Johnny Mathis Trivia

1. Which Johnny Mathis song had these lyrics? "You can say that you're leading me on But it's just what I want you to do. Don't you notice how hopelessly I'm lost That's why I'm following you."

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Misty

"Misty" reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. Also in the Hot 100, "My Love For You" peaked at number 47 in 1960, "Sooner or Later" at number 84 in 1963, and "The Story of Our Love" at number 93 in 1959.

From Quiz Johnny Mathis: the First Two Albums

Answer: Johnny Mathis: A New Sound in Popular Music

Only in those 1950s would a record company have come out with such a boring name for an album! But at the age of 19, just breaking into an industry where the record corporations notoriously called all the shots, one doubts that Mathis had much input into the title.

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Brazil

The song "Brazil" is also known as "Aquarela do Brasil", or "Watercolour of Brazil". It was written in 1939 by Ary Barroso, and is considered to be one of the earliest examples of samba. The lyrics are: "Where hearts were entertaining June, We stood beneath an amber moon And softly murmured 'someday soon.' We kissed and clung together, Then, tomorrow was another day The morning found me miles away With still a million things to say; Now, when twilight dims the sky above Recalling thrills of our love, There's one thing I'm certain of Return I will to old Brazil. Brazil... the Brazil that I knew where I wandered with you Lives in my imagination Where the songs are passionate And a smile has flash in it And a kiss has art in it For you put your heart in it And so I dream of old... Brazil"

From Quiz Wonderful Wonderful Johnny Mathis

Answer: 1935

On September 30, 1935, Mildred Mathis gave birth to the fourth of seven children, John.

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: The Twelfth of Never

In 1957, "The Twelfth of Never" only got to number 51 on the Billboard Top 100, although it reached number nine on the Billboard Most Played By [Disc] Jockeys chart. "The Best of Everything" was a number 62 on the Hot 100 in 1959, "I'll Search My Heart" was a number 90 and "Come Back" a number 61, both in 1963.

From Quiz Johnny Mathis: the First Two Albums

Answer: 1956

Mathis had been largely a jazz singer until this time. Although the songs were largely drawn from the popular music side, they were given a jazzy sound on the album.

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: It's Not for Me to Say

Written in 1957 for the film "Lizzie" by Robert Allen and Al Stillman, the song was also used in the 1990 film "Goodfellas". It went to #5 on Billboard for Johnny in 1957. "It's not for me to say you love me It's not for me to say you'll always care Oh, but here for the moment I can hold you fast And press your lips to mine And dream that love will last As far as I can see this is heaven And speaking just for me, it's ours to share Perhaps the glow of love will grow with every passing day Or we may never meet again But then, it's not for me to say And speaking just for me, it's ours to share Perhaps the glow of love will grow with every passing day Or we may never meet again But then, it's not for me to say"

From Quiz Wonderful Wonderful Johnny Mathis

Answer: Texas

Johnny Mathis was born in Gilmer, Texas. His mother Mildred worked as a housekeeper and father Clem was a chauffeur and handyman. The family later moved to San Francisco.

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: What Will My Mary Say

"What Will My Mary Say" was a number nine song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. "Let's Love" was a number 44 in 1959, "Marianna" got to number 86 in 1962, and "Sweet Thursday" squeezed onto the chart at number 99 in 1962.

From Quiz Johnny Mathis: the First Two Albums

Answer: cream-coloured circle

Johnny stood, hands outstretched, in front of a cream-coloured circle which presumably was supposed to be the circle formed by the beams of spotlights, but which in fact more closely resembled a big, creamy, cardboard cutout. The curtains were a sort of light muddy brown.

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Chances Are

Another song by Robert Allen and Al Stillman, "Chances Are" was published in 1957 and was a #1 hit for Johnny Mathis. "Chances are 'cause I wear a silly grin The moment you come into view Chances are you think that I'm in love with you Just because my composure sort of slips The moment that your lips meet mine Chances are you think my heart's your Valentine In the magic of moonlight when I sigh, 'Hold me close, dear' Chances are you believe the stars that fill the skies are in my eyes Guess you feel you'll always be the one and only one for me And if you think you could Well, chances are your chances are awfully good Chances are you believe the stars that fill the skies are in my eyes Guess you feel you'll always be the one and only one for me And if you think you could Well, chances are your chances are awfully good The chances are your chances are . . . awfully good"

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Call Me

"Call Me" reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. "You Are Beautiful" was number 60 in 1959. "When I Am With You" (1958) and "All Is Well" (1960) did not chart.

