Number Ones and Chart Firsts Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mr Tambourine Man

'Mr Tambourine Man', recorded by The Byrds, was UK Number One during June-July 1965. Jimi Hendrix's 'All Along The Watchtower' reached Number Five in 1968. Dylan's own recording of 'The Times They Are A-Changin' was never a UK chart-topper, managing only ninth position in 1965. Manfred Mann's rendition of 'The Mighty Quinn' took top spot in January 1968.

Answer: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

In July 1965, The Rolling Stones topped the Billboard singles chart for four weeks with 'Satisfaction'. 'It's All over Now' (July 1964), 'Little Red Rooster' (December 1964), and 'The Last Time' (March 1965) were their first three UK chart-toppers.

Answer: True

Chaplin wrote 'This is My Song' for the film 'A Countess From Hong Kong', the last one he directed. Starring Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando, the film was released in 1967.

Answer: All You Need is Love

The BBC broadcast the 'Our World' programme on June 25th 1967, watched by an estimated 400 million people world-wide. John Lennon wrote 'All You Need is Love' especially for the programme, recording it at the Abbey Road studios a few days earlier. It was then overdubbed live for the global transmission. Among the famous names providing the chorus and hand-clapping were Mick Jagger, Keith Richard, Jane Asher, and Marianne Faithfull.

Answer: "Israelites" - Desmond Dekker and The Aces

In April 1969, Desmond Dekker (born Desmond Dacres in Kingston, Jamaica 1942) and the Aces had their only UK Number 1 with 'Israelites', making them the first Jamaican reggae band to top the charts. Dave and Ansil Collins' 'Double Barrel' was a May 1971 Number 1, 'Tears on my Pillow' from Johnny Nash topped the charts in July 1975, and Boris Gardner's 'I Want to Wake Up with You' was a Number One in August 1986.

Answer: Two Little Boys

'Two Little Boys' was written by an unknown author in 1903 and recorded by Harry Lauder (1870-1950), a noted Scottish comedian and entertainer whose most famous song was 'I Love a Lassie'. 'Two Little Boys' is reputedly about the American Civil War. Banjo Patterson is claimed to have written 'Waltzing Matilda' in 1895, 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport' was written in 1957 with 'Sun Arise' following in 1960.

Answer: How Do You Do It - Gerry and The Pacemakers

'How Do You Do It' pipped the most famous of the 'Mersey' groups - The Beatles - to the Number 1 spot by just a few weeks on 11th April 1963 and remained top for three weeks. The Beatles' 'From Me To You' toppled them on 2nd May 1963, staying at the top of the charts for seven weeks. 'Sweets For My Sweet' put The Searchers on top for two weeks in August 1963 and Billy J Kramer's first Number 1 'Bad To Me' - written by Lennon and McCartney but never recorded by The Beatles - topped the charts for three weeks in August-September 1963.

Answer: Son of My Father

Chicory Tip's 'Son of My Father' was the first chart-topper whose instruments included a Moog synthesizer. It spent three weeks at Number 1 in February 1972.

Answer: Puppy Love

Donny Osmond's 'Puppy Love' was the first to hit the top spot in July 1972, followed in December of the same year by Little Jimmy Osmond with his 'Long-Haired Lover From Liverpool'. He was then aged nine. Donny's 'Twelfth of Never' was top for a single week in March 1973.

The only Number 1 by The Osmonds as a group was 'Love Me For A Reason', which stayed top for three weeks from August 1974. The Osmonds, as a group and with solo releases, tallied 26 UK chart entries in just over four years.

Answer: Eye Level

The Simon Park Orchestra's 'Eye Level', theme tune to 'Van Der Valk', occupied the top spot for four weeks in 1973. Rod Stewart's original release of 'Sailing' in 1975 topped the charts for four weeks. The following year a television documentary centred around the Royal Navy aircraft carrier 'Ark Royal' featured 'Sailing' as its theme music and re-entered the charts - this time only reaching the number three slot. Charles Aznavour's 'She', theme music to 'The Seven Faces of Woman', was a Number 1 in June 1974. 'Suicide is Painless', from the US series 'M.A.S.H', was a 1980 hit.

Answer: Answer Me

Frankie Laine's version of 'Answer Me' was banned by the BBC because it contained the words 'O Lord' but it still outsold David Whitfield's version. How times have changed!

Answer: Desire

Although releasing some best-selling albums, U2 have had relatively few chart-topping singles. The first was 'Desire' in October 1988, followed three years later in November 1991 by 'The Fly'. Over five years later, in February 1997, their third Number 1 was 'Discotheque'. Not until October 2000 did they reach the top again with 'Beautiful Day'.

Answer: Everything I Do (I Do it for You)

Slim Whitman, with the song 'Rose Marie', held the record for the most consecutive weeks at number one (11 - from July to October 1955) for 36 years until Bryan Adams' 'Everything I Do', theme to 'Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves', held the top spot for 16 weeks from July to November 1991.

Answer: Oh Boy

Mud's last Number 1 single was in May 1975 with 'Oh Boy'. They had previously topped the charts with 'Tiger Feet' (January 1974) and 'Lonely This Christmas' in December of the same year.

Answer: Bye Bye Baby

Formed in Edinburgh in 1967, the tartan-clad group inspired 'Rollermania', something akin to the earlier 'Beatlemania' of teenage girl fans. The group had many performers join, and leave, during their heyday. The main members were brothers Derek and Alan Longmuir, Les McKeown, Eric Faulkner and Stuart 'Woody' Wood. 'Bye Bye Baby' held the top spot for six weeks from March 1975 and was the best-selling UK single of the year.