The Music of The Four Tops Trivia Quiz

Answer: Baby I Need Your Loving

The Four Tops had a number 11 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Baby I Need Your Loving" in 1964. It did not chart in the UK.

"Baby I Need Your Loving" was written by Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland and was the first hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for The Four Tops. The Four Tops were Levi Stubbs, born in 1936 (lead singer), Abdul Fakir, born in 1935, Renaldo Benson, born in 1936 and Lawrence Payton, born in 1938. They first recorded for the Chess record label in 1956, then signed for Motown in 1963. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

The Liverpool group The Fourmost had a number 24 hit with the song on the UK singles chart in 1964. It did not chart in the US.

Answer: I Can't Help Myself

"I Can't Help Myself" gave The Four Tops a number one hit for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. It reached number 23 on the UK singles chart the same year. On re-release in the UK in 1970 it reached number ten.

"I Can't Help Myself" was written by Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland. It had non-consecutive weeks at number one. It replaced "Back In My Arms Again" also written by Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland. It was in turn replaced by "Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds written by Bob Dylan. It then regained the top spot and was replaced one week later by "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones written by Mick Jagger/Keith Richards.

Answer: Song

"It's The Same Old Song" gave The Four Tops a number five hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. It reached number 34 on the UK singles chart the same year.

"It's The Same Old Song" was written by Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland. It was written, recorded and released all in one 24 hour period. The Four Tops' previous record company Columbia records, had re-released an old Four Tops single "Ain't That Love" to cash in on the group's success with "I Can't Help Myself". When this came to the attention of the head of Motown Berry Gordy, he demanded that a new Four Tops single be released within a day.

The Columbia single "Ain't That Love" written by Levi Stubbs, previously released in 1960 made the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and peaked at number 93 in 1965.

Answer: Reach Out I'll Be There

"Reach Out I'll Be There" gave The Four Tops a number one hit for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. It was number one for three weeks on the UK singles chart the same year. A re-mixed version reached number 11 on the UK singles chart in 1988.

"Reach Out I'll Be There" was written by Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland. It became the second and last number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for The Four Tops. It was also Motown's second number one hit on the UK singles chart after The Supremes hit the number one spot with "Baby Love" in 1964.

"Baby Love" and "Reach Out I'll Be There" would be The Supremes and Four Tops only number one hits on the UK singles chart.

Answer: Bernadette

"Bernadette" was a number four hit for The Four Tops on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. It reached number eight on the UK singles chart the same year.

"Bernadette" was written by Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland. It was the last single by The Four Tops to reach the Billboard Top 10 in the '60s. They scored their next Billboard Top Ten when "Keeper Of The Castle" peaked at number ten in 1973.

In an interview for "Hits" magazine in 2003 Lamont Dozier admitted there was a real Bernadette; in fact there had been three girls named Bernadette. His contribution to the song was inspired by his unrequited love for a girl named Bernadette when he was 12 years old.

Answer: The Left Banke

"Walk Away Renee" was a number five hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for The Left Banke in 1966. It did not chart in the UK. The Four Tops' version peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. It reached number three on the UK singles chart the same year.

"Walk Away Renee" was another tale of unrequited love. It was written by member of The Left Banke group Michael Brown, when he was 16 years old. It was a tribute to a girl named Renee Fladen, who just happened to be the girlfriend of the Left Banke's bassist Tom Finn.

After two more hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and just over a year after "Walk Away Renee" entered the chart, The Left Banke disbanded over internal differences.

Answer: Bobby Darin

"If I Were A Carpenter" was a number eight hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for Bobby Darin in 1966. It peaked at number nine on the UK singles chart the same year. The Four Tops' version peaked at number was 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. It peaked at number seven on the UK singles chart the same year.

"If I Were A Carpenter" was written by Tim Hardin. It has been a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 by five different acts between 1966 and 1974: Bobby Darin, The Four Tops, Johnny Cash & June Carter, Bob Seger and Leon Russell. It was not a hit by Tim Hardin who included it on his 1967 album "Tim Hardin 2".

The version by Bobby Darin is the highest placed on the Billboard Hot 100 as of the date of this quiz.

Answer: It's All In The Game

"It's All In The Game" was number one for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 for Tommy Edwards in 1958. It was number one for three weeks on the UK singles chart the same year. The Four Tops' version was a number 24 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. It reached number five on the UK singles chart the same year.

"It's All In The Game" was written by the future 30th US Vice-President and Nobel prize winner Charles Gates Dawes as "Melody In A Major" in 1912. Nearly 40 years later in 1951 Carl Sigman added the lyrics. Tommy Edwards first took the song into the US chart in 1951 where it peaked at number 18. His number one hit with it in 1958 was a re-recording of the song.

Answer: The Supremes

"River Deep Mountain High" was a number 14 hit for The Supremes and The Four Tops on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. It reached number 11 on the UK singles chart the same year.

"River Deep Mountain High" was written by Phil Spector/Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich. The original version by Ike and Tina Turner was produced by Phil Spector and considered by him to have been his best work. It peaked at number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 but reached number three on the UK singles chart the same year. Phil Spector became so disillusioned by the record's lack of success in the US, that he ceased any involvement with the music industry for the next two years.

There have been many cover versions of "River Deep Mountain High" such as by Eric Burden & The Animals, Deep Purple, The Easybeats, Katrina & The Waves and Nilsson. The Supremes (minus Diana Ross) and The Four Tops' version has been the most successful chart wise in the USA. It was produced by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

Answer: Phil Collins

"Loco In Acapulco" gave The Four Tops a number seven hit on the UK singles chart in 1988. It did not chart in the US.

"Loco In Acapulco" was written by Lamont Dozier and Phil Collins for the soundtrack of the 1988 movie "Buster". The movie, starring Phil Collins as Buster and Julie Walters as June Edwards is the story of Ronald 'Buster' Edwards. He was one of the gang involved in the so called Great Train Robbery which took place in England. The gang intercepted the Glasgow-London mail train in Buckinghamshire in the early hours of the 8th August 1963. After changing the track-side signal lights, they stopped the train at Sears Crossing and escaped with an estimated £2,600,000 of used banknotes. The fictionalized movie "Robbery" starring Stanley Baker based on the great train robbery was released in 1967.

Phil Collins' first movie role was an uncredited bit part in the 1964 movie "A Hard Day's Night" starring The Beatles.