No. 1 Hits of the 70s Vol.4 Quiz | No. 1 Hits

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)" was a hit for Sly & the Family Stone in 1970. However, it was released as a double sided hit. What was the song on the flip side?

Answer: Everybody Is a Star

"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)" made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the U.S. for a two week stay during February of 1970 and also spent five weeks atop the Soul charts. The song is considered as one of the most influential funk/rock songs of all time.

It is listed by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" at number 402. "Everybody Is a Star" is a more traditional rock type song that became the second half of this double sided hit. This song reminds us that everyone is special in their own way and was regarded in some circles as the better song of the two.

2. Two different country artists scored hits with "Me and Bobby McGee" before Janis Joplin hit the pop charts with the song in 1971.

Answer: True

Hard to believe but the song was written by Kris Kristofferson and originally performed as a country hit by Roger Miller ("King of The Road") and he scored a number 12 country charting hit with it in 1969. Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown") scored with the song as well in his native Canada, taking the song to the Top 20 on the Pop charts as well as number one on the Canadian Country charts. Joplin's version was the first to score a major success on the U.S. Pop charts when it reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in March of 1971 for two weeks. Joplin had already been dead for a number of months before the song hit the top, making her only the second artist at that time to have a posthumous number one hit; the other was Otis Redding. Joplin's tune made it onto the Rolling Stone Magazine list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" at number 148.

3. "Without You" was a major hit for this recording artist who went only by his last name. Tell me who it is please.

Answer: Nilsson

Brooklyn born Harry Nilsson had scored earlier in his career with "Everybody's Talkin'" from the motion picture soundtrack of "Midnight Cowboy" (1969). "Without You" had been recorded earlier by the British group Badfinger. It had been written by Badfinger band members Pete Ham and Tom Evans, but the group had no success with it. Nilsson cut the track that is most well known and took it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts for four weeks in the winter of 1972.

The song also hit the top of the charts in Canada and the U.K. According to ASCAP (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers) the song has been recorded by almost 200 artists since it was first written.

4. This song spent over a month at number one and was inspired by a performance by Don McLean. Name this 1973 classic.

Answer: Killing Me Softly With His Song

"Killing Me Softly with His Song" was inspired by a poem written by singer/songwriter Lori Lieberman after seeing a performance by Don McLean in which he performed "Empty Chairs". She wrote a poem called "Killing me Softly with His Blues" about her experience which turned into a song by writers Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. Roberta Flack recorded the best known version of the song which spent a total of five weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the winter of 1973. Flack's version won three Grammy Awards the following year.

The song is listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's compilation of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" at number 360. Billboard Magazine rates it at number 82 on their list of the "Greatest Songs of All Time".

5. Former Beatle Ringo Starr took this 1960 Rockabilly tune and turned it into a number one hit in 1974. What's the song?

Answer: You're Sixteen

"You're Sixteen" was originally recorded by Johnny Burnette and reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1960. Ringo Starr covered the song in 1974 and got the song all the way to the top of the charts for one week in January that year. The song featured a kazoo solo by Paul McCartney as well as background vocals by Harry Nilsson.

6. "Sedaka's Back" was the title of Neil Sedaka's comeback album in 1975. What hit did he take to the top from that album?

Answer: Laughter In The Rain

Of the four choices "Laughter in the Rain" was the song that marked Sedaka's own comeback in 1975. The song became a number one hit when it peaked in February 1975. Sedaka had been one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the late 1950s and early 1960s and sang such hits as "Calendar Girl", Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" and "Breaking Up is Hard To Do" but had been without a recording contract since 1967 and had not cut a single since then.

He did continue to write and hooked up with Elton John who signed him to his record label. "Sedaka's Back" followed with this number one hit as well as "Love Will Keep Us Together" which later became a number one hit for The Captain and Tennille.

7. "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" went to the top of the Billboard charts in 1976 for this diva. Which singer was it?

Answer: Diana Ross

It was Diana Ross who took the theme song from the motion picture of the same name to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts for one week in 1976. The song was originally recorded by Thelma Houston back in 1973, but was not a hit at that time. Ross' version was nominated for an Academy Award in 1977.

8. A group called Rose Royce burst onto the scene in 1977 with this motion picture theme song that became a number one hit. What was the song?

Answer: Car Wash

Rose Royce was nominated for a Grammy for "Car Wash" which was the theme song for the motion picture of the same name. It was their first Top 40 hit and went right to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts for one week in the winter of 1977 and also reached number nine in the U.K. Unfortunately for them it was their biggest hit and the group never achieved anywhere near that type of success again although they did have some moderate success on the Billboard R & B charts for a couple of more years during the disco era.

9. Ok, so we all know about the motion picture "Saturday Night Fever" and the soundtrack, of which the BeeGees were a major part. Which song was number one for the longest in 1978?

Answer: Night Fever

"Night Fever" spent eight weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the spring of 1978 making it the one with the longest tenure at the top. It also spent time at the top of the charts in the U.K., Canada and Japan, as well as being a Top 5 hit in many other countries.

As for the other choices, all were number one songs off the same soundtrack, with "Stayin' Alive" spending four weeks at the top of the charts, "How Deep Is Your Love" three weeks, and "If I Can't Have You", the Yvonne Elliman song, spending one week at the top.

10. This song that has become women's anthem of sorts was a number one disco hit for Gloria Gaynor in 1979. Name the song.

Answer: I Will Survive

"I Will Survive" has become associated with the power of women to recover from lost romances, breakups and other hurtful things that men sometimes do to them. In more recent years it has also become an anthem for HIV/Aids awareness. The song itself was Gaynor's biggest hit reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts for a total of three non-consecutive weeks during the spring of 1979 as well as reaching number one in the U.K.

It sits at number 489 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Source: Author fredsixties

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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No. 1 Hits of the 70s Vol.4 Trivia Quiz

This is the next entry in the 1970s series which highlights song that were number one on the U.S. Billboard charts during the decade. You may need to give the title or the artist. There may be clues to help you along. Good luck.

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