1963 One-Word Title US Top Forty Songs Quiz

Answer: The Singing Nun

Jeanine Deckers went by the name Soeur Sourire when she became a member of The Dominican Order in Belgium. She had a surprise US hit when she recorded "Dominique" in French as The Singing Nun.
In 1961 she recorded an album of her own compositions intended for visitors at retreats. "Dominique" became an international sensation and her appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1963 provided her significant exposure in America.
Two years later Debbie Reynolds portrayed her in a movie aptly titled "The Singing Nun".
Sister Janet Mead released a Top Forty rendition of "The Lords Prayer" in 1974. "The Flying Nun" was a television show starring Sally Field as Sister Bertrille from 1967-1970.

Answer: Linda

Jan and Dean entered the US charts in 1959 when "Baby Talk" went to Number Ten after Dean returned from the service. The duo released more singles and began touring with The Beach Boys. They became friends with Brian Wilson and were influenced by the Surf Sound as well as the Hot Rod Music the Beach Boys performed. After "Linda" was released in 1963 they also had hits with "Surf City" and "Drag City".
The following year they kept the hits coming with "Deadman's Curve", "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" and "Ride the Wild Surf".
In addition to "Sandy" Dion made the Top Ten in 1963 with "Donna the Prima Donna" and "Drip Drop". "Denise" by Randy and The Rainbows was a 1963 US Top Ten. Paul Anka took "Remember Diana" to the Number 39 spot.

Answer: Abilene

Although George Hamilton IV was a North Carolina native he had a successful single with "Abilene". He began singing as a Teen Idol in 1956 when he released the Top Ten "A Rose and a Baby Ruth". He relocated to Nashville and became a member of The Grand Ole Opry, changing his style to Country music. In 1963 "Abilene" became his biggest selling single to date when it topped the US Country charts and became a crossover hit.
Although George continued to chart Top Ten hits on the Country charts "Abilene" was his last Billboard Pop Top Ten hit.
"Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa" was a 1963 hit by Gene Pitney. "Dean Martin recorded "Houston" in 1965 and "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy" was a 1960 Top Forty by Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon.

Answer: Falling

In 1963 Roy Orbison was riding a wave of hit singles after signing with Monument Records in Nashville. Orbison had been recording for Sun Records in Memphis from 1957 through 1959 but became discouraged with the material Sam Phillips wanted him to record.

When he wasn't recording he was performing while honing his craft as a songwriter. He wrote "Only the Lonely" with Joe Melson and tried to get Elvis and The Everly brothers to record the song. When they turned it down Roy recorded it after relocating to Monument Records beginning a string of hits. "Crying" was a 1961 Number Two hit for Roy. "Running Scared" was Roy's first Number One hit in 1961."Working for the Man" was a 1962 Top Forty single by Orbison.

Answer: True

"Ue o Muite Arukō", translated to "[I] Will Walk Looking Up)", when it was released by Sakamoto in 1961. The song was released in the US as "Sukiyaki" in 1963 and topped the US charts the week of June 15th, 1963.
Radio station KORD in Pasco, Washington, began playing the song in their rotation. As the song steadily gained popularity it was picked up by Capitol Records in the US.
Kyu Sakamoto was born into a family of restaurant owners in Kawasaki, Japan. In 1959 he signed with Toshiba Records and had released a string of eight albums and 15 singles that were popular in Japan by the time Capitol picked up "Sukiyaki" for American audiences.

Answer: Lonnie Mack

Lonnie McIntosh quit school in his teens and began touring as a guitarist for various bands, eventually forming his own group and shortening his last name to Mack. He worked his way into doing session work and while recording for Fraternity Records he was offered some leftover studio time in March, 1963.
He quickly recorded an Instrumental version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis" and soon forgot about the song when going back on the road. By June of 1963 the song was steadily climbing the charts, making the US Top Ten. Lonnie was unaware the song had even been released. He followed "Memphis" with a song called "Wham".
Dick Dale released "Misirlou" in 1962. Mason Williams had a 1968 hit with "Classical Gas". "Apache" was released by Jorgan Ingmann and His Guitar.

Answer: Witchcraft

"Witchcraft" only reached Number 32 when it was released as a single by Elvis in 1963. "(You're The) Devil in Disguise" and "Please Don't Drag That String Around" were other records released the same year by Elvis that were single releases. They were later added to album playlists.
"Bossa Nova Baby" was a 1963 Top Ten hit from his "Fun in Acapulco" (1963) film.
"They Remind Me Too Much of You" and "One Broken Heart for Sale" were singles released from "Happened at the World's Fair" (1963).
"Spinout" was a 1966 single from the movie soundtrack of the same name. "Surrender" was released in 1961. "Memories" was recorded as part of Elvis' 1968 television special.

Answer: Mecca

"Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" and "Mecca" were songs released by Pitney featuring geographical locations in 1963.
Gene barely broke the Top Forty for the first time in 1961 when "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away" reached Number 39. Later that year "Town Without Pity" propelled him to the Number 13 spot even though the song did not end up in the soundtrack of the movie of the same name. When "Only Love Can Break a Heart" made it to Number Two the following year it was the closest Pitney would come to a Number One single.
The lyrics of "Mecca" told of a boy in love with a neighborhood girl in a brownstone who might as well have lived in Mecca.
"Midnight in Moscow" was by Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen. "Louisiana Mama" was a 1961 release from Pitney.

Answer: Busted

Harlan Howard wrote "Busted" in 1962. Johnny Cash along with The Carter Family had a Top Twenty Country hit with the song in early 1963. Ray included the song on his 1963 "Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul" album. When it was released as a single it reached Number Four on the US Pop charts.
Ray also had a 1963 US Top Ten hit when "Take These Chains from My Heart" reached Number Eight.
"Birdland" was a Number 12 release by Chubby Checker. Bobby Vee released the Number 13 "Charms" in 1963 and television Western star Johnny Crawford had a Number 29 single with "Proud".

Answer: Marlena

"Marlena" was a Top Forty hit for the Four Seasons in 1963. The group had success in the sixties singing about girls such as "Ronnie", "Dawn", "Sherry" and C'mon Marianne".
Frankie Valli's first single came in 1953 with "My Mother's Eyes" using the name Frankie Valley. He released more singles after joining The Four Lovers. The group issued unsuccessful singles over the next few years under a variety of names. By 1960 the group had undergone personnel changes and had changed their name to The Four Seasons.
"Candy Girl" was the flip-side of "Marlena". In 1965 The Four Seasons released "Connie-O". "Dody" was a 1967 release by the group.