1967 - Everybody Look What's Going Down Quiz

Answer: For What It's Worth

With just one top forty hit to their credit, (this one which peaked at #7) Buffalo Springfield were still inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1997. The group disbanded after two years in 1968. Stephen Stills and Neil Young left to join Graham Nash and David Crosby in a self-named super group while Richie Furay and Jim Messina formed Poco, a group that had some success in its own right. Stills wrote this song in reaction to the actions of the LAPD breaking up an anti-war demonstration.

Answer: Light My Fire

This million selling gold record appears to be the first single released by The Doors and it vaulted to the top of the charts for three weeks in the summer of 1967. It was written by Robbie Krieger, the group's guitarist. The classic album version was almost seven minutes long and featured extra long solos by Krieger and the keyboardist Ray Manzarek. (You could hear that on KFTS-FM!) Since the album version was too long for most AM stations to play, the album sold exceptionally well - fans wanted to hear the whole song!

Answer: To Sir With Love

The biggest song from 1967 and the 17th rated song of the 60s decade was this five week #1 hit sung by Lulu. She was born Marie Lawrie in Glasgow and started performing as a child. She was cast in the movie "To Sir With Love" as one of Sidney Poitier's students and her performance of the song in the movie led to it's release as a single. Lulu is another artist whose career in North America paled in significance to the success she's had in the U.K. except for one piece of irony... this song was never #1 in the U.K.! She is still active on stage, screen and in the music industry there as of 2004.

Answer: Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

A million seller, this #2 song was Frankie Valli's first successful release as a solo act. Although he was still the lead singer of The Four Seasons and remained so well into the early 1970s, he began doing solo work in 1965. By 1975, he was on his own exclusively and would have two solo #1 hits - "My Eyes Adored You" in 1975 and "Grease" in 1978.

Answer: somebody to love

Jefferson Airplane formed in San Francisco in 1965 but it wasn't until Grace Slick joined the group as a vocalist in 1966 that the group started making noise on the charts. This was their debut hit, a #5, taken from their enormously successful album "Surrealistic Pillow".

This song and "White Rabbit" were both written by Slick's brother, Darby. She was performing them with her previous group, The Great Society, and just brought them over to her new band.

Answer: Rain, The Park And Other Things

A #2 hit for The Cowsills, the song capitalized on the flower power, free love sentiments of the youth of the day. The Cowsills were a family group consisting of five brothers and their sister and hailed from Newport, R.I. and were the model for The Partridge Family TV show.

They had one more big hit in 1969, "Hair", from the musical of the same name, then went their separate ways. As of 2004, Billy Cowsill, the eldest brother, was performing in the clubs around my hometown, Calgary, Alberta.

Answer: The Beat Goes On

As usual, the song was written and produced by Sonny Bono and at #6, it would be their last top ten song of the 1960s. They would have a couple of more in the 70s before they separated both professionally as a recording act and as husband and wife.

Answer: Ruby Tuesday

"Ruby Tuesday" was #1 for a week in March for the Rolling Stones and a far cry from the raunchy, hard rocking hits that preceded it. Understandable... the group was in their mid-20s and getting old! It is thought that "Ruby Tuesday" was written about one of Keith Richard's early girlfriends, Linda Keith.

Answer: Ode To Billie Joe

A four week #1 hit for Bobby Gentry, the song led to countless water cooler conversations and speculation that year pertaining to what was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge and why Billy Joe McCallister committed suicide by jumping off that same bridge. Gentry has not revealed those secrets to my knowledge but does indicate that this is not a true story, just a piece of fiction.

However, there really was a bridge by that name in Greenwood, Mississippi where Gentry grew up but it collapsed in 1972.

She won the Grammy Award for best new artist for this recording.

Answer: Penny Lane

Yet another #1 song for the Beatles, it was full of cryptic lyrics. Penny Lane exists in Liverpool and apparently, after the song was a hit, street signs reading "Penny Lane" kept disappearing. Finally, the name was written on buildings to prevent theft and the cost of replacing those street signs.

Answer: Mamas And The Papas

After "Monday, Monday", this would prove to be the second biggest hit the group would record according to the Billboard rating system. The song was a perfect vehicle to display the harmonies for which the group became famous.

Answer: Come Back When You Grow Up

Written by Martha Sharp, this song was a comeback hit for late '50s and early '60s pop idol Bobby Vee. He turned it into a million selling Gold Record and a #3 hit. As of 2004, Vee still does about a hundred performances touring world wide with his band. He also keeps engaged in the production of other musical projects.

Answer: Happy Together

After a two year hiatus from the top ten charts, The Turtles returned in a big way with this three week #1 hit. In the words of Alan Gordon, drummer of a Boston area group, The Magicians, this was how the song evolved: "I had nearly half a song already written, mostly lyric ideas, but couldn't find the right melodic concept.

The Magicians were in the middle of a week-long engagement at the Unicorn Club in Boston, and one early morning I was visiting my divorced father in nearby Ayer, Massachusetts after being up all night. I had stopped to have breakfast at the Park Street Diner in the town and was miserable with no sleep, the endless dumb gigs we were playing and having a songwriter's block. About the only melody that was throbbing in my tired, fried brain at that hour was the time-immemorial repeated open string pattern that Allen (Jake) Jacobs, the Magician's lead guitarist, would use as he incessantly tuned and retuned after, before, and frequently during each piece we played. Suddenly, some words began to fit and literally minutes later music and lyrics started to take shape. I excitedly and in fairness asked Jake to complete the song with me as co-writer, but he refused, saying it was all 'too simple' for him to be involved, so my regular partner Gary (Gary Bonner, the bass player of The Magicians) then helped me with the finishing touches.

When Gary Klein at the Koppleman/Rubin office heard the result, he immediately knew the song would be perfect for the new and upbeat image being created for The Turtles, and it was his continued enthusiasm that convinced the group to record it."

Answer: Brown Eyed Girl

Van Morrison was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and prior to going solo with this song, he was the lead singer for the group Them. This was only a #10 Billboard hit and I suspect that the song was more popular overseas and in Canada than in the U.S. Morrison has a staunch following and remains popular doing his eclectic mix of "popular/blues" music.

Despite that, he has not had a top forty Billboard hit since 1971's "Wild Night".

Answer: Whiter Shade Of Pale

By Procol Harum, this song was a much bigger hit around the world than it was in the U.S. where it peaked at #4. It was #1 for six weeks in the U.K., three weeks in Australia and two weeks in Canada. The melody was adapted by keyboardist Gary Brooker from Bach's "Suite No. 3 in D Major", a movement known as "Air on a G String".

The lyrics were written by Keith Reid and although they appear laden with philosophical messages, the song was really intended as a parody of the other psychedelic songs of the era.

This was the first song the band ever recorded and they were never able to match its success. With many personnel changes over the years, Brooker still leads the band that, as of 2004, still tours extensively, primarily in Europe.