Number One Hits of 1962 - Part Four Quiz

Answer: Toni Fisher

Toni Fisher, or as she was often billed, Miss Toni Fisher enjoyed success in 1959 with "The Big Hurt" which climbed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1962 her recording of "West of the Wall" only made it to number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, while in Australia this song was a huge hit making it to number one and staying on the charts for many weeks. "West of the Wall" was written to reflect the loss of loved ones due to the separation of Berlin in 1961.

Answer: Lucky Starr

Written by Australian country singer Geoff Mack and recorded in 1962 by Lucky Starr, "I've Been Everywhere" was a monster hit. The song took on a life of its own with local versions substituting local names, by Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, Rolf Harris and many others. Lucky Starr's version was number one in Australia for two weeks in June 1962. Hank Snow's version, with North American place names replacing the Australian names, reached number one on the The Billboard Country chart and number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: Shelley Fabares

Shelley Fabares was riding high in 1962; she was appearing on the hit TV series, "The Donna Reed Show" and had a number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Johnny Angel". Shelley had a couple of other hits in the early sixties then returned exclusively to acting.

She appeared in "Girl Happy", "Clambake" and "Spinout" all with Elvis Presley. In 1989 Shelley gained the role of Christine Armstrong on the long running TV series "Coach", staying with the show for all nine seasons. "Johnny Angel" made the top ten in Australia and made the top forty in the UK.

Answer: Elvis Presley

Elvis was in the top spot again on the UK Charts in September 1962, with "She's Not You". The song was written by Doc Pomus in collaboration with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. "She's Not You" made the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Australian charts.

Answer: The Shirelles

The Shirelles were the most successful girl group of the early Rock 'n' Roll era (1955-1963). "Soldier Boy" was their second number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, having first scored the top spot in 1960 with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". The Shirelles also had top ten hits with "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Mama Said", "Foolish Little Girl" and "Baby It's You".

The latter was covered by the Beatles on their first album "Please Please Me" along with another Shirelles original "Boys". "Soldier Boy" only reached number 33 in Australia and number 23 on the UK chart.

Answer: The Four Seasons

Written by band member Bob Gaudio, "Big Girls Don't Cry" was the second number one hit for the Four Seasons, "Sherry" having reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier in the year. The record made it to number eight on the UK chart and number one in Australia. The Four Seasons went on to have a total of five number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: Little Eva

Written by Jerry Goffin and Carole King, "The Loco-Motion" was a number one US hit for Little Eva in 1962. The record was so popular that the dance 'The Loco-Motion" was created to showcase the record. Little Eva's record, despite much airplay, barely charted in Australia; in the UK the record peaked at number two.

The song has had a life of its own; a version released in 1974 by Grand Funk took it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four in Australia. Recorded again in 1987 by Kylie Minogue the song was number one for seven weeks in Australia and made the top ten in both the USA and UK in 1988. I watched Carole King sing it live in concert, I prefer her version.

Answer: Del Shannon

"The Swiss Maid" was a number one hit in Australia for Del Shannon and number two in the UK. The record only hit 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although a native of Michigan, Del Shannon was more popular in Australia and the UK than in the USA. He charted three number ones and eight other top twenty singles (six in the top ten) in Australia and one number one and six top tens in the UK.

In the USA, after his 1960 smash hit "Runaway" he put sixteen more songs on the Billboard Hot 100 only two of which made the top twenty. Del Shannon holds a unique place in rock music history being the first artist to chart in the USA with a song written by The Beatles, "From Me to You" which was The Beatles' first number one single.

Answer: Charlie Drake

Charlie Drake was an English actor and comedian of radio stage and screen. He recorded over twenty singles starting in 1958. Notable singles were cover versions of "Splish Splash" and "Please Mr Custer" both of which made the top twenty in the UK. In 1961 his recording of "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" reached number 21 on The Billboard Top 100, number fourteen in the UK and number one in Australia. Charlie passed away in 2006 aged 81.

Answer: Cliff Richard and The Shadows

From the movie of the same name, "The Young Ones" was number one in the UK for Cliff Richard and the Shadows. The song made number one in Australia. The movie spawned another hit single; "When the Girl in Your Arms (is the Girl in Your Heart)" was number two in the UK and number one in Australia.

The song did not chart in the USA, although with the change in the lyrics from girl to boy, Connie Francis had a number ten hit with "When the Boy in Your Arms (is the Boy in Your Heart)". The movie "The Young Ones" also had a number one EP and number one LP, and later gave its title to a popular comedy series on the BBC.