No.1 Hits of the 60s Vol.20 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Are You Lonesome Tonight?

All the songs listed are Presley cuts, but it was "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" which topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for the last five weeks of 1960 and the first week of 1961. "All the world's a stage...." This song was actually written in the late 1920s and was recorded as far back as 1927. Presley had the most successful version and his rendition is listed on Billboard Magazine's "Greatest Hits of All Time" at number 81.

Answer: Big Bad John

This was a country song recorded by Jimmy Dean, a country singer and actor at that time in 1961. The song "Big Bad John" spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard charts in the fall that year. It was the tragic tale of a miner who gave his life to save others. "At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man. Big John" go the ending lyrics. Dean had a number of other country hits in the 1960s and founded the Jimmy Dean Sausage Company in 1969.

Answer: False

Darlene Love and The Blossoms actually recorded what became The Crystals' biggest hit, "He's A Rebel", which was a number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for two weeks in the fall of 1962. This was a Phil Spector production and he often switched musicians to get the sound he wanted.

This song was written by Gene Pitney, who ironically had the number two song on the charts at the same time, a song called "Town Without Pity". The song mentioned in the question never charted mainly due to protests, and the belief that the song was an endorsement of spousal abuse.

Answer: Nino Tempo and April Stevens

It was Nino Tempo and April Stevens, a brother and sister act who took "Deep Purple" to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts for a week in the fall of 1963. The song was actually from 1933 and was recorded successfully by a group called Larry Clinton and his orchestra and was a major hit in 1939.

The Nino Temple April Stevens version was the next most popular version, and the song has been covered by numerous other artists.

Answer: The Shangri-Las

The Shangri-Las, an all girl group from New York City, took this song to the top of the U.S. Billboard charts for a one week stay in the fall of 1964 and it became their biggest hit. The song dealt with a girl's love for a biker, and a breakup, and motorcycle crash which followed in which we assume he loses his life due to the lyrics at the end of the song, "leader of the pack, now he's gone.."

Answer: Eve of Destruction

"Eve of Destruction" was written by P.F. Sloan in 1965 and recorded by Barry McGuire, a folk rock singer from the 1960s. The song was done in one take and released before it could be fine tuned so to speak. It was a very controversial song at the time, protesting everything from the Vietnam War to the lack of movement on civil rights issues.

It shot to the top of the U.S. Billboard charts in the fall of 1965 for a week. It was the only time McGuire's music ever saw the Top 40 on the Billboard charts.

Answer: Hang On Sloopy

"Hang On Sloopy" was the biggest hit for the McCoys during their career. The song itself, originally titled "My Girl Sloopy" was a Top 40 hit for The Vibrations in 1964. Rick Derringer and the McCoys cut this record after touring with the Dave Clark Five as The Strangeloves, a group that was allegedly from Australia (not true).

The song hit the charts and got to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts in October 1965 for a one week stay. The song has grown over time and is the official rock song of the state of Ohio, and Ohio State University.

Answer: Reach Out ( I'll Be There)

"Reach Out (I'll Be There)" has become one of the Four Tops signature songs over the years. It was written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team for Motown records, and released in 1966. The song spent two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It is on Billboard magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" at number 206.

Answer: 96 Tears

"96 Tears" was a 1966 smash hit for the group called ? and The Mysterians. The lead singer was one Rudy Martinez from Bay City, Michigan. It is widely recognized as one of the first of examples of "garage band" type music. It spent one week as the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and is listed at number 210 on Billboard Magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.

Answer: Hello Goodbye

"Hello, Goodbye" had a three week run on top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts for The Beatles which lasted from December of 1967 into January 1968. It also spent seven weeks at the top of the charts in the U.K. It was written by Paul McCartney and was part of the "Magical Mystery Tour" album.

When asked about the meaning of the song McCartney later was quoted as saying, "The answer to everything is simple. It's a song about everything and nothing. If you have black you have to have white. That's the amazing thing about life." Now, what does that mean?