American Graffiti - The Music of the Night Quiz

Answer: At the Hop

Originally titled "Do the Bop", the song was written in 1957 by Artie Singer, John Medora and David White. It was recorded by The Juvenairs, who shortly thereafter changed their name to Danny & the Juniors. The song was played for "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark, who liked it, but wasn't fond of the title and suggested that they change it.

The songwriters made some adjustments to the lyrics and retitled the tune "At the Hop", in reference to the informal teenage dances that were popular at the time. Danny & the Juniors performed the new and improved version on "American Bandstand", and thanks to the national exposure, it reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 in January of 1958, holding that position for five weeks.

The American doo-wop group Sha Na Na performed a version of the song at Woodstock in 1969, and it was a big hit with the crowd.

The performance, which was included in the 1970 Woodstock documentary film and also on its soundtrack album, helped launch the group's career.

Answer: Barbara Ann

The Regents' version of the "Barbara Ann", which was the one featured in the film, was the group's only top twenty single on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 13 in 1961. The Beach Boys recorded their take on the tune in September of 1965, and was included on the band's "Beach Boys Party!" album, which featured a collection of cover songs. "Barbara Ann" was released as a single in December of 1965, and it went on to become one of the group's biggest hits, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in January of 1966.

Answer: Why Do Fools Fall in Love

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers were a doo-wop group that formed in New York City in 1954. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was the group's biggest hit, topping the UK Singles Chart and reaching number six on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in early 1956. At the time Lymon was the youngest artist to have a number one hit in the UK, and held the record until 1972, when nine year old Jimmy Osmond topped the chart with "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool".

A version by Diana Ross also became a top ten hit, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in December of 1981.

Answer: Peppermint Twist

Fad dances were all the rage in the early 1960s, so if you could come up with a catchy tune, which also included dance moves, you were almost guaranteed to have a hit. Dee, who co-wrote the tune, came up with the idea for the song during the group's stint as the house band at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City.

The original recording was over four minutes long, so it was decided that the song would be split into two parts. "Peppermint Twist (Part 1)" was released as an A-side single in 1961, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in early 1962, while the little known "Peppermint Twist (Part 2)", which is mostly instrumental, appeared on the flip side.

Answer: Green Onions

The song was originally released as the B-side of the band's first single "Behave Yourself" in May of 1962, but when "Green Onions" began receiving more airplay it was promptly reissued as the A-side. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart for four non-consecutive weeks.

The song didn't chart in the UK at the time, but after it was used in the 1979 film "Quadrophenia" it entered the UK Singles Chart, eventually peaking at number seven in January of 1980. In 2004, "Green Onions" was ranked at number 181 on Rolling Stone magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", making it the only instrumental on the list.

Answer: Chantilly Lace

"Chantilly Lace" was co-written and performed by J.P. Richardson, who was better known by his stage name The Big Bopper. The song was Richardson's biggest hit as a recording artist, spending 25 weeks on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, peaking at number six.

Besides "Chantilly Lace", Richardson also wrote hit songs for other artists as well. George Jones recorded his tune "White Lightning", and it became Jones' first number one hit on the Billboard Country chart in 1959. Shortly after that Johnny Preston recorded the Richardson penned tune "Running Bear", which spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1960.

The Big Bopper died on February 2 1959, in the same plane crash that also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.

Answer: Teen Angel

Teen tragedy songs were all the rage in the late '50s and early '60s and remained popular until around 1964, but with the onset of the British invasion, that style of music quickly began to disappear. Since the songs usually involved one or more people tragically dying, DJs at the time often referred to these tunes as "tear jerkers", "death discs" or "splatter platters". Written by Jean Dinning (Mark's sister) and her husband Red Surry, "Teen Angel" was Dinning's only hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in February of 1960.

Answer: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Prior to The Platters' recording, the song had been covered by some of the greatest musical artists of all-time, including Benny Goodman, Peggy Lee and Nat King Cole. The Platters' remake is not only the best-known version, but also the most popular. It became an international hit for the group, topping the charts in both the UK and Australia.

In the States, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" was The Platters fourth number one on the US pop charts, spending three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1959.

Answer: That'll Be the Day

Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes recorded the original version for Decca Records on July 22, 1956, but the label was displeased with the song and declined to release it. A second version was recorded in February of 1957 by the newly formed Crickets, which was released by Brunswick Records in May of that year. The song was a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number one on Billboard magazine's Best Sellers in Stores chart, while also spending three weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart.

The song has been covered many times, but one deserves mentioning. In 1958, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison recorded together for the first time, when as members of the Quarrymen they cut a demo of the song, which was pressed onto a 78rpm disc. The recording was not released at the time, but it had its coming out party in 1995, when it was included on The Beatles' "Anthology 1" CD.

Answer: All Summer Long

Although it's a terrific song, it seems like an odd choice to be included in the film. "American Graffiti" takes place during a summer night in 1962, but "All Summer Long" wasn't even recorded until May of 1964; nevertheless it seems like the perfect tune to close the movie. I've always considered myself a gigantic Beach Boys' fan, but the first time I ever heard the song was when I first saw the movie in 1973. Since then it's become one of my all-time favorites by the band.