estimated time: 7 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Music Trivia
  6. »
  7. 1960s Music
  8. »
  9. Music from 1962

Author
maddogrick16
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
219,848
Updated
Nov 01 23
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
11 / 15
Plays
6726
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: ncterp (13/15), MK240V (12/15), Guest 146 (10/15).
-
Question 1 of 15
1. The number one ranked song for 1962 was the number seven ranked song for 1960. Was the song "The Twist"?


Question 2 of 15
2. "I've made up my mind
To live in memory of the lonesome times
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday"

This lyric is taken from the song that would rank number two for 1962. What was the name of this lovely, but sad, ballad with country music overtones? It was Number One for five weeks.
Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. What song finished the year as the third ranked song of 1962? Here's a segment of the lyric:

"Silly boy, told my girl we had to break up
Silly boy, hoped that she would call my bluff
Silly boy, then she said to my surprise"

The next line reveals the song's title!
Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. Chubby Checker returns with the song that ranked number four for 1962. It charted in the Hot 100 for 23 weeks and spent 12 of those in the top 10, peaking at Number Two for two weeks. Out of 16 lyric lines, the main title word appears in 14 of them so for a lyrical clue, here's the one line (repeated once) that doesn't contain that word!

"How low can you go"
Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. Rounding out the top five ranked hits for 1962 was yet another dance song. Recorded by Joey Dee and The Starlighters, "Peppermint Twist" topped the charts for three weeks during an 18 week run in the Hot 100, garnering 1303 points along the way. What is the significance of the song's title? Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. For 21 weeks, a haunting melody by an English clarinetist named Acker Bilk rode the Hot 100 until finally hitting Number One on May 26, 1962. What was the name of this, his only recording to chart in the top 40 in the U.S.? Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. "A long, long time ago on graduation day
You handed me your book I signed this way"

These were the opening lines from the number seven ranked song for 1962. Although it seemed like it was on the Hot 100 forever at the time, it only charted for 15 weeks with 10 weeks in the top 10 and an impressive four weeks at Number One. With 1261 points, what song was it?
Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. The debut smash hit of The Four Seasons charted for 14 weeks and spent five of those at Number One! As a consequence, the song earned 1248 points to capture the 8th spot in year-end rankings for 1962. In the song, lead singer Frankie Valli is begging for a girl to "come out tonight" to "his twist party". What was her name, the song's title? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. The fourth, and last, dance hit in this quiz was the ninth-ranked song for 1962. It tallied 1158 points and oddly enough, although it peaked at Number Two for two weeks, it ultimately finished higher in the rankings than the recording that denied it coveted Number One status. See if you can name it from the following slice of the lyric as sung by Dee Dee Sharp.

"Now everybody is doin' fine
They dance alone or in a big boss line
And they discovered it's the most, man
The day they did it to 'Please Mr. Postman'"
Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. A hit by Elvis had enough chart action to capture the number ten position in 1962's rankings with 1134 points. You should be able to identify it with just this one line.

"I gave a letter to the postman, he put it in his sack"
Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Ranked at number 11 for 1962 was an instrumental entitled "Telstar" that stood atop the Billboard charts for three weeks and accumulated 1099 points over its 16-week appearance on the Hot 100. True or false - this recording was the first by a British band to be a Number One hit in America.


Question 12 of 15
12. Singer/Actress Shelley Fabares recorded the song that would ultimately finish 1962 as the 12th ranked hit of the year. Here's a sample of the lyric:

"I'm in heaven, I get carried away
I dream of him and me and how it's gonna be
Other fellas call me up for a date
But I just sit and wait, I'd rather concentrate"

Who is the object of her affection?
Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. What song by the Shirelles finished the year as the 13th ranked recording of 1962? It earned 1084 points based on its 14 week performance on the Hot 100 charts, including three weeks at Number One. Here's a sample of the lyric - in fact, the entire second stanza.

