Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Billboard's number one song for the year, by a narrow four point spread over number two, only spent a couple of weeks at the top of the Hot 100. The difference was a nine vs. six week stint within the Top 10 and an 18 vs. 16 week run in the Top 40. This hit marked a return to the Top 10 charts for a performer who hadn't scaled those heights for almost five years. Enough with the stats! What song was it? Here's a piece of the lyric.
"I've been walkin' these streets so long
Singin' the same old song
I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway
Where hustle's the name of the game
And nice guys get washed away like the snow and the rain"
2. The second ranked hit from 1975 (by those four points) marked the debut for a recording act that would have considerable success throughout the rest of the decade. In part of the song, almost subliminally, the return of a pop icon from the late 1950s and early 1960s is announced - its composer. Number One for four weeks, identify the song with the assistance of this lyrical snippet.
"Young and beautiful, someday your looks will be gone
When the others turn you off, who'll be turning you on"
3. The third ranked song for 1975 was a song that only managed a peak chart placement of Number Six but owed its status to a remarkable 32 week run on the charts. That song was "Feelings" by Morris Albert - his only hit. As he was later successfully sued for plagiarism, let's just skip over it and turn our attentions to the song ranked fourth for the year. Charting for 21 weeks, it spent nine weeks in the Top 10, a couple of those at Number One. Here are a few lines from the lyric to help you out.
"If you choose to you can live your life alone
Some people choose the city
Some others choose the good old family home
I like living easy without family ties
Till the whip-poor-will of freedom zapped me
Right between the eyes"
4. The record to hold down fifth place in the rankings for 1975 was a two sided hit. On one side was the Number One hit "I'm Sorry". On the other, was a Number Two hit for four weeks, stalled there behind "Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka and Elton John's "Island Girl". Let's see if you know it with help from this piece of the lyric.
"To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean,
To ride on the crest of a wild raging storm
To work in the service of life and living
In search of the answers to questions unknown
To be part of the movement and part of the growing
Part of beginning to understand"
5. The songs ranked 5th through 10th for 1975 were closely bunched - an extra week in the Top 10 or Top 40 tipped the scales in their rankings. Ranked sixth was a song that hovered in the Hot 100 for 21 weeks, reaching Number One in May. No lyrical clue for this one since any lines I could provide of the limited lyric would give you the answer. However, knowing that half the song was sung in Spanish and that it was sung by a country oriented Tex-Mex artist should be pretty good hints. What song was it?
6. "The full moon is calling, the fever is high
And the wicked wind whispers and moans
You got your demons and you got desires
Well, I got a few of my own"
These are lyrics from the song ranked seventh for 1975. It also topped the charts for just one week but no record spent more weeks within the Top 10 than this one did - 10 of its 17 week chart run were spent in the upper echelons of the chart. What song are we talkin' about?
7. Yet another of the comeback kids for 1975 was the artist who sang these words:
"Headed for city lights, climbed the ladder up to fortune and fame
I worked my fingers to the bone, made myself a name
Funny I seemed to find that no matter how the years unwind
Still I reminisce 'bout the girl I miss and the love I left behind"
He was the lead singer of one of the most notable groups of the 1960s but late in the decade decided to do some additional work solo. Unfortunately, neither he, nor the group, managed a hit for over seven years but this song announced his return to the top as a solo artist. Ranked eighth for the year, it charted for 23 weeks with a one-week stint at the top. It's title?
8. Our next hit was a song somewhat difficult to characterize. Was it late bubblegum music with an edge? Was it glam rock or perhaps one of the forerunners of metal? Whatever, it spent 25 weeks on the charts, peaked at Number Five and earned sufficient placement points to rank ninth for 1975. Let's see if you can identify it with this lyrical clue.
"Oh, I see a man at the back
As a matter of fact his eyes are as red as the sun
And a girl in the corner, let no one ignore her
'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one
Oh yeah, it was like lightning, everybody was frightening
And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving"
9. Rounding out the top 10 ranked songs of 1975 was Neil Sedaka's "Laughter In The Rain" but the nature of the lyric precluded its inclusion in this quiz... the title was simply mentioned too frequently. Let's jump to the song ranked 14th. It was a "love it or hate it" type of song, at least by the critics, but it was Number One for a week during its 18 week chart run. What song was this?
"No one else can make me feel the colors that you bring
Stay with me while we grow old and we will live each day in spring time"
10. The 21st ranked song in 1975 featured familiar lyrics and rightfully so. It was originally a Number Eight hit in 1960. This new version did even better peaking at Number Two for two weeks. Here's your lyrical hint - what song was it?
"When I meet a new man that I want for mine
He always breaks my heart in two, it happens every time
I've been cheated, been mistreated"
11. With a week at Number One among its 17 weeks on the Hot 100, a hard rock band mellows out and achieves their first chart topper that ranked 22nd among the hits of 1975. A good sing-along song, I'll give you the part of the lyric that induces you to loosen the vocal chords. What hit was this?
"I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland
Pretty momma come and take me by the hand"
12. The song ranked 24th for 1975 was the "dark horse" hit of the year, peaking at Number Three and spending 20 weeks within the Hot 100. Simply put, songs with lyrics that include phrases like "debentures of quality" and "dubious integrity" were not frequent visitors to the pop charts! Let's see if you can guess the title of this hit with more of a lyric sample.
"And those of us with ravaged faces lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say come dance with me and murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems"
13. "And love is fine for all we know
For all we know, our love will grow"
These lines, repeated several times in the chorus, were culled from the 51st ranked song for 1975. It was a one-week Number One hit but lost ranking points by only charting for 14 weeks. Can you name it?
14. "Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes"
These words seem familiar too, from times gone by, but it makes its first appearance on the Billboard charts and goes straight to Number One for two weeks. It only spent 13 weeks on the charts and thus finished the year ranked down the list at 54th. What song was it?
15. Ranked 55th for 1975 was the debut hit for the artist who recorded it and another Number One hit that spent 16 weeks on the Billboard charts. The accompanying slice of lyric should suffice as your clue:
"Well, you came and you gave without taking but I sent you away
Well, you kissed me and stopped me from shaking and I need you today"
There you are... name the song.
Source: Author
maddogrick16
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
gtho4 before going online.
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