Number Twos - Volume IX - Master's Edition Quiz

Answer: The Rain, The Park & Other Things

"The Rain, The Park & Other Things" was one of those few hits where the actual title of the song never directly appears in the lyric. Because there were frequent references to a flower girl in the lyric, I'm sure that many folks just assumed the title of the song was "The Flower Girl". It was the first hit for The Cowsills, the prototype for many family groups that would follow; some were actually related like The Osmonds and The Jackson Five while others were entertainment industry conceptions such as The Partridge Family. The Cowsills would have two more big hits, "Indian Lake" at Number Ten in 1968 and another Number Two, "Hair" in 1969, perhaps their most remembered offering. Oddly though, just as their imitators were coming to prominence in the early 1970s, The Cowsills disbanded and the family members pursued other ventures, some in the music business, some not.

Of your other options, "San Francisco" by Scott McKenzie, a Number Four hit earlier in 1967, also personified the "flower power" image as did "Jennifer Juniper" by Donovan. However, that song only reached Number 26 on the Hot 100 in 1968. "Society's Child" was not linked to the movement at all. Janis Ian's Number 14 hit from 1967 was instead a scathing indictment of the racist reactions of some people toward mixed-race dating. Truly a great song and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001, its low charting position was purely due to that racism in some large American markets.

Answer: Be My Baby

"Be My Baby" was recorded by The Ronettes in 1963 but the task of naming the song might have been made easier for some of you music buffs who also recognized those words from Andy Kim's Number 17 cover version in 1970.

The Ronettes consisted of sisters Veronica (Ronnie) and Estelle Bennett with their cousin Nedra Talley and they started harmonizing together in the late 1950s, inspired by the success of several New York City doo-wop groups prevalent at the time. They started performing professionally in 1961 but caught their big break when they came to the attention of record producer Phil Spector. He was particularly smitten with Ronnie, both as a singer and personally, and dedicated most of his attention to assuring their success. This song, co-written by Spector with Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, was the culmination of those efforts. Four subsequent recordings in 1964 never cracked the Top 20 and by 1966 the group disbanded. Ronnie pursued an unsuccessful solo career before marrying Spector in 1968 and at his insistence, retiring from the business. Following their much publicized divorce in 1974, she briefly resurrected a new Ronettes group and has issued a few solo albums of new material over the years, her last release in 2006.

"Baby It's You" by the Shirelles charted at Number Eight in 1962 while "Chapel Of Love" topped the Hot 100 for The Dixie Cups in1964. The Crystals were another group that benefited from Spector's "wall of sound" production technique and their recording of "Then He Kissed Me" reached Number Six earlier in 1963. It would be their last of six top 40 hits, all produced by Spector who unceremoniously dumped them in order to devote his energies to the Ronettes.

Answer: Red Rubber Ball

The correct answer was "Red Rubber Ball" recorded by a group known as Cyrkle. Before we deal with the song and Cyrkle, let's recap the other choices. "Him Or Me, What's It Gonna Be" was a Number Five hit for Paul Revere and The Raiders in 1967. The Kinks did "Tired Of Waiting For You", a Number Six hit in 1965. "You've Got Your Troubles", by The Fortunes, also charted in 1965, peaking at Number Seven.

The brief recording life of Cyrkle largely revolves around its two founding members, Tom Dawes and Don Dannemann. They originally got together in 1961 when they formed a frat band at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., performing cover versions of the popular hits of the era. Because of their musicianship and professionalism, they gradually began to perform in better venues and secure more promising contacts in the music business. One of them turned out to be The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein who took them on as clients as well. At John Lennon's suggestion, the group changed their name to Cyrkle, a la The Byrds. Then, while Dannemann was completing military draft commitments, Dawes went on tour as the bassist for Simon and Garfunkel thus gaining access to some material that they weren't interested in recording... like this song. As soon as Dannemann completed his military obligations, the group recorded it and success was assured...well, almost. Because of "Red Rubber Ball", the group earned a spot on The Beatles' final tour of the U.S. in 1966 which helped their follow up release "Turn Down Day" to chart at Number 16. Subsequent releases didn't fare quite as well charting at Numbers 59, 70, 72, 95 and 112. Epstein's sudden death in 1967 from an accidental drug overdose signalled the group's demise as well. Both Dawes and Dannemann were writing commercial jingles on the side and earning more doing that than performing with the group. Finances won out and with both principle members of the group compelled to follow that career choice, Cyrkle disbanded in 1968.

Answer: You Don't Own Me

Well fellas, this was it... the first really big hit song of the rock era where a woman says "Get lost buddy, I can make it on my own", almost a full decade before the start of women's lib and Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman". Leslie Gore recorded "You Don't Own Me", a song written by a couple of Philadelphia song writers, John Madara and David White. Gore was managed by Quincy Jones at the time and she presumed that he would want her to continue recording songs like "It's My Party"... light, bouncy fluff. However, when he heard this song, he arranged for Madara and White to play it for Gore. She immediately fell in love with it and within a couple of weeks, was in the studio recording it. Now ranked as her second biggest hit ever, who knows where it might have placed were it not for The Beatles.