"Wherever you go my heart will follow
I love you so, I'll be true to you
Take my love with you to any port or foreign shore
Darling you must feel for sure, I'll be true to you"
Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. In the early 1950s, the great folk revivalist group, The Weavers, recorded a South African Zulu song entitled "Wimoweh". It resurfaced with new lyrics late in 1961 and became the 14th ranked recording for 1962. What song was it? Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. To round the year's top hits, I've chosen the song that ranked number 26. It was a Number One hit for two weeks right around Halloween. Here's a piece of the lyric:

"From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes"

What was the title of this cult classic?
Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Oct 27 2024 : ncterp: 13/15
Oct 27 2024 : MK240V: 12/15
Oct 23 2024 : Guest 146: 10/15
Oct 22 2024 : Guest 88: 8/15
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 174: 14/15
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 104: 8/15
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 137: 9/15
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 184: 15/15
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 71: 11/15

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The number one ranked song for 1962 was the number seven ranked song for 1960. Was the song "The Twist"?

Answer: Yes

Of course it was! In 1960, it charted in the Hot 100 for 18 weeks, the top 40 for 15 weeks, the top ten for 12 weeks and was Number One for one week, totaling 1310 chart points. The numbers for 1962 were as follows - Hot 100, 21 weeks; top 40, 18 weeks; top 10, 13 weeks; Number One, two weeks; total - 1536 points. Its cumulative total of 2846 points makes it the fourth biggest hit in terms of these point ratings for the 1956-1987 era. Only "Singing The Blues" by Guy Mitchell in 1956 with 2931 points, "You Light Up My Life" by Debbie Boone in 1977 with 3150 points and "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John in 1981 with 3040 points, rated higher.

This was Chubby Checker's legacy to the rock era... well, most of it anyway!
2. "I've made up my mind To live in memory of the lonesome times It's useless to say So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday" This lyric is taken from the song that would rank number two for 1962. What was the name of this lovely, but sad, ballad with country music overtones? It was Number One for five weeks.

Answer: I Can't Stop Loving You

This was Ray Charles' third and last Number One hit and the biggest hit of his 40+ year career. Charles was always partial to country music, a product of his childhood in rural Georgia. Although he dabbled in the genre in his early recordings, most of his songs were R&B oriented. Perhaps because there were notoriously few black artists in the country field at the time, Charles, or maybe his record label, was reluctant to cut a recording with a country bias, perhaps fearful of alienating his fans. This hit obviously laid to rest those possible apprehensions and most of his recordings over the next two years were country-tinged.

Don Gibson wrote the song and he also flitted between pop and country music with the songs he recorded such as "Oh Lonesome Me", "Blue, Blue Day" and "Sea Of Heartbreak". Gibson recorded this song himself as the flip side to "Oh Lonesome Me" and it made a Number 81 chart appearance in 1958. Clearly, what it needed was the soulful rendering that Charles applied to the song to make it a hit. It earned 1499 points based on its 18 week chart run, falling 37 points short of "The Twist" in the year-end ratings.
3. What song finished the year as the third ranked song of 1962? Here's a segment of the lyric: "Silly boy, told my girl we had to break up Silly boy, hoped that she would call my bluff Silly boy, then she said to my surprise" The next line reveals the song's title!

Answer: Big Girls Don't Cry

This was The Four Seasons' biggest hit of the year spending 16 weeks on the chart, five of them at Number One. It earned 1438 points. More about the group later in the quiz... they had only just begun!
4. Chubby Checker returns with the song that ranked number four for 1962. It charted in the Hot 100 for 23 weeks and spent 12 of those in the top 10, peaking at Number Two for two weeks. Out of 16 lyric lines, the main title word appears in 14 of them so for a lyrical clue, here's the one line (repeated once) that doesn't contain that word! "How low can you go"

Answer: Limbo Rock

Here's some more of the lyric that amplifies how often the word "limbo" appears in the lyric - 28 times!

"Every limbo boy and girl all around the limbo world
Gonna do the limbo rock all around the limbo clock
Jack be limbo, Jack be quick, Jack go under limbo stick
All around the limbo clock, hey, let's do the limbo rock"

While the "Chubby one" was not quite done with these types of songs just yet, it would be his penultimate top 10 hit and the last song of his that would achieve a high rank at year-end.
5. Rounding out the top five ranked hits for 1962 was yet another dance song. Recorded by Joey Dee and The Starlighters, "Peppermint Twist" topped the charts for three weeks during an 18 week run in the Hot 100, garnering 1303 points along the way. What is the significance of the song's title?