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Gina

Paul Vance and Leon Carr wrote this lovely song, which reached #6 for Johnny on Billboard in 1962. "Gina, Gina, I kissed you once and then I felt so wonderful, so very wonderful Let's do it over again Gina (Gina), Gina (Gina), I can't remember when I've ever felt a kiss that made me feel like this Let's do it over again Look at you, oh, look at you So warm, so sweet, so shy Look at me, oh, look at me I can't believe that I'm such a lucky guy To have Gina, Gina all for my very own It's much too wonderful, so very wonderful To know that Gina is mine alone Oh, look at you, oh, look at you So warm, so sweet, so shy Look at me, oh, look at me I can't believe that I'm such a lucky guy To have Gina (Gina), Gina (Gina) all for my very own It's much too wonderful, so very wonderful To know that Gina is mine (Gina is mine) Gina is mine alone"

From Quiz Wonderful Wonderful Johnny Mathis

Answer: Lizzie

"Lizzie" was a 1957 movie about a woman with multiple personalities, one of which was sending threatening notes to one of the others. "Playboy After Dark" was a television series in 1969. Johnny Mathis appeared in two episodes as a singer. Johnny couldn't have been in "The Saint and the Singer"; it was a silent film released in 1914. "Play Misty for Me", a 1971 film, starred Clint Eastwood as a DJ who had a casual affair with a fan who kept requesting Mathis' "Misty" to be played for him. The fan was obsessive and rather homicidal...

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: It's Not For Me To Say

In 1957, "It's Not For Me To Say" scored at number five on the Top 100 and on The Most Played By [Disc] Jockeys Billboard charts. "Every Step Of The Way" was a number 30 tune on the Hot 100 in 1963. "Wasn't The Summer Short" only reached number 89 in 1961. And "Laurie My Love" did not chart in 1961.

From Quiz Johnny Mathis: the First Two Albums

Answer: New York City, 1956

It was recorded in 1956 in New York City. It did not sell very well, but he stayed in the city and worked the club circuit to build a following.

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: What Would Mary Say

Written by Paul Vance and Eddie Snyder, Johnny took this song to #9 on Billboard in 1963. "I must be going (don't go) My heart is showing (don't go) I better hurry away If I don't leave I'll be sorry What will my Mary say? Your lips are thrilling My arms are willing I know that I shouldn't stay If I don't leave I'll be sorry What will my Mary say? What would I do if she should need me And find me kissing you? She's always trusted me completely Her poor heart would break in two I must be going (don't go) My heart is showing (don't go) I better hurry away If I don't leave I'll be sorry What will my Mary say? If I don't leave I'll be sorry What will my Mary say? (Don't go) (Don't go)"

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Small World

On the Hot 100 in 1959, "Small World" was a number 20 hit. "Maria" got to number 78 in 1960. And "Hey Love" failed to chart in 1960.

From Quiz Johnny Mathis: the First Two Albums

Answer: 8

The word "Wonderful" is repeated, one below another, from right under Johnny's name down to the bottom of the cover. Incidentally, this was Johnny's first gold album.

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: The Twelfth of Never

Paul Francis Webster and Jerry Livingston wrote this classic song for Johnny. Although today it is one of the songs his fans virtually demand to hear every time he performs, it only reached #9 on Billboard in 1957. The tune is a traditional English folk tune, from the 16th century "Riddle Song" (also known as "I Gave My Love a Cherry"). "You ask me how much I need you, must I explain? I need you, oh my darling, like roses need rain You ask how long I'll love you, I'll tell you true Until the Twelfth of Never, I'll still be loving you Hold me close, never let me go Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow I'll love you 'til the bluebells forget to bloom I'll love you 'til the clover has lost its perfume I'll love you 'til the poets run out of rhyme Until the Twelfth of Never and that's a long, long time Until the Twelfth of Never and that's a long, long time"

From Quiz Wonderful Wonderful Johnny Mathis

Answer: Cooking

Habilitat's "Celebrity Cookbook" includes some of Johnny's recipes. Johnny's own book is "Cooking for You Alone" - published in 1981 by TEC Publishers in Fullerton CA. It's almost impossible to find, and allegedly one sold on e-Bay for over $100, but if you hear of one for sale at a reasonable price, please let me know!

