UK number 1s 1963 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bachelor Boy

This was the first of three number one records taken from the soundtrack of the film 'Summer Holiday'. The other two were 'Foot Tapper' by The Shadows and 'Summer Holiday' which was the title track.

*Useless information* 'Summer Holiday' was the most succesful box office film of 1963 in the UK.

Answer: Cliff Richard and the Shadows / The Beatles

Yes! Cliff Richard and the Shadows and The Beatles both had number one records that reached the top spot twice in 1963.
Cliff Richard had a hit with 'Summer Holiday' for two weeks from 14th March. 'Foot Tapper' by The Shadows took the top spot for one week on the 28th March and Cliff regained the number one for one more week on the 4th April.

The Beatles held the top spot with 'She Loves You' for a total of six weeks.
On the 12th September for four weeks, and then for two more weeks from the 28th November.

*Useless information* In 1996 during a rainstorm at the Wimbledon tennis championships, Cliff Richard led the crowd in a spontaneous rendition of six of his songs whilst waiting for play to resume. 'Summer Holiday' was one of the songs.

According to BBC Radio 2 in August 2009 'She Loves You' was the best selling Beatles single ever in the UK - information was supplied to the BBC by the 'The Official Charts Company'.

Answer: Jet Harris / Tony Meehan

Terence 'Jet' Harris joined 'The Drifters' - NOT the American group - in 1959. This band were the forerunners of the Shadows. He left the group in 1962.
Tony Meehan was a founding member of the Shadows and left them in 1961.
Bruce Welch and Hank Marvin are still members of the Shadows.

*Useless information* Jet Harris was awarded the 'Most Excellent Order of the British Empire' (MBE) by HM Queen Elizabeth II in the 2010 new year's honours list.
Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin fame) played the acoustic rhythm guitar on 'Diamonds'.
'Hank Marvin' has entered British rhyming slang meaning 'a Feeling of hunger' as in "Cor! I'm Hank (or Hank Marvin)"... Starving.

Answer: Brian Poole

'Do You Love Me' was originally a hit for the American group The Contours in 1962 and was written by the legendary Berry Gordy Jr.
This was the Tremeloes fourth single and their first number one in the UK.

*Useless information* The Tremeloes began life as The Tremoloes (with an 'O'). A spelling mistake in a local newspaper caused them to change the spelling of the name.

Decca, The Tremeloes record company, interviewed two groups for a recording contract on the same day. They chose The Tremeloes over the Beatles.

Answer: You'll Never Walk Alone

'You'll Never Walk Alone' was originally written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the musical Carousel in 1945. It was 'adopted' by Liverpool FC., allegedly, when Gerry Marsden was travelling on the team coach and presented the manager of the team (Bill Shankly) with a copy of the recording. Newspaper reporters, who were also on the coach, sent copy back to their editors stating that Liverpool FC had adopted it as the club song. Since then it has been used by many clubs around the world.

*Useless information* Gerry and the Pacemakers reached the number one spot in the UK with their first three single releases, a record that was not equalled until some 20 years later when Frankie Goes to Hollywood had the same success.

Answer: From Me To You

I can't get away with not mentioning them (though I did try). I think everyone knows of the Beatles. 'From Me To You' was the first of many number one UK hits for the group although it didn't make much of an impact in America.

*Useless information* Del Shannon's 1963 cover version was the first Lennon/McCartney song to break into the Billboard top 100 reaching number 77.
'From Me To You' was the last single credited to McCartney/Lennon, rather than Lennon/McCartney, until 1976 when Paul McCartney released 'Wings Over America'. This was a live album and the five Beatles songs on the album had the writing credits reversed to McCartney/Lennon.

Answer: False

'Dance On' was the first of the two number one hits recorded by The Shadows as solo artists in 1963, the second one being 'Foot Tapper'. They also had three other number ones as Cliff Richard's backing band.

*Useless information* Petula Clark recorded vocal versions of 'Dance On' in both French and Italian reaching the top five in both respective charts. She also recorded an English version for the Canadian market.

Answer: The Dakotas

Billy J. Kramer was born in Liverpool and, along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers and others, was managed by Brian Epstein.
The Dakotas were a Manchester based band who were contracted by Brian Epstein to back Billy J. Kramer.

*Useless information* 'Bad to Me' was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was the first Lennon/McCartney song to reach the Billboard top 40 (Del Shannon's recording of 'From Me to You' was the first Lennon/McCartney song in the Billboard 100 but only reached number 77).

Whilst most people think that the credits on the records go to Billy J. Kramer AND the Dakotas, the correct wording was Billy J. Kramer WITH the Dakotas.


Billy J. Kramer took the surname Kramer after flicking through a telephone directory whilst looking for a stage name.

Answer: (You're the) Devil in Disguise

The only number one hit for Elvis in 1963 in the UK, '(You're the) Devil in Disguise' reached number three on the US Hot 100 and number nine on the Billboard Rhythm and Blue charts.

*Useless information* This was Elvis Presley's last top ten single on the Billboard Rhythm and Blue charts.

When the song was played on the popular British TV programme 'Juke Box Jury' John Lennon voted it as a 'Miss' rather than a 'Hit', commenting that Elvis 'is like Bing Crosby now'.

Answer: I Want to Hold Your Hand

'I Want to Hold Your Hand' was the Beatles third number one hit of 1963 and the first to reach number one in the US.

*Useless information* by the time the record was released in November 1963, over a million copies had been pre-ordered by Beatles fans in the UK alone.

'I Want to Hold Your Hand' was one of only two singles which the Beatles also recorded in German - 'Komm, gib mir deine Hand'.