Match Song to Artist - US Top 15 of 1956 Quiz

Answer: Elvis Presley

"Heartbreak Hotel" was written by Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton, with credit also granted to Presley. This was Presley's first million-seller. It was a staple of Presley's repertoire in live appearances; he last performed it on May 29, 1977.

Answer: Elvis Presley

"Don't Be Cruel" was written by Otis Blackwell in 1956. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. It was released on July 13, 1956, backed with "Hound Dog". By the end of 1956, it had sold over four million copies.

Answer: Nelson Riddle

"Lisbon Antigua" (Portuguese for "Old Lisbon") was originally written in 1937, with music by Raul Portela and lyrics by José Galhardo and Amadeu do Vale. It topped the "Billboard" chart on February 25, 1956 and remained there for four weeks. Riddle then used the song for the theme music when he wrote the score for the 1956 film "Lisbon".

Answer: The Platters

The biggest hit version for "My Prayer" was this doo-wop rendition by The Platters, whose single release reached number one. The Platters' recording features in the 2008 film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", in the 1985 film "Mischief" and in the 1999 film "October Sky".

Answer: Gogi Grant

"The Wayward Wind" is a country-western song written by Stanley Lebowsky (music) and Herb Newman (lyrics). Gogi Grant's version was the biggest seller in the United States. Members of the Western Writers of America chose the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

Answer: Les Baxter

The original French song was "La Goualante du Pauvre Jean" ("The Ballad of Poor John"), with music by Marguerite Monnot and lyrics by René Rouzaud. The song was adapted by American songwriter Jack Lawrence who also wrote the English lyrics. Lawrence's lyrics are seldom heard because most of the popular recordings of the song in the English-speaking world have been instrumentals.

Answer: Doris Day

"Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" was written by the team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. Doris Day introduced it in the Alfred Hitchcock film, "The Man Who Knew Too Much". It came to be Day's signature song.

Answer: Elvis Presley

"Hound Dog" has been recorded over 250 times. The most famous version is this July 1956 recording by Elvis Presley, which is ranked number 19 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time"; it is also one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Answer: Dean Martin

"Memories Are Made of This" was written by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr and Frank Miller. This version by Dean Martin was the most popular recording. He was backed up by The Easy Riders (who consisted of Gilkyson, Dehr, and Miller), the writers themselves.

Answer: Kay Starr

"(The) Rock and Roll Waltz" was written by Shorty Allen with lyrics by Roy Alfred. This Kay Starr recording of the song reached number one on the Billboard singles chart in 1956, staying there for six weeks. It was Starr's first recording of significance for RCA Victor after leaving Capitol Records.

Answer: Morris Stoloff

"Moonglow and Theme from Picnic" is a medley of both "Moonglow" (1933) and "Theme from Picnic" (1955), written by Morris Stoloff. It was used in the film "Picnic", starring William Holden and Kim Novak. This medley was covered by George Cates, also in 1956.

Answer: The Platters

"The Great Pretender" was recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams as lead vocalist. It was written by Buck Ram, The Platters' manager and producer who was also a successful songwriter. The Platters performed "The Great Pretender" in the 1956 musical film "Rock Around the Clock".

Answer: Pat Boone

"I Almost Lost My Mind" was written by Ivory Joe Hunter and published in 1950. The best-selling version of the song was this cover version by Pat Boone, hitting number one on the "Billboard" charts.

Answer: Elvis Presley

"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" was written by Maurice Mysels and Ira Kosloff. On June 5, 1956, Presley performed the song on "The Milton Berle Show", in addition to an early version of "Hound Dog". The song earned a second gold record for Presley, with sales of over 1.3 million records.

Answer: Elvis Presley

The 1956 song "Love Me Tender" put new words to a musical adaptation of the Civil War song "Aura Lee," published in 1861. Elvis performed "Love Me Tender" on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on September 9, 1956, about a month before the movie, "Love Me Tender", was released. After that, RCA received more than a million advance orders, making it a gold record before it was even released.