Musical Help Trivia Quiz

Answer: Elvis Presley

Originally featured in the 1961 movie 'Blue Hawaii', this song was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss,using a tune based on the 18th Century French song 'Plaisir d'amour'. It has been covered many times, including a 1993 version from UB40 which achieved chart success in both the USA and the UK.

Answer: Four Tops

This was one of the best-selling Motown hits from the 1960s, charting on both the R&B charts and the Billboard Hot 100.

This is the version of which I immediately think when I hear this song title, quickly followed by the Supremes' 1965 cover, but younger players may first think of the version from Jessica Mauboy in 2012.

Answer: Beatles

There is not much to say about the Beatles that hasn't been said many times before in other quizzes, but here goes. 'Help!' was the title of their second movie, in which it featured. Unlike their first movie, 'A Hard Day's Night', it chose to indulge in some surreal incidents loosely connected into a semblance of a story line. Not that anyone took any drugs in the 1960s.

Answer: Beach Boys

Brian Wilson and Mike Love co-wrote this song, whose title originally lacked the h in Rhonda when it was released on the album 'The Beach Boys Today!'. The single release, which was a radically different version of the song, used the title in this quiz, and was included in the 1965 album 'Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)'. (The system won't let me include the second exclamation mark that should be in the title, so please just read it as there.)

Cover versions of this song abound, including one from Johnny Rivers in 1975, and one from Jan and Dean (often described as a Beach Boys sound-alike duo) in 1982. It is also a karaoke favorite.

Answer: Joe Cocker

The Beatles were the first to release this Lennon-McCartney number, with Ringo on vocals, but many people (not me) prefer the gritty version from Joe Cocker that was used as the theme song for the television show 'The Wonder Years'. He performed the song at the original Woodstock festival, and it was included in the documentary movie of that event.

Answer: Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

Neil Young wrote 'Helpless', and originally recorded it with his backing band Crazy Horse, but later decided that it would work even better with CSNY after he joined David Crosby, Steven Stills and Graham Nash to expand their trio into a quartet. Young performed the song with Joni Mitchell and The Band in the film 'The Last Waltz'.

Performers who have covered this song are a diverse bunch, including Buffy Sainte-Marie in 1971, Nazareth in 1989, and k.d. lang in 2004.

Answer: B. J. Thomas

The most successful version of this song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil was the one released by B. J. Thomas in 1970, following his earlier success with 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry', 'Hooked on a Feeling' and 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head', which featured in the classic Newman-Redford film 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'.

Leonard Nimoy included a cover of the song in his 1969 album 'The Touch of Leonard Nimoy', and it was also released both as a single and on the album 'That's the Way It Is' by Elvis Presley.

Answer: Billy Swan

Billy Swan, who wrote and performed this song, is often described as a One Hit Wonder, and this was indeed his major success in terms of solo recordings, reaching the top spot on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Singles charts. Swan's career as a writer of successful songs for other performers and as a session musician, as well as his moderate success with other material of his own, makes this an unkind label.

Possibly the most notable cover version of this song is that of Elvis Presley, who included it in his 1975 album 'Today'.

Answer: Little River Band

Written by Glenn Shorrock and recorded by the band of which he was then a member, 'Help Is on Its Way' got to the top of the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart in 1977, and achieved moderate success in other countries.

This song should not be confused with a similarly-titled number from the American group Rise Against, 'Help is on the Way', written in response to the perceived slow response to provide assistance to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

Answer: Willie Nelson

Kris Kristofferson wrote this song, and released it on his 1970 album 'Kristofferson', but the subsequent cover from Sami Smith was a much bigger hit, and became her signature number. The list of people who have achieved success in the music charts with a version (in addition to the one chosen for this quiz) includes Loretta Lynn, Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Gladys Knight & the Pips and John Holt.

The list of artists who have included it in an album is far too extensive to include here! My personal favorite is the one from Andy Williams on his 1971 album 'You've Got a Friend'.