10 Questions about Same Title, Different Song | Music

Answer: Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan released "Smooth Operator" as a single for Mercury Records a year before switching to the Roulette label. The Flip-Side was an Irving Berlin tune titled "Maybe It's Because (I Love You Too Much)". Clyde Otis and Murray Stein composed Sarah's "Smooth Operator". "Smooth Operator" was released as a single and not included on any 1959 Mercury album releases.
Her first album came out in 1944 and was titled "Sarah Vaughan and Her All-Stars". She became known as "Sassy" and "The Sailor" because of her occasional use of off color language. She got her start in the early forties by performing at Amateur Nights in New York venues such as The Apollo Theater.
Dinah Washington became known on the US Pop charts for her duets with Brook Benton. Della Reese's first album was "Melancholy Baby" in 1957 and Ella Fitzgerald began her recording career in the thirties.

Answer: Petula Clark

In 1964 Petula Clark burst onto the US Billboard charts with the US Number One hit "Downtown". Two years later she repeated the feat when she placed "My Love" at the top of the US charts. Although she had other Top Ten hits including "This Is My Song" and "Don't Sleep in the Subway", "My Love" and "Downtown" were her only US Number One singles.
Petula was the daughter of two British nurses and was named by her father who reportedly combined the names of two of his old flames named Pet and Ulla.
In 1973 "My Love" by Paul McCartney and Wings became the highest charting single from their "Red Rose Speedway" album.

Marianne Faithfull's first US hit was "As Tears Go By" in 1965. In 1964 "Wishin' and Hopin'" became a US hit for Dusty Springfield. Cilla Black put "You're My World" on the US charts in 1968.

Answer: Frankie Avalon

In 1958 "De De Dinah" became Frankie Avalon's first US Top Ten hit. "Venus" and "Why" topped the charts the following year. In 1960 Frankie began his film career appearing in "The Alamo" and "Guns of the Timberland". In 1963 he was cast in "Operation Bikini" and "Beach Party" which began a string of beach-themed films for Frankie. In 1987 he and Annette Funicello teamed up to star in "Back to the Beach" and two years later they both made a cameo in "Troop Beverly Hills".
Frankie met and married his wife Kathryn in 1963. They had ten children and some of them continue to tour with Frankie as musicians.

"Venus In Blue Jeans" was a 1962 Top Ten by Jimmy Clanton. Bobby Rydell hit the American charts in 1959 with "Kissin' Time". "Turn Me Loose" and "Tiger" were 1959 hits by Fabian.

Answer: Best of My Love

"Best of My Love" by The Emotions was a big Disco hit in 1977. It was a single release from their "Rejoice" album. "Best of my Love" was written by Al McKay and Maurice White from Earth, Wind and Fire. The Emotions would team up with Earth Wind and Fire two years later to record "Boogie Wonderland".
Don Henley co-wrote and sang lead on The Eagles' single "Best of my Love". The song topped the US charts after it was released as a single from the band's 1974 "On the Border" album. Tanya Tucker recorded a cover version the same year.

"Take It to the Limit" went to Number Four for the Eagles in 1975. "The Long Run" was an Eagles 1979 Top Ten hit. "Where Is Your Love?" was a 1980 release by The Emotions that failed to break the Top 100.

Answer: P.S. I Love You

Johnny Mercer and Gordon Jenkins wrote "P.S. I Love You" in 1934. Rudy Vallee recorded the original release of the song. After Rudy's recording the song did not become popular again until The Hilltoppers reached Number Four on the US charts with it in 1953. Bobby Vinton released a version in the sixties and Bette Midler revived the song in the nineties when she sang it in "For the Boys".
When the Beatles recorded "P.S. I Love You" in 1962 their label preferred to release it as the flip-side to "Love Me Do" to avoid confusion with the Mercer/Jenkins tune. Andy White was hired as the session drummer for the song because Pete Best had recently been fired. Ringo Starr was on the session playing the maracas.