"You Don't Know Me" was a Number Two hit for Ray Charles in 1962 and "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" peaked at Number Four in 1966 for Dusty Springfield. "I Wanna Be Free" was a made up title that I felt fit with the theme of the lyric. It turns out that there was a song by that title recorded by Loretta Lynn in 1971. It wasn't a hit by any stretch of the imagination, squeezing into the Hot 100 at Number 94.

Answer: For Once In My Life

Berry Gordy, the founder and President of Tamla-Motown Records, was quite justifiably regarded as a genius given the success the label had for so many years. But he wasn't perfect and one could point to both Marvin Gaye's version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" and Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life" as ample proof.

"For Once In My Life" was written by staff writer Ron Miller in 1966 and a jazz/R&B singer named Jean DuShon had the privilege of recording the demo. He liked the way she did it and she wound up releasing the song on Chess records. Gordy was quite displeased that one of his employees was giving away compositions to rivals and demanded that Miller make the song available to Motown artists. Both Barbara McNair and the Temptations made down-tempo recordings of the song in 1966 that went nowhere. To give you an idea of the tempo it was being sung at, crooner Tony Bennett recorded a similar rendition in 1967 that made a Hot 100 appearance at Number 91. Meanwhile, Wonder recorded his spirited take on the song in the summer of 1967 but Gordy didn't like it. Only at the vehement insistence of Motown's Head of Quality Control, Billie Jean Brown, did Gordy relent and the song was finally released in October 1968. Gordy wasn't fond of Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" either and it was also shelved for well over a year. Lo and behold, in December 1968, they sat one-two on the Hot 100. I wish my mistakes would turn out so well!

Both "I Was Made To Love Her" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" were Stevie Wonder hits. The former peaked at Number Two in 1967 while the latter made it to Number Three in 1970. Two versions of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" made chart appearances on behalf of Motown. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell took it to Number 19 in 1967 but the big hit was reserved for Diana Ross. Her version hit Number One in 1970.

Answer: I Like It Like That

The choruses ended this way every time:
"Come on, come on let me show you where it's at
The name of the place is I like it like that"
No... I have no idea what it means!

The song was co-written by the singer, Chris Kenner, and his mentor, noted New Orleans composer/pianist/producer Allen Toussaint. Kenner was a Louisiana native and moved to New Orleans in the late 1940s while still in his teens, attracted by the vibrant music scene which had always prevailed there. He started his recording career in the mid 1950s, usually performing his own compositions for smaller independent labels. The trouble was, if the song was any good, Fats Domino would cover it and his version would become the hit. "Sick And Tired", a Number 22 hit for Domino in 1958, was one example. Another one of his compositions was "Land Of A 1,000 Dances". His original recording stumbled in at Number 77 in 1963 but covers by Cannibal and The Headhunters and Wilson Pickett reached Number 30 in 1965 and Number Six in 1966 respectively. At least the residuals were nice. His career came to a grinding halt in 1968 when he was convicted of statutory rape of a minor and spent three years incarcerated at Louisiana's notorious Angola Prison. He succumbed to a heart attack in 1976 at the age of 46.

Two of your other options were Freddie Cannon songs. "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans" stalled at Number Three in 1960 and "Palisades Park" reached the same chart position in 1962. "Under The Boardwalk" topped out at Number Four for The Drifters in 1964.

Answer: Ruby

The song was "Ruby Baby" by Dion. It was written in the mid 1950s by two of Elvis Presley's favorite composers, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded in 1956 by The Drifters. Their R&B styled version charted at Number Ten. The other names listed as choices have been the subject of numerous songs over the years, far too many to itemize here. Suffice to say that Sheila might have been your most enticing option. That was the title of Tommy Roe's Number One hit in 1962. "Ruby Baby" spent three weeks at Number Two. Paul and Paula claimed Number One for one of those weeks with "Hey Paula" then The Four Seasons took top spot the other two weeks with "Walk Like A Man".

Dion's career has had many stages over the years. First he was the lead vocalist of the doo-wop group, The Belmonts, from 1958 to 1960. Their biggest hits were the Number Five "A Teenager In Love" in 1959 and the Number Three "Where Or When" in 1960. Then he went solo in 1960 and went from doo-wop crooner to a legitimate rocker with such hits as this one, the Number One "Runaround Sue" and the Number Two "The Wanderer". 1964 to 1967 were lost years musically. Having got caught up in the trappings of celebrity, he became a bona fide heroin addict but through therapy, he came clean by 1968. A new, sober, reflective Dion then recorded the Number Four "Abraham, Martin and John" but that would be his last foray onto the charts. Experiencing a religious rebirth, he spent the next couple of decades recording Christian music. By the 1990s, he returned to the secular side recording a number of critically acclaimed albums in the blues genre and occasionally touring the oldies circuit. When not performing, he spends much of his time assisting men with addiction issues.