Answer: The Starlighters were the house band at the Peppermint Lounge

Indeed, Joey Dee and The Starlighters were the house band at "The Peppermint Lounge" nightclub and had been since 1960. The club apparently was quite the hot spot in New York City, the 1960s version of Studio 54, that uppity disco haunt. It was where the fashionable youngsters went to twist the night away. Sadly, perhaps, "The Peppermint Lounge" has long since closed its doors and Joey Dee actually opened his own nightspot "The Starlighter" in 1964, that only lasted a year.

He still is an active performer on the oldies circuit.
6. For 21 weeks, a haunting melody by an English clarinetist named Acker Bilk rode the Hot 100 until finally hitting Number One on May 26, 1962. What was the name of this, his only recording to chart in the top 40 in the U.S.?

Answer: Stranger On The Shore

A Danish jazz pianist named Bent Fabric recorded "Alley Cat". It was a Number Seven hit in 1962 that ranked at 44 for the year. "Take Five" was that classic 1963 jazz recording by The Dave Brubeck Quartet that managed a Number 25 charting on the Hot 100 that year. "Midnight In Moscow" was a Dixieland number recorded by British jazzman Kenny Ball. It peaked at Number Two in 1962 and was ranked number 38.

Acker Bilk learned to play the clarinet while pulling guard duty with the British military in Egypt in 1947. He became proficient enough to lead his own jazz band upon his discharge in the early 1950s and became a highly respected musician and entertainer in his homeland. Strangely enough, however, although this song spent close to a year on the British version of the Hot 100, it never was a Number One hit there! It accumulated 1293 Billboard points to attain its lofty year end status.
7. "A long, long time ago on graduation day You handed me your book I signed this way" These were the opening lines from the number seven ranked song for 1962. Although it seemed like it was on the Hot 100 forever at the time, it only charted for 15 weeks with 10 weeks in the top 10 and an impressive four weeks at Number One. With 1261 points, what song was it?

Answer: Roses Are Red

Bobby Vinton is among the very few who managed a Number One hit with their first release. He was born in Canonsburg, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pa., the son of a popular local big band conductor and growing up, it was his life's ambition to emulate his dad. He did form his own band while in high school and the proceeds enabled him to attend Duquesne University graduating with a degree in music.

The big band era was done by the late 1950s but Vinton persevered in his quest and ultimately became the bandleader for Dick Clark's "Caravan Of Stars", his traveling show, in 1960. Vinton and his orchestra cut a few demos in 1962 and he tried singing a little ditty on just one of them. Yep, "Roses Are Red"! Vinton maintained a steady influence on the charts over the next 13 years and he really was an anachronism during this era... a fellow who was able to be successful singing stuff that hearkened back to the previous generation. He still tours on a regular basis, mostly concert halls and casinos, and during the 1980s, had his own concert hall in Branson, Missouri. Although he has divested himself of any interest in that venture, he does try to perform there at least a couple of months a year.
8. The debut smash hit of The Four Seasons charted for 14 weeks and spent five of those at Number One! As a consequence, the song earned 1248 points to capture the 8th spot in year-end rankings for 1962. In the song, lead singer Frankie Valli is begging for a girl to "come out tonight" to "his twist party". What was her name, the song's title?

Answer: Sherry

Unlike Bobby Vinton, The Four Seasons and lead singer, Frankie Valli, had been beating the bushes for many years prior to their sudden rise to stardom. Essentially, they were an Italian "doo-wop" group and that sound had been passé for many years when they came under the influence of Philadelphia producer Bob Crewe early in 1962. Crewe did a few things: 1. he emphasized Valli's singing range, particularly his ability to sing in falsetto; 2. he modernized the sound of the group with his musical arrangements; 3. he collaborated with group member Bob Gaudio to write the songs the group recorded in 1962 that became so popular. Crewe's influence would extend during the entire duration of The Four Seasons' success into the latter half of the decade.
9. The fourth, and last, dance hit in this quiz was the ninth-ranked song for 1962. It tallied 1158 points and oddly enough, although it peaked at Number Two for two weeks, it ultimately finished higher in the rankings than the recording that denied it coveted Number One status. See if you can name it from the following slice of the lyric as sung by Dee Dee Sharp. "Now everybody is doin' fine They dance alone or in a big boss line And they discovered it's the most, man The day they did it to 'Please Mr. Postman'"

Answer: Mashed Potato Time

Dee Dee Sharp got her start singing in, then leading, the choir at her grandfather's Philadelphia church. At the age of 13, in 1958, her mother was seriously injured in an accident and Dee Dee secured work as a back-up singer while still attending school. She backed up the whole roster of Philadelphia artists - Chubby Checker, Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Lloyd Price, Bobby Rydell and Jackie Wilson, before finally getting her chance with this song and she didn't miss! She became a star overnight and was the first black, female teen idol of the era. Incidentally, her real name was Dione LaRue but her record producers weren't fond of the handle. They changed it to Dee Dee Sharp simply because she sang in the key of D Sharp.

