Always "Summer" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Robin Ward

Robin Ward (aka Jackie Ward) was born Jacqueline McDonald in 1941. She married and became Jackie Ward, and in 1963, when an L.A. songwriter/producer named Perry Botkin needed a singer to make a demo record of "Wonderful Summer" he tapped Jackie, who was doing that kind of work at the time, for the session.

After the recording, Botkin sped the tape up in the studio, making the 21 year old Jackie sound like a teenager. Jackie then suggested changing the name on the label to Robin, her daughter's name.

The song was released credited to Robin Ward, and made number 14 on the U.S Billboard charts in 1963.

Answer: Mungo Jerry

This is a British pop-blues band who took the song and made it an international hit that year. The song stayed at the number one position in the U.K. for seven weeks, as well as two weeks in Canada. It was a number three hit in the U.S. It has sold over 23 million copies worldwide.

Answer: The Lovin' Spoonful

Led by John Sebastian, this group had a number of hits in the mid 1960s and this one led the way. It was a Billboard number one hit in the summer of 1966, and was listed at number 393 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.

Interestingly the use of sound effects enhanced the song with background noises such as car horns and jackhammers, giving the impression of "Summer In The City".

Answer: Sly and The Family Stone

Sly and The Family Stone had successfully played Woodstock earlier in the year, and that appearance greatly increased the number of fans interested in their work. They released this song subsequently, and it became a smash hit, reaching number two on the U.S. charts.

The song is interpreted as being about the joys of summer, but in some circles it has been analyzed to be a commentary on race relations, and the riots of the 1960s. It is listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's Greatest Songs Of All Time at number 247.

Answer: Chad and Jeremy

Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, were part of the British Invasion of U.S. pop music in 1964. They had met with some success in the U.K. with the release of the single "Yesterday's Gone", but their sound seemed more in tune with the U.S. folk rock acts that were just beginning to appear. "A Summer Song" came to the U.S. in 1964 and reached number seven on the Billboard U.S. charts.

In all the duo had seven Top 20 Billboard U.S. hits during their career.

Answer: Eddie Cochran

Eddie Cochran did the original way back in 1958, and reached number seven on the Billboard charts. It has been covered by all the above mentioned artists as well as artists such as The Who, Olivia Newton-John, Rush, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Buck Owens, and a world of others. It is ranked on Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time" at number 73.

Answer: The Motels

The Motels were an L.A. based group who gave us this song as well as "Only The Lonely" in the early 1980s. This song peaked on the Billboard U.S. charts at number nine in 1983. The song was a reflection of the life of lead singer Martha Davis (as stated by her in interviews)when she was growing up.

Answer: Percy Faith

This song was written as the theme song for the 1959 movie "Summer Place" which starred Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee. The interesting fact about this song was that Faith's version was not the one used in the movie. The movie version was by an artist named Hugo Winterhalter. Faith's version, however, was the most popular version, and was the best selling single in the U.S. in 1960.

The Lettermen covered the song in 1965, with lyrics, and reached number 15 on the U.S. charts.

Answer: Bryan Adams

A number five Billboard chart hit in 1985, the song was co-written by Adams and Jim Vallance. Vallance says that the song is a reference to that particular year, and was written similarly to Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty". He also references the movie "Summer of '42" as their influence. Adams himself, in an interview on The CelebrityCafe.com, claims that the song has nothing to do with 1969, but is instead a reference to a sexual position.

Answer: Seals and Crofts

The song was a number six Billboard U.S. chart hit in 1972. It has been covered by The Isley Brothers and the metal band Type O Negative. The most interesting cover however, is that of The Three Tenors, who sang it in 1996 during a Windsor, Ontario performance.

Answer: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

This was off the "Grease" movie soundtrack and was a smash hit in 1978. In the film, the song was done near the beginning when Danny (Travolta) is hanging out with the T-Birds in the seats at the athletic field, and Sandy (Newton-John) with her new friends, The Pink Ladies.

The song itself was a number five hit in the U.S., but did better in the U.K. where it reigned as the number one song for seven weeks.

Answer: Don Henley

The group: The Eagles, one of the most influential bands of the 1970s. Henley embarked on a solo career after the group's breakup, and had a number of Top 20 hits. This song reached as high as number five in the U.S. Henley won a Grammy Award for this song as "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" as well. Lastly, the song made The Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time" coming in at number 416.

Answer: The Beach Boys

It would be tough to have a quiz like this without a reference to The Beach Boys. With all their hits about beach and sand, this is the only song that actually had the word "summer" in it. It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, and was the title cut from a 1964 album with the same name.

The song was never released as a single. It was later used as part of the soundtrack in the film "American Graffiti".

Answer: Bananarama

The song itself was released in 1983, and was a Top 10 hit for the girls in their home country, but didn't receive international acclaim until its inclusion in the movie "The Karate Kid" in 1984. It then became a Top 10 hit in the U.S. peaking at number nine. The song was later covered by Ace Of Base, and they had a Top 10 hit with it as well, in 1998.

Answer: Frank Sinatra

This song, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer,and music by Henry Mayer, went to the top of the U.S. Easy Listening charts in 1966 and is considered one of Sinatra's standards. The song has been used in various movies, and even a TV commercial for Mastercard.