Answer: The Horse

While you're reading this, I'd suggest that if you haven't heard these songs for a while, open up another tab, locate them on YouTube and give them a listen to refresh your memory.

Only two of the hits listed were Number Two on the Hot 100, both in 1968, "The Horse" and "Classical Gas". The latter was performed by Mason Williams making "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Co. your correct answer by default. Hugh Masekela performed "Grazing In The Grass" but it went Number One in 1968. The Mar-Keys turned "Last Night" into a Number Three hit in 1963. Two of their members, Steve Cropper and Donald (Duck) Dunn would later become integral members of Booker T & The MGs.

Cliff Nobles was born in Alabama and got involved with music with his high school choir in Mobile. Eventually, he formed an R&B group and meeting with some local success, decided to tackle the big time in Philadelphia. He was living in a commune of musicians in the suburb of Norristown when he formed Cliff Nobles & Co. with some of the other residents. They managed to secure a record contract with the Phil-LA label and their second release was entitled "Love Is All Right" featuring Nobles' vocals. The flip side was "The Horse", an instrumental version of the same song. Although side "A" got all the promotion, DJs kept playing the flip and it became the hit. Nobles was a singer/dancer not a musician so he had no part in the instrumental version of the song at all. This would be Cliff Nobles & Co. only Top 40 hit and the leader of the group wasn't even there when it was recorded! Two other follow-up recordings finished well down the charts at Number 68 and Number 93 and perhaps feeling that fate wasn't on his side, Nobles left the music industry a short time later. It should be noted that his "Co." would later form the nucleus of MFSB who would record the Number One hit "TSOP" in 1974 and would be the backbone of the Philadelphia sound during its heyday. Nobles worked in construction and the electrical generation industry until his retirement, passing away in 2008 at the age of 67.

"The Horse" was Number Two for three consecutive weeks resting below "This Guy's In Love With You". It was Herb Alpert's first Number One song and the only song he ever released featuring his vocals. Musical irony prevails; an entertainer who made his fortune making instrumentals shuts out an instrumental with a vocal recording. Then, when Alpert's song finally vacates the Number One position, "The Horse" pulls up lame and it is Masekela's instrumental hit, "Grazing In The Grass" that vaults to the top! Maybe "The Horse" did some grazing itself?

Answer: Crystal Blue Persuasion

"Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James and The Shondells was climbing up the charts in late July 1969 peaking the week of July 26th. In early August, they were performing in Hawaii then had a couple of weeks off to recuperate from the grind of touring. They were staying at a glorious resort in sight of Diamondhead and enjoying the sun, sipping on Pina Coladas. James got a call from his agent with an offer to perform at a festival scheduled to begin on August 15th. It'll be a big one and everyone will be there, he was told. James asked where it was to be held. When told at a pig farm in upper New York, he demurred immediately saying something to the effect "You expect us to leave paradise to play at a pig farm?" That's how the group missed Woodstock!

James and the whole band were becoming reborn Christians at the time and the song does indeed have significant religious overtones. In the Wikipedia article related to the song and according to James' manager, James "was inspired by his reading of the Book of Ezekiel where it speaks of the Blue Shekinah Light which represented the presence of the Almighty God and the Books of Isaiah and Revelation where it speaks of a bright future of a brotherhood of mankind living in peace and harmony." These words are paraphrased in the final verse of the song.

All your other choices were big hits from 1969. "And When I Die" was another Number Two song by Blood Sweat and Tears and "Good Morning Starshine", from the musical "Hair", peaked at Number Three for Oliver. "Crimson And Clover" was a similar sounding release from Tommy James and The Shondells. However, it topped the Hot 100 earlier in the year.

Answer: Cry Like A Baby

"Cry Baby", by Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters peaked at Number Four in 1963, "Crying In The Rain" reached Number Six in 1962 for The Everly Brothers and Ray Charles took "Crying Time" to Number Six in 1966.

The core of The Box Tops formed in 1963 as The Devilles. The eldest member of the group was 15 and lead singer, Alex Chilton, was a mere 13. They learned the ropes in their native Memphis and by 1967 were polished enough to earn a recording contract with the Mala label. Since another group was already using The Devilles name, they opted for The Box Tops. Their debut single, the massive four week chart topper "The Letter", was pretty tough to follow but they came pretty close with "Cry Like A Baby". It spent a couple of weeks at Number Two, "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro playing the spoiler. Over the next two years, they would have four more Top 40 hits but trouble was brewing with their record company. During recording sessions, a couple of the band members were replaced with studio musicians and the group, as a whole, were becoming disenchanted with the material presented to them, their own compositions being ignored. Finally, in 1970, two group members chose to return to school to avoid the military draft and when their contract expired, the remaining members chose to simply disband. For the next 25 years, the individual members pursued careers largely outside the music industry but finally reunited in 1996, largely intact, to follow the oldies tours. Chilton died of a heart attack in March of 2010 and one could surmise that the future of the group would be highly questionable without their star vocalist.