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Chances Are

In 1957, "Chances Are" was a number five song on Billboard's Top 100 and was number 1 on Billboard's Most Played By [Disc] Jockeys. In 1958, "A Certain Smile" reached number 19 on the Top 100. "Stairway To The Sea" (1958) and "Very Much In Love" (1959) did not chart.

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: A Certain Smile

Another classic Johnny song, "A Certain Smile" was the title song from a 1958 film about a student at the Sorbonne who has an affair with her fiance's uncle. The film was based on a the book "Un Certain Sourire" by Francois Sagan. The song itself, written by Paul Francis Webster and Sammy Fain, went to #14 on Billboard. "A certain smile, a certain face Can lead an unsuspecting heart on a merry chase A fleeting glance can say so many lovely things Suddenly you know why my heart sings You love awhile and when love goes You try to hide the tears inside with a cheerful pose But in the hush of night exactly like a bittersweet refrain Comes that certain smile to haunt your heart again But in the hush of night exactly like a bittersweet refrain Comes that certain smile to haunt your heart again"

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Misty

Written originally in 1954 as an instrumental by pianist Erroll Garner, words were later added by Johnny Burke. It is also considered to be Sarah Vaughan's signature tune, but IMHO nobody does it better than Mathis. "Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud I can't understand, I get misty just holding your hand Walk my way, And a thousand violins begin to play Or it might be the sound of your hello That music I hear, I get misty the moment you're near You can say that you're leading me on But it's just what I want you to do Don't you notice how hopelessly I'm lost That's why I'm following you On my own, Would I wander through this wonderland alone Never knowing my right foot from my left My hat from my glove I'm too misty, and too much in love"

From Quiz Wonderful Wonderful Johnny Mathis

Answer: 490

This record stood until 1973, when broken by Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Starbright

In 1960, "Starbright" hit number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1963, "Your Teenage Dreams" ranked at number 68. "Should I Wait" (1961) and "Let It Rain" (1958) did not chart.

From Quiz The Songs of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Wonderful Wonderful

"Wonderful Wonderful" was an early hit by Johnny, hitting #14 on Billboard in 1957. It remains one of his most loved songs. "Sometimes we walk hand in hand by the sea And we breathe in the cool salty air You turn to me with a kiss in your eyes And my heart feels a thrill beyond compare Then your lips cling to mine It's wonderful, wonderful Oh, so wonderful, my love Sometimes we stand on the top of a hill And we gaze at the earth and the sky I turn to you and you melt in my arms There we are, darling, only you and I What a moment to share It's wonderful, wonderful Oh, so wonderful, my love The world is full of wonderous things it's true But they wouldn't have much meaning without you Some quiet evening I sit by your side And we're lost in a world of our own I feel the glow of your unspoken love I'm aware of the treasure that I own And I say to myself 'It's wonderful, wonderful Oh, so wonderful, my love' And I say to myself 'It's wonderful, wonderful Oh, so wonderful, my love'"

From Quiz Wonderful Wonderful Johnny Mathis

Answer: Mercury

Johnny's time with Mercury began with the 1963 album "Sounds of Christmas" (followed by two more albums for Columbia). His other Mercury albums were 1964's "Tender is the Night", "This is Love" and "Wonderful World of Make Believe", 1965's "Love is Everything", "Ole" and "Sweetheart Tree", 1966's "Shadow of Your Smile" and "So Nice", and 1967's "Johnny Mathis Sings". He returned to Columbia in 1967 and recorded the rest of his over 100 albums.

From Quiz Lyrics of Johnny Mathis

Answer: Wonderful! Wonderful!

In 1957, on the Billboard charts, "Wonderful! Wonderful!" only got to number 14 on Most Played By [Disc] Jockeys, number 17 on the Top 100, and number 18 on Best Sellers in Stores. In 1958, "All The Time" reached number 42 on the Top 100. In 1957, neither "When Sunny Gets Blue" nor "Warm And Tender" made the charts.

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