"Ask Me Why" was the flip-side to the Beatles' "Please Please Me" in 1963. The Beatles released "From Me to You" in 1963.

Answer: Leroy Van Dyke

"Walk on By" was the best selling single by Country singer Leroy Van Dyke. His first major success came four years earlier with "The Auctioneer". He performed the song while on USO tours with Marilyn Monroe and upon his release from the service he obtained a recording contract with the Dot Records label where released "The Auctioneer", selling over two million copies.
The songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote "Walk on By". It was the follow up single to Dionne's hit "Anyone Who Had a Heart", also written by Bacharach and David. "Walk on By" peaked at Number Six for Dionne and has been covered by a number of artists in a variety of styles.

"He'll Have to Go" was a 1960 hit by Jim Reeves. Webb Pierce released "Fallen Angel" in 1960 and Hank Snow had a 1960 hit with "Miller's Cave".

Answer: Gloria

Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi composed "Gloria" and it was recorded in 1979 by Tozzi. Laura Branigan recorded an English version of the song for her 1982 "Branigan" album. Originally "All Night with Me" was selected as the lead single from the LP but the beat of "Gloria" made the song a Disco favorite. It gained popularity and reached the Number Two spot on Billboard in the US.
Laura was in a band called Meadow in the seventies and went on to become a backing singer for Leonard Cohen. She possessed a powerful four range voice which led to a contract with Atlantic Records.
Van Morrison's band Them recorded Van's composition "Gloria" in 1964 as the flip-side of "Baby, Please Don't Go". The following year "Gloria" became a hit. The Chicago area band The Shadows of Knight performed the song in their live show and recorded it for their debut single. The song took off and reached Number Ten on the US Billboard countdown.

Answer: True

"I Want to Be Wanted" and "I'm Sorry" were both Number One hits by Brenda Lee in 1960. Brenda was only 15 years old when "I'm Sorry" was recorded and Decca Records did not release it immediately because they had reservations about an emotional tune being sung by such a young artist.

It was decided to release "I'm Sorry" as the flip-side to "That's All You Gotta Do". "That's All You Gotta Do" made it to Number Six while "I'm Sorry" raced up the charts. When John Denver released "I'm Sorry" as a single from his 1975 "Windsong" album it became his final Number One single in the US. Like Brenda Lee's recording the flip-side of "I'm Sorry", "Calypso", became a hit when it topped out at Number Two.

Answer: Johnny Nash

Although Johnny Nash was born in Texas he became one of the only mainland artists to record Reggae style music in Jamaica. He made his first appearance as a Pop singer on the US charts in 1957 with "A Very Special Love". In the sixties he became influenced by the Reggae movement and decided to change his style. It took 11 years after "A Very Special Love" to get another US Top Forty hit with "Hold Me Tight". His perseverance paid off when "I Can See Clearly Now" topped the US charts in 1972. After the success of the song he failed to have another US Top Forty single.
The Beatles recorded "Hold Me Tight" for their "Please Please Me" album but the album was released without the song. It was then selected as a track for their ensuing "Meet the Beatles" US release.

Although Bob Marley enjoyed a large following the highest he got on the US charts was the Number 51 "Roots, Rock, Reggae" in 1976. Peter Tosh was tapped by the Rolling Stones to be their opening act in the sixties. "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" was a Number 25 1969 US single by Jimmy Cliff.

Answer: Carly Simon

Carly Simon recorded a version of "You Belong to Me" for her 1978 "Boys in the Trees" album. She had collaborated with Michael McDonald to compose the song and The Doobie Brothers recorded "You Belong to Me" in 1977 for their "Livin' on the Fault Line" LP.
Carly's version made it to the US Top Ten in 1971 while The Doobie Drothers' live version released in 1983 only made it to Number 79.

"Clean Up Woman" was a 1971 US Top Ten from Betty Wright. Sammi Smith had a Country crossover hit in 1971 with "Help Me Make It Through The Night". Carol King broke through as a songwriter/singer with her "Tapestry" album in 1971.