Top 15 Hits from 1961 Trivia Quiz

Answer:

FYI - All incorrect songs were from 1957.

1) "Tossin' and Turnin'" (Bobby Lewis) was written by Ritchie Adams and Malou Rene. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the song as the 27th most popular song of all time. This is one of only six 1960s songs to hold the number-one spot for at least seven weeks.

2) "I Fall to Pieces" (Patsy Cline) was written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard. It topped the country charts, then crossed over to the pop charts and became one of Patsy Cline's biggest hits.

3) "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" (also called "Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore", "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore", or "Michael, Row That Gospel Boat") by The Highwaymen is an African-American spiritual from the American Civil War. The song was first published in 1867 in "Slave Songs of the United States".

4) "Crying" (Roy Orbison) was written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. It was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2002. In 2010. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it 69th on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

5) "Runaway" (Del Shannon) was written by Del Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook and became a huge international hit. On April 10, 1961, Shannon appeared on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand", helping to launch it to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for four weeks.

6) "My True Story" (The Jive Five) was co-written by the Jive Five's lead singer Eugene Pitt, along with Oscar Waltzer and Joe Rene. "My True Story" made it to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and was number one on the R&B chart for three weeks.

7) "Pony Time" (Chubby Checker) was written by Don Covay and John Berry (a member of Covay's earlier vocal group, the Rainbows). The song introduced the new dance style, The Pony, in which the dancer tries to look like he or she is riding a horse.

8) "Wheels" (The String-A-Longs) was composed as "Tell the World" by Richard Stephens and Jimmy Torres of the String-A-Longs, who were then called the Leen Teens. In the UK the tune was redone by the Joe Loss Orchestra as "Wheels Cha Cha", and reached number 21.

9) "Raindrops" (Dee Clark) was written by American R&B singer Dee Clark, and was released in April 1961. The song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and at number three on the R&B chart.

10) "Wooden Heart" (Joe Dowell) was written by Fred Wise, Ben Weisman, Kay Twomey and German bandleader Bert Kaempfert and was based on a German folk song by Friedrich Silcher. This was a cover of Elvis Presley's version by Joe Dowell on the Smash Records label that made it to number one in the US at the end of August 1961.

11) "Calcutta" (Lawrence Welk) was written by Heino Gaze. It was first called "Tivoli Melody", and was re-titled a number of times until it finally was named for the Indian city of Kolkata. "Calcutta" was a chart hit, the most successful of Lawrence Welk's career.

12) "Take Good Care of My Baby" (Bobby Vee) was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Vee's recording spent 15 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching number one and spending three weeks in that position. The song became a major hit internationally as well, reaching number one in Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

13) "Running Scared" (Roy Orbison) was written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. Uniquely, the song was written without a chorus. It builds in the lyrics, arrangement, and vocals to a climax that demonstrates the power of Orbison's clear, full voice.

14) "Dedicated To The One I Love" (The Shirelles) was written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass. This version reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides. The song was subsequently included on their 1961 album "Tonight's the Night".

15) "Last Night" (The Mar-Keys) gives writing credit simply to the "Mar-Keys". It was registered as having been written by Charles Axton, Floyd Newman, Gilbert C. Caple, Jerry Lee Smith and Chips Moman. The track appeared on "Last Night!" the first LP released by the Stax label.