Pop Music Hits of 1968 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black

"In the white room with black curtains near the station..." These were the opening lyrics to a 1968 hit single by Cream, featuring Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. "White Room" was released in October 1968 and reached the number six position in the U.S. Billboard charts.

Answer: During a hurricane

Mick Jagger snarled these words, and a 1968 hit song was born:

"I was born in a cross-fire hurricane
And I howled at my ma in the driving rain
But it's all right now; in fact, it's a gas
But it's all right; I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash
It's a gas, gas, gas..."

This song climbed to the number three spot in the U.S. singles charts and was a number one hit in the UK during the summer of 1968.

Answer: The flute

Sly & the Family Stone reached the number eight spot in the U.S. Billboard charts with their lively single "Dance to the Music." This song was released in February 1968 and featured solo bits by band members. The flute was not mentioned in the song's lyrics, but several other instruments were. The group sang these lyrics:

"All we need is a drummer for people who only need a beat
I'm gonna add a little guitar and make it easy to move your feet...
You might like to hear my organ playing 'Ride Sally Ride'
You might like to hear the horns blowing..."

Answer: Georgia

Otis Redding, born in Georgia, had a posthumous number one hit song in the U.S. with "Sitting On the Dock of the Bay." Redding was killed in a plane crash in December 1967 shortly after recording "Dock of the Bay." Redding's song was released in late January 1968 and climbed to the top of the U.S. Billboard charts. He sang these lyrics:

"I left my home in Georgia, headed for the 'Frisco bay...
'Cause I had nothing to live for
And look like nothing's gonna come my way..."

Answer: Love

1968 was a big year for "bubblegum" pop. Groups such as the Ohio Express and 1910 Fruitgum Company enjoyed success with cheerful ditties. A singer/songwriter named Jerry Levine sang these lyrics for the Ohio Express:

"Yummy, yummy, yummy I got love in my tummy
And I feel like a-loving you..."

"Yummy Yummy Yummy" rose to the number four position in the U.S. singles charts in the spring of 1968.

Answer: Dennis Yost

Dennis Yost was born in Detroit but grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. Yost was the main force behind a soft-rock group called the Classics IV. In early 1968, the song "Spooky" climbed to the number three spot in the U.S. Billboard charts; "Stormy" would reach the number five position late in 1968. John Kay sang for Steppenwolf, Eddie Brigati was a vocalist for the (Young) Rascals, and Gary Puckett sang with the Union Gap.

Answer: The Fool On the Hill

The Beatles recorded "The Fool On the Hill" for their 1967 "Magical Mystery Tour" album. In 1968, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 recorded an up-tempo version of this tune and scored their second top ten U.S. Billboard single of the year; their first hit was "The Look of Love." In the Sergio Mendes recording of "The Fool On the Hill", the phrase "see the world" was extended several measures in the song's finale; the swirling rhythms of the Brasil '66 orchestra built to a crescendo before the singer finished with the lyrics "spinning 'round." This song reached the number six spot on the U.S. Billboard charts in the fall of 1968.

The songs "With a Little Help", "Lovely Rita" and "When I'm 64" appeared on the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" collection.

Answer: A preacher

The Bee Gees' song "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" concerned a condemned prisoner who was about to die. In this song, he asked a preacher to convey one final message to his wife. The Gibb brothers began this tune with the following lyrics:

"The preacher talked to me and he smiled
Said, come and walk with me, come and walk one more mile...
I've just gotta get a message to you, hold on, hold on
One more hour and my life will be through, hold on, hold on..."

Answer: Midnight Confessions

The Grass Roots hailed from California and had a string of U.S. hit singles during the late 60s and early 70s. One of their biggest top 40 entries was "Midnight Confessions." This tune reached the number five spot on the U.S. Billboard charts in October 1968. Rob Grill and other band members sang these words:

"In my midnight confessions, when I tell the world that I want you
In my midnight confessions, when I say all the things that I want to
I love you..."

Answer: The Chambers Brothers

"Time Has Come Today" was a psychedelic pop song hit for the Chambers Brothers in the fall of 1968. The Chambers Brothers hailed from Mississippi, and they electrified the soul/rock music world. Joe Chambers and Willie Chambers played guitars on this tune, which was edited down to about four minutes for top 40 radio; the album version of this tune lasted about eleven minutes. "Time Has Come Today" peaked at number eleven in the U.S. singles charts. Some of the lyrics read:

"I've been loved and put aside
I've been crushed by tumbling tide
And my soul has been psychedelicized
Now the time has come; there are things to realize
Time has come today; time has come today..."

In 1968, Status Quo had a hit with "Pictures of Matchstick Men"; the Box Tops sang "Cry Like a Baby"; and the O'Kaysions did "Girl Watcher."