She followed up this release with three more quick top 10 ten hits and continued to record well into the 1980s but without much chart success. Over the years, she has diversified her repertoire not only performing live in concerts but also on TV and in the movies. The new millennium sees her active in all these entertainment mediums.
10. A hit by Elvis had enough chart action to capture the number ten position in 1962's rankings with 1134 points. You should be able to identify it with just this one line. "I gave a letter to the postman, he put it in his sack"

Answer: Return To Sender

"Return To Sender" spent 10 of its 16 weeks on the Hot 100 within the top 10, peaking at Number Two for five long weeks. It was denied Number One by the records that finished at number three and number eleven in this recap. Elvis would have three other entries among the top 100 ranked songs of the year: the number 27 "Good Luck Charm", the number 28 "Can't Help Falling In Love" and the number 90 "She's Not You".

The next few years would not be as kind to "The King"
11. Ranked at number 11 for 1962 was an instrumental entitled "Telstar" that stood atop the Billboard charts for three weeks and accumulated 1099 points over its 16-week appearance on the Hot 100. True or false - this recording was the first by a British band to be a Number One hit in America.

Answer: True

Mistakenly, many think that The Beatles, as leaders of the "British Invasion" in 1964, would have copped that honor. However, it was this quintet of studio musicians under the aegis of producer Joe Meeks who beat The Beatles to the punch by 13 months!

The first British performer to have any sort of Number One in America was Laurie London. A London, England resident at the time, he recorded "He's Got The Whole World (In His Hands)" in 1958 at the age of 13 and it topped the Jockey Chart for four weeks. However, it only peaked at Number Two on the Top 100 chart, the predecessor to the Hot 100. The first British artist to achieve that feat was Mr. Acker Bilk earlier in 1962 and the subject of an earlier question in this quiz.

The Tornados time in the spotlight was very brief indeed. They only had one other Billboard chart entry, the forgettable "Ridin' The Wind" that peaked at Number 63 in 1963. Thereafter, a lawsuit between Joe Meek and a French concern over copyright infringements essentially grounded The Tornados and they went their separate ways in 1964.
12. Singer/Actress Shelley Fabares recorded the song that would ultimately finish 1962 as the 12th ranked hit of the year. Here's a sample of the lyric: "I'm in heaven, I get carried away I dream of him and me and how it's gonna be Other fellas call me up for a date But I just sit and wait, I'd rather concentrate" Who is the object of her affection?

Answer: Johnny Angel

Shelley Fabares was destined for a career in show business being born to a family with roots in the industry - her aunt was entertainer Nanette Fabray. Before she was a teenager, she had already appeared in several movies and got her first big break in 1958 at the age of 14 playing the role of Mary Stone, the daughter in "The Donna Reed Show", for five years.

Shelley was a reluctant recording star. Columbia Pictures Television produced the TV show and they prevailed on her to record some tracks in support of their music division and record label, Colpix. This was her debut release and easily the biggest hit in her short recording career. In some circles, the song is considered to be the quintessential "girl song" spawning the success that various girl groups would have with similar material over the next couple of years. Her own follow-up, "Johnny Loves Me", peaked at Number 21 but when subsequent recordings failed to make much of an impression, she decided to forego music altogether to concentrate on acting.

She continues to land roles primarily in TV movie productions but has also had continuing roles in a couple of TV series, most notably "One Day At A Time" and as Craig T. Nelson's wife in "Coach". Along with her husband, Mike Farrell, she devotes much of her time now to charitable causes, particularly those pertinent to Alzheimer's disease.

