Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "We sing in the sunshine, we laugh every d-a-y. We'll sing in the sunshine, then I'll be on my way". Well, that sounds like a pretty good plan to me. "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" (1964), reached number four on the "Billboard Hot 100 chart and also won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording of the Year
Do you know the New Zealand born artist who both wrote and recorded it?
2. "16 candles make a lovely light, but not as bright as your eyes tonight".
This musical birthday greeting from a guy to his young girlfriend resulted in a song released in 1958 that would peak at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart the following year. Can you recall the moniker of the group who asked the young lady to blow out "16 Candles"?
3. Some folks like their mothers-in-law, others, not so much. In 1961 a guy who was among the latter, recorded a song detailing just what he thought of his "Mother-in-Law". He had previously performed with a band called The Blue Diamond, before going solo. He was probably as surprised as anyone when it became his only song to not only chart, but to reach the top of the "Billboard" Hot 100, on May 29, 1961.
Can you name this one hit wonder?
4. Did you ever wonder "(Who Wrote) The Book of Love"? Well, I can clear that up for you. It was co-written by a trio of Newark, N.J youngsters named Charles Patrick, Warren Davis and George Malone. They were part of a "one-hit wonder" group who first became known to the public in 1956, after landing a coveted spot on "Ted Mack's Amateur Hour", a TV showcase for upcoming talent.
When they and their fellow band-mates recorded it in 1957 by what name were they known?
5. "Easier Said Than Done" was recorded in 1963 by a bunch of United States Marines, including Anita Humes, the lead female vocalist. It was their initial song (they reportedly recorded it in 20 minutes) and it would reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and sell over a million copies. The group also recorded "A Walking Miracle" (1963).
Can you name them?
6. "The wayward wind is a restless wind, a restless wind that yearns to wander. And he was born, the next of kin, the next of kin to the wayward wind".
And so begins, "The Wayward Wind", a sad song of unrequited love. It hit the top of the charts in 1956 for a young singer born Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg.
By what "stage name" do we know her?
7. Sometimes a song will stay in your head because of its beautifully tender lyrics. I must confess that is not the case with "Who Put the Bomp". A novelty song if there ever was one, it poked fun of the "lyricists" who were writing "doo-wop" songs by the thousands-or so it seemed-in the rock & roll era. The man who sang it released only a handful of recordings, although he wrote several hundred songs.
Can you name this Songwriter's Hall of Fame member whose recording of this classic spoof spent three months as a "Billboard" Hot 100 Top 40 single for three months, peaking at number seven in 1958?
8. "Wild Thing" (1966), recorded in London, was performed by a quartet of British rockers. It reached number two on the U.K. Singles chart and was Number One on the "Billboard" Hot 100 list from August 13-September 2, 1966. "Wild Thing" is included on "Rolling Stone's" list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, at number 257.
Can you remember the band of British boys who unleashed a "Wild Thing", more than five decades ago?
9. Talk about being embarrassed, "Silhouettes" (1957), tells the tale of a young man, out for an evening stroll, who looks into what he believes is his girlfriend's house and sees two people gettin' all huggy, kissy, lovey dovey. The song was a "Billboard" charted hit in 1957.
Do you remember which group found out they were on the wrong block, when they saw "two silhouettes on the shade"?
10. "Stagger Lee", released in 1958, was a violent tale about gambling and murder, not exactly the usual theme of a number one hit song. Nonetheless, "Stagger Lee" got to the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list February 9, 1959, and remained there for four weeks. A number of artists have covered it, including Ike and Tina Turner, Pat Boone and James Brown. But when I think of "Stagger Lee", there is one special version I think of, and I'm guessing you do as well.
Whose recording is it?
Source: Author
paulmallon
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
agony before going online.
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