Top 15 Hits from 1966 Trivia Quiz

Answer:

FYI - All incorrect songs were from 1956.

1) "California Dreamin'" (The Mamas & the Papas) was written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips. The song became an emblem of the California sound, announcing the arrival of the burgeoning counterculture era. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

2) "96 Tears" (? and the Mysterians) was written by Question Mark (Rudy Martinez). It is known as one of the first garage band hits. It is ranked number 213 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was certified gold.

3) "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" (Jimmy Ruffin) was written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean. The song originally had a spoken introduction by Ruffin, but the spoken section was cut and replaced by a longer instrumental introduction.

4) "Last Train to Clarksville" (The Monkees) was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Drummer Micky Dolenz handled lead vocals. "Last Train to Clarksville" was used in seven episodes of the band's TV series, the most for any Monkees song.

5) "Reach Out I'll Be There" (also formatted as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)"), (Four Tops) was written and produced by Motown's main production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. The song is considered the Four Tops' signature song.

6) "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Nancy Sinatra) was written by Lee Hazlewood. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Sinatra made a promotional film for the song, now known as a music video.

7) "Cherish" (The Association) was written by Terry Kirkman. "Cherish" has become a standard in wedding ceremonies and is considered the 22nd most-played song of the 20th Century by the BMI.

8) "Strangers in the Night" (Frank Sinatra) was composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. Sinatra's recording won him the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist or Instrumentalist for Ernie Freeman.

9) "Kicks" (Paul Revere & the Raiders) was composed by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Considered one of the earliest anti-drug songs, "Kicks" was written during an era in which pro-hippie, pro-experimentation, and other counterculture themes were gaining popularity on U.S. FM radio stations.

10) "The Ballad of the Green Berets" (SSgt. Barry Sadler) was written by then Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler, when he was training to be a Special Forces medic. The writer Robin Moore, the author of the book, "The Green Berets", helped Sadler with the lyrics and to get a recording contract with RCA Records.

11) "Good Lovin'" (The Young Rascals) was written by Rudy Clark and Arthur Resnick. It was ranked number 333 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list and became the Young Rascals' first real hit.

12) "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" (The Righteous Brothers) was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks. The Righteous Brothers did not enter the top ten again until 1974 with "Rock and Roll Heaven".

13) "You Can't Hurry Love" (The Supremes) was written and produced by the Motown production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. The song became The Supremes' seventh number-one hit. Billboard named the song number 19 on their list of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

14) "Sunny" (Bobby Hebb) is a soul-jazz song written by Bobby Hebb. It is one of the most recorded popular songs, with hundreds of versions released. BMI rates "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 Songs of the Century".

15) "See You in September" (The Happenings) was written by Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards. Despite peaking at number three the single remained in the Top Ten throughout September. By the end of the year "See You in September" had sold a million copies.