"Johnny Angel" gathered 1085 points based on a 15 week tenure in the Hot 100 with two weeks at Number One.
13. What song by the Shirelles finished the year as the 13th ranked recording of 1962? It earned 1084 points based on its 14 week performance on the Hot 100 charts, including three weeks at Number One. Here's a sample of the lyric - in fact, the entire second stanza. "Wherever you go my heart will follow I love you so, I'll be true to you Take my love with you to any port or foreign shore Darling you must feel for sure, I'll be true to you"

Answer: Soldier Boy

Between their debut release in 1960 and their last top 40 charting song in 1963, The Shirelles etched an indelible impression on the music world: 17 charting hits, 12 top 40 hits, six top 10s and two Number One hits - this one and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" in 1961. Then... struggles! From 1964 to 1967 they would only have nine more recordings enter the Hot 100 and none could crack the top 40. Then, from 1968 to 1982 when they disbanded, not a solitary chart entry!

In my attempts to find out what went wrong, there appeared to be nothing definitive, but perhaps "the perfect storm" of events all contributed to their lack of success. Among the factors: 1. Beatlemania 2. A general shift in the musical tastes of the listening public 3. Material that was inferior to their earlier hits 4. Reduced promotion of their output by their record label. Regardless, suffice to say that their overall impact and legacy to the industry was such that they were inducted into the R&R Hall Of Fame in 1996.
14. In the early 1950s, the great folk revivalist group, The Weavers, recorded a South African Zulu song entitled "Wimoweh". It resurfaced with new lyrics late in 1961 and became the 14th ranked recording for 1962. What song was it?

Answer: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" finished 1962 with 1079 points based on a 15 week run in the Hot 100 with three weeks at Number One.

In 1955, Hank Medress, a student at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, gathered together three of his classmates and formed a doo-wop group dubbed The Linc-Tones. Among those original members was Neil Sedaka. They were good enough to be signed to a record contract but after their initial releases went nowhere, they disbanded. Medress formed The Tokens with a new line-up in 1960. Despite many years of effort, they were never able to duplicate the success they had with this hit. Medress left the group in 1971 to produce the recordings of Tony Orlando and Dawn and The Tokens folded shortly after.
15. To round the year's top hits, I've chosen the song that ranked number 26. It was a Number One hit for two weeks right around Halloween. Here's a piece of the lyric: "From my laboratory in the castle east To the master bedroom where the vampires feast The ghouls all came from their humble abodes To get a jolt from my electrodes" What was the title of this cult classic?

Answer: The Monster Mash

Bobby Pickett was 22 years old, just discharged from the military, and looking for acting work in L.A. To make ends meet in the interim, he joined a band known as The Cordials as lead singer. They regularly performed a cover of The Diamonds hit "Little Darlin'" that featured a talking verse. Pickett would emulate Boris Karloff in that part and it became a popular element of their act. Another member of the group, Bobby Capizzi, suggested that he and Pickett write a song utilizing Pickett's Karloff imitation. It took a year to conceptualize and ninety minutes to write... "The Monster Mash" was created and Bobby Pickett became Bobby "Boris" Pickett. Among the supporting musicians who played on the record, dubbed The Crypt Kickers, was one Leon Russell.

They took the song to Gary Paxton, a record producer who wrote, performed and produced the hit record "Alley Oop" as The Hollywood Argyles. He thought highly of the project and a demo was cut. Paxton tried to sell it to a few record labels, without success, but undaunted, he underwrote the cost of pressing a thousand copies and hand delivered them to DJ's throughout Southern California. When it started getting significant airplay, London records took it over and within eight weeks it hit Number One on Billboards Hot 100!

Pickett still makes a living off this one hit performing at special events. Obviously, he doesn't take himself too seriously - on his website it states "Bobby 'Boris' Pickett is available year round and can be dug up to appear and sing a medley of his hit"!
Source: Author maddogrick16

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series The Top Annual Hits 1960 to 1969:

Quizzes on the highest rated Billboard hits based on chart performance for each year of the 1960s decade.

  1. The Top Hits of 1960 Average
  2. The Top Hits of 1961 Average
  3. The Top Hits of 1962 Average
  4. The Top Hits of 1963 Average
  5. The Top Hits of 1964 Average
  6. The Top Hits of 1965 Average
  7. The Top Hits of 1966 Average
  8. The Top Hits of 1967 Average
  9. The Top Hits of 1968 Average
  10. The Top Hits of 1969 - Part One Average
  11. The Top Hits of 1969 - Part Two Average

10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us