Broadway Hits on the US Billboard Charts Quiz

Answer: Judy Collins

"Send In The Clowns" was a Number 36 US Billboard hit from her "Judith" album. Stephen Sondheim composed the song for Act II of his 1973 musical "A Little Night Music". It was specifically composed with actress Glynis Johns in mind. She had the role of Desiree in the show.
"Send in the Clowns" was Sondheim's only Billboard Top Forty Popular music hit. In 1973 Frank Sinatra recorded a version on his "Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back" album. The song has been covered by several artists from Count Basie to The Tiger Lillies.
"Ain't No Way To Treat a Lady" was a 1975 US Number Eight by Helen Reddy. Carly Simon had a Number 21 song with "Attitude Dancing" in 1975 and Janis Ian made it to Number Three the same year with "At Seventeen".

Answer: I Don't Know How to Love Him

"I Don't Know How to Love Him" was first released by Elliman and reached Number 28. Helen Reddy's version went to Number 12 in the US and was from an album released by her with the same name. Other international artists to release versions include Cilla Black, Tina & Real McCoy, Petula Clark and Sinead O'Connor.
The song is sung by the character of Mary and is featured near the end of Act I.
"Everything's Alright" was released by Elliman but only made it to Number 92 on the US charts. "Superstar" was sung by Murray Head with the Trinidad Singers and reached Number 78. "Could We Start Again Please?" was a song in Act II but was not a US Billboard release.

Answer: Louis Armstrong

"Mack the Knife" has been recorded by many artists through the years, but the first American entertainer to chart the song on The Hit Parade was Louis Armstrong. By the late forties Louis Armstrong had appeared in over 30 films and made the cover of "Time" magazine in 1949.

He continued recording into the fifties and had his biggest hit in 1964 with "Hello, Dolly". He maintained a touring schedule until he passed in 1971. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" was originally recorded by Lloyd Price in 1952. Huey "Piano" Smith recorded such hits as "Don't You Just Know It". Champion Jack Dupree was a New Orleans Boogie Woogie piano player.

Answer: Till There Was You

"Till There Was You" was written by Meredith Willson for "The Music Man" in 1957. Anita Bryant released a version in 1959 that made it to Number 30 on the US Billboard charts.
The Beatles' version was on their UK album "With the Beatles" in 1963 and "Meet the Beatles" in the US. Paul McCartney had heard the 1961 Peggy Lee recording and included the song in their repertoire when they performed in Hamburg. It was one of the tunes performed by the group during their Decca Records audition.
When the Beatles performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964 it was the second of the six songs they showcased.
"Sexy Sadie" was a 1968 John Lennon/Paul McCartney composition. "Wild Honey Pie" was written by Lennon/McCartney and included on "The White Album". "Don't Pass Me By" was the first song composed by Ringo Starr to be recorded by The Beatles.

Answer: South Pacific

"South Pacific" premiered in 1949. Some of the songs from the show that have been recorded by numerous singers include "Bali Ha'i", "Some Enchanted Evening", "Younger than Springtime" and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy". The show won all ten of the Tony Awards it was nominated for.
Jay and the Americans first hit the US charts in 1962 with "She Cried". They followed with Top Ten hits in the early sixties such as "Come a Little Bit Closer" and "Cara Mia". They recorded "Some Enchanted Evening" in 1965. They subsequently released more minor chart hits in the late sixties before the original group disbanded in 1973.
"Oklahoma!" was the first musical written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. "Paint Your Wagon" opened on Broadway in 1951. Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe composed the score. "The King and I" was a 1951 musical scored by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Answer: Try to Remember

"The Fantasticks" made its Broadway debut in 1960. Jerry Orbach sang "Try to Remember" during the first run of the play. Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones composed the music and lyrics. In 1965 Roger Williams, Ed Ames and The Brothers Four charted versions of "Try to Remember" in the US but none of them were as successful as the medley by Gladys Knight and The Pips. "The Way We Were/Try to Remember" was a Top Twenty hit in the US and made it to Number Four in the UK in 1975.
"Soon It's Gonna Rain", "They Were You" and "Much More" were other songs from the same play.

Answer: People

"People" was a song from the 1964 Broadway play, "Funny Girl", and recorded on Barbra's album of the same name released in 1964. The single reached Number Five in the US. "Funny Girl" was based on the life of Fanny Brice. Barbra won a Grammy for her 1964 "People" album.

She starred with Omar Sharif in a movie version of "Funny Girl" in 1968. Barbra released a song titled "Funny Girl" in 1964 that was not part of the score of "Funny Girl". "Why Did I Choose You" was a song from "The Yearling" recorded by Barbra in 1965. "Where Am I Going?" was a song from "Sweet Charity" released by Barbra in 1966. "The Way We Were" was a 1974 Streisand hit from the 1973 movie of the same name.

Answer: Easy to Be Hard

"Easy to Be Hard" was sung by the character of Sheila in Act I of "Hair". It became the second Top Ten US hit by Three Dog Night.
"Hair" first ran Off-Broadway in 1967 and hit The Biltmore Theater on Broadway the following year. The music for "Hair" was composed by Galt MacDermot while James Rado and Gerome Ragni collaborated on the lyrics.
"Pieces of April" was released by Three Dog Night in 1973. "One" was written by Harry Nilsson and was 1969 hit for Three Dog night. "The Family of Man" was a 1972 Three Dog Night song.

Answer: Everybody's Talkin'-Harry Nilsson

"Everybody's Talkin'" was originally done by by Fred Neil in 1966. The song won a Grammy after Harry Nilsson recorded a version for the 1969 movie, "Midnight Cowboy". His single made it to Number Six in the US on the Billboard charts.
"Good Morning Starshine" was a song from "Hair" released by Oliver in 1969. He had a US Number Two hit later the same year with "Jean".
The Cowsills went to Number Two in 1969 with "Hair".
The Fifth Dimension topped the charts with the medley, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" in 1969. "Aquarius" was the opening song to the musical and "Let the Sun Shine In" was part of the finale. The Fifth Dimension's version combined both songs with a brass segue.

Answer: Day by Day

"Godspell" was a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak that opened on Broadway in 1971. Two years later a film version was released. The only Top Twenty Billboard song from the musical was "Day by Day", simply credited to Godspell.
"I'll Take You There" and "This World" were 1972 releases by The Staple Singers. "If I Could Reach You" was a Number Ten release by The 5th Dimension the same year.