"Signature Songs" of Singers or Groups-Part 7 Quiz / Test | Music

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Since I Fell For You", is an American standard composed by Buddy Johnson in 1945. It describes the heartache of a spurned lover, with these lovelorn lyrics: "You made me leave my happy home, you took my love and now you're gone, since I fell for you. Love brings such misery and pain, I guess I'll never be the same, since I fell for you". Can you name the crooner who had a big hit with this sad story in 1963?

Answer: Lenny Welch

New York born Lenny Welch took "Since I Fell For You" to the fourth spot on the Billboard Hot 100 (BBH100) list in '63. Although he has been entertaining for over 50 years, none of his other songs have ever enjoyed the same success. He has also recorded "Ebb Tide", "Rags to Riches", "Breaking Up is Hard to Do", and "A Sunday Kind of Love".

He was also the first artist to record "A Taste of Honey" (1962), a song made popular by Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass as track one, side one of their album "Whipped Cream and Other Delights" in 1965.

2. "I Love Rock & Roll" and have since its inception in the 1950's. The song of the same name was written by two members from the band "Arrow" in 1975. The biggest hit came from singer-songwriter Joan Jett and her band in 1982, when it was Number One on the BBH100 list from March 20-May 7. Do you remember the name of her band,? Joan Jett and "__________________"?

Answer: The Blackhearts

Rocker Joan Jett began life as Joan Marie Larkin. She was one of the founding members of "The Runaways", a band that toured the world, opening for acts such as Van Halen, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to name just a couple.
"Billboard" magazine ranked "I Love Rock 'n Roll" as the 56th Greatest Song of All Time. "Rolling Stone" magazine included Joan Jett as one of only two females in their list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time (she was number 87 and Joni Mitchell was number 72).
For a little trip down memory lane, here are a few lyrics:
"I saw him dancin' there by the record machine, I knew he must a been about seventeen. The beat was goin' strong, playin' my favorite song, an' I could tell it wouldn't be long 'til he was with me, yeah me, singin' I love rock n' roll, so put another dime in the jukebox, baby. I love rock n' roll, so come an' take your time an' dance with me".

3. When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, "That's Amore", when the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, "That's Amore". We found this out in 1952 when a popular singer sang those melodies. Can you name this popular crooner who took this song about love to the number two spot on the BBH100 chart in 1953?

Answer: Dean Martin

"That's Amore" had first been heard in "The Caddie" (1952), one of the 17 films Martin, (Dino Crocetti), would make with Jerry Lewis between 1949-1956. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, but Doris Day's tune from "Calamity Jane", "Secret Love", won the Oscar. "Dino" was a prominent member of the famed Hollywood "Rat Pack", and had his own TV show from 1965-1974. A couple of his other 83 singles were, "Memories Are Made of This" (which was Number One on the BBH100 list for six weeks in 1956), "Everybody Loves Somebody" (Sometime), a Number One hit in 1964, and "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You" (1965). Between 1946-1984 Martin appeared in more than 50 movies, including the original "Ocean's 11", in which he played lounge lizard Sam Harmon. He also starred as secret agent Matt Helm in four films. Martin was awarded a posthumous Lifetime Grammy Award in 2009.

Interesting fact: Dean Martin has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, (HWOF).

4. Nobody's listening, so go ahead and sing along: "So many nights, I sit by my window Waiting for someone to sing me his song So many dreams, I kept deep inside me Alone in the dark, but now you've come along You light up my life, you give me hope to carry on You light up my days and fill my nights with song It can't be wrong when it feels so right 'Cause you, you light up my life". "You Light Up My Life" was a humongous hit song which stayed at the Number One spot on the BBH100 list for 10 straight weeks in 1977, at the time the longest a song had held the top position. It won the 1977 Academy Award for Best Original Song, for its writer, Joe Brooks. The young lady whose version made it to the top, shares the surname of a famous American explorer/frontiersman. Who sang this sweet song?

Answer: Debby Boone

Sometimes referred to as "Debbie", she is the daughter of the singer with the white buck shoes, Pat Boone, who had six number one hits in the 1950's-1960's. They included "April Love" and "Love Letters in the Sand", both in 1957. Debby Boone won the Best New Artist Grammy in 1977, and her version of "You Light Up My Life' sits at number seven on Billboard's All-Time Top 100 List. None of her other mainstream singles ever cracked the top 40, but in 1980 she topped the Country charts with "Are You On Your Way to Lovin' Me Again?"

Interesting fact: Debby Boone's mother-in-law was the popular American songstress Rosemary Clooney ("C'mon a My House", "This Old House", "Mambo Italiano").

5. "A whop bopa-a-lu a whop bam bam Tutti frutti, oh Rudy, tutti frutti, oh Rudy Tutti frutti, oh Rudy, tutti frutti, oh Rudy Tutti frutti, oh Rudy A whop bop-a-lu a whop bam bam". Folks, they're just not writin' 'em like that anymore, (which some would consider a blessing). But back in 1955, "Tutti Fruitti" was a huge hit with its distinctive rhythm and delivery. "MOJO" magazine named it right at the top of its list of The 100 Records That Changed the World. Who was the the flamboyant, favorite singer who popularized "Tutti Fruitti"?

Answer: Little Richard

Little Richard began his life as Richard Penniman, in Macon, GA, one of 12 siblings. "Tutti Frutti" reached number 17 on the BBH100 list and hit number two on the R&B Best Seller chart. The height of his career was in the 1950's and 1960's, although the still entertaining singer's recent tours included Las Vegas, at the Rockabilly Weekend in 2013. Little Richard has been inducted into the Rhythm & Blues (R&B) Hall of Fame, The Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and has received a Grammy Liftime Achievement Award. He had three songs that were Number One on the U.S. R&B charts in 1956 alone, "Long Tall Sally", "Rip It Up", and "Lucille". "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Little Richard as the eighth Best Entertainer of All Time. He also appeared in over 20 movies including his first, "The Girl Can't Help It" (with Jayne Mansfield) in 1956, and "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986). Little Richard also has a star on the HWOF.

Interesting fact: At one time when Little Richard was living in CA, his next door neighbor was the boxing legend known as "The Brown Bomber", the great Joe Louis.

6. Once upon a time, there was a young couple out on a nice quiet date at the movies, when suddenly panic set in. It seems they dozed off during the flick that "wasn't so hot, (it didn't have much of a plot"), and the young man, upon awakening, noticed the time and pleaded with his girl to, "Wake Up Little Susie". He told her: "Wake up little Susie, wake up. Wake up little Susie, wake up. We both fell sound asleep, wake up little Susie and weep. The movie's over, it's four O'clock, and we're in trouble deep". (He had promised her mom that they would "be in by ten"). Can you recall which brothers belted out this tale of woe?

Answer: The Everly Brothers

Don and Phil Everly were among the biggest musical headliners of the 1950's and early 1960's. "Wake Up Little Susie" held the top spot on Billboard's Best Sellers in Store list (for three weeks) in 1957 and a year later "All I Have To Do Is Dream", did the same (for five weeks). In 1960, "Cathy's Clown", written by the duo, reached Number One on the BBH100 list and settled in there for a six week stay. The song that originally propelled their career was "Bye Bye Love" (1957), which was the first of their million selling singles. They spent a great deal of 1957-1958 on tour with Buddy Holly, who would perish in a plane crash in 1959.

Interesting note: At the end of the 20th century, no duo had placed more Top 100 singles on the Billboard charts than Don and Phil Everly.

7. And now ladies and gentlemen, I am going to perform a magic trick by guessing how you will answer this next question. The question is: when you think back to the very beginnning of the Rock & Roll era, what is the first song you associate with those days? OK, got it? (Don't tell me). I am now going to read your mind, and say it was: "Rock Around the Clock". Right? Many folks would agree that it was the unofficial anthem of the early-mid 1950's. Who was it that promised: "When the clock strikes two, three and four, If the band slows down we'll yell for more"?

Answer: Bill Haley and His Comets

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Bill Haley and The Comets had that iconic song at the top of the Billboard Best Seller chart from July 9, 1955-September 2, 1955. According to the Guiness Book of World Records it has sold over 25 million copies. The song was first heard in the movie "Blackboard Jungle", which was based on the novel by Evan Hunter(a.k.a. Ed McBain). The film was released in March, 1955 and the record was released two months later. The group was originally known as Bill Haley and The Saddlemen, but they became The Comets in 1952. The band also scored big with a number of their over 150 singles, including "See You Later Alligator", "Shake, Rattle and Roll", and "Mambo Rock". Bill Haley has a star on the HWOF.

Interesting fact: Although Bill Haley was inducted into the R&RHOF in 1987, it wasn't until 2012 that The Comets joined him there.

8. "Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone, but Judy left the same time. Why was he holding her hand, when he's supposed to be mine"? That was the question asked by a heartbroken teen-aged girl, who just saw the love of her life disappear from her own birthday party with another young woman. The song was "It's My Party", and it was recorded in 1963 by a 16 year old girl. Which teen's tune was it?

Answer: Lesley Gore

Sadly she got the message when she noticed:
"Judy and Johnny just walked thru' the door,
like a queