One-Word US Top Forty Hits from 1964. Quiz

Answer: Penetration

The Pyramids formed in 1961 in Long Beach, California. They released "Pyramid Stomp" in 1962. The year 1964 was a banner year for the band. In addition to having a Top Twenty hit on Best Records with "Penetration" the group also performed "Bikini Drag" and "Record Run" as part of the cast of "Bikini Beach". The group appeared wearing Beatle wigs which they took off to reveal bald heads.
They also backed Frankie Avalon singing "How About That?" and Little Stevie Wonder's "Happy Feelin' (Dance and Shout)" in the movie.

"Baja" (1963) was recorded by The Astronauts. The Australia based Atlantics had a 1963 Surf hit with "Bombora". "Shazam!" was released by Duane Eddy and The Rebels in 1960.

Answer: Lorne Greene

In 1963 Lorne Greene recorded an album for RCA Records titled "Welcome to the Ponderosa". "Ringo" was one of the songs on the album. The lyrics told of a fictional outlaw and his relationship with a lawman.
Each song on "Welcome to the Ponderosa" was introduced by a spoken narrative. "Ringo" was subsequently released as a single minus Greene's narrated intro and became a surprise Number One hit on the US Billboard charts. "Ringo" peaked at Number 21 on the US Country charts.
The flip-side of "Ringo" was a version of the "Ponderosa" theme with lyrics.

In addition to his role on "Bonanza" as Adam along with singing on "Ponderosa" box set compilations Pernell Roberts was an accomplished singer and Broadway actor. Dan Blocker and Micheal Landon did not seriously pursue musical careers.

Answer: Matchbox

"Can't Buy Me Love", "A Hard Day's Night" and "I Feel Fine" were some of the US Number One hits by the Beatles in 1964. They also charted several Top Twenty singles including "Matchbox".
Carl Perkins originally recorded "Matchbox" in late 1956 for Sun Records.
Former Beatles drummer Pete Best sang "Matchbox" during the Beatles' stage shows but no recording of Best singing the song has ever been discovered. John Lennon took over lead vocals when they performed the song live at Hamburg clubs then Ringo handled vocals on subsequent recordings.

"Rain" was released two years later. "Revolution" came out in 1968 and "Something" was from 1969.

Answer: Suspicion

"Suspicion" didn't even make the US Hot 100 for Elvis when it was released as a single in 1964, peaking at Number 103.
Terry LaVerne Stafford relocated from Texas to California to pursue a music career. He released "Suspicion" for the Crusader label in 1964 but although it made it to Number Three it was soon relegated to the sixth slot when The Beatles spearheaded the British Invasion and held down the top five singles. Stafford followed with the Number 25 "I'll Touch a Star" which ended his career in the Top Forty. When George Strait later covered his song "Amarillo by Morning" he earned a reputation as a songwriter.

"Surrender" went to Number One for Elvis in 1961. "Kiss Me Quick" and "Steppin' Out of Line" were other cuts from Elvis' "Pot Luck with Elvis" LP. "Charro" failed to chart as a single when it was released from the movie soundtrack of the same name in 1969. "Judy" made it to Number 78 for Elvis in 1967.

Answer: Think

"Sweet Nothin's" (1961) and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (1958) had already established Brenda Lee as a solid hit-maker before "Think" and "Jingle Bell Rock" were released in 1964. "Think" was a single released from Brenda's "Too Many Rivers" album. The following year the single release of "Too Many Rivers" made the Top Twenty.
Brenda scored two US Number One hits out of the 37 singles she charted in the sixties. Her career began when she won a singing contest and began appearing regularly on local television shows.

"Together", "Fallin'" and "Heartaches" were recorded by Connie Francis.

Answer: Maybellene

In 1955 "Maybellene" became Chuck Berry's first US Top Ten hit. The song was loosely based on a tune called "Ida Red" done by Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys beginning in the thirties.
Marty Robbins was among a few other artists who released a version in 1955.
"Memphis" and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" were two Chuck Berry cover tunes recorded live by Rivers on his 1964 "Johnny Rivers at the Whisky à Go Go" album. Later that year he included "Maybellene" on a follow-up album titled "Here We a Go Go Again!" and it became Number 12 when it was released as a single.

"Carol" was covered by The Rolling Stones on their US debut album. Chuck took "Nadine" to Number 23 in 1964. "Tulane" failed to chart when Chuck Berry released it in 1970.

Answer: Pushover

"Stay", "Alone" and "Ronnie" all landed in the Top Twenty in 1964 for The 4 Seasons. They topped the charts with "Rag Doll" and went to Number Three with "Dawn (Go Away)". "Save it for Me" and "Big Man in Town" became Top Twenty for the group.
Despite having a string of hits in 1964 the group was becoming frustrated with their label and switched from Vee-Jay Records to Mercury Records. When the British Invasion hit America Vee-Jay released an album titled "The Beatles vs. the Four Seasons: The International Battle of the Century!". When Vee-Jay declared bankruptcy in 1966 The 4 Seasons' catalog reverted back to the band.
"Pushover" by Etta James was a 1963 Number 25 single.

Answer: False

Although "People" was a big hit, it only reached Number Five on the US Pop charts. The week of June 27, 1964, saw Peter and Gordon's "A World Without Love" at the top of the charts with "People" holding down the fifth spot. "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys was in second place and by the week of July 4th it topped the charts with "People" still in fifth. Jule Styne and Bob Merrill composed "People" for the 1964 Broadway musical "Funny Girl" that starred Barbra Streisand. Barbra recorded the song in December, 1963, and released it early the following year as a single. Based on the success of the single Barbra released her "People" album in September, 1964.

While the single stalled at Number Five the album went to Number One on the album charts.

Answer: Today

"Presenting The New Christy Minstrels" was released in 1962. The album peaked at Number 19 on the album charts and contained a version of "This Land Is Your Land". The success of the album led to invitations to appear on television variety shows. The following year the group released the million-selling "Green Green" single with Barry McGuire on lead vocals. McGuire and group founder Randy Sparks co-wrote "Green Green". Sparks composed "Today" and in 1964 the group released "Today and Other Songs from 'Advance to the Rear'". Sparks had been involved in writing the score for the Comedy film "Advance to the Rear".

"Funny" was a 1964 Number 13 single by Joe Hinton. The Seekers recorded a version of "Kumbaya" in 1963. "Stewball" was a 1963 single by Peter, Paul and Mary.

Answer: Java

New Orleans based trumpet player Al Hirt released "Java" from his "Honey in the Horn" album in 1963. After playing with a number of bands Al came to the attention of RCA Victor Records and began recording Instrumental albums. When he released a single version of "Java" written by fellow Louisiana native and musician Allen Toussaint the song went to Number Four on the US charts. Although he scored other Top Forty singles, "Java" was the highest he ever got on the US charts before his death in 1999.

"Charade" was a 1964 Instrumental single by Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra that reached Number 36. "Rhythm" was a song by vocalist Major Lance that topped out at Number 24. "Because" was one of The Dave Clark Five's biggest US hits, reaching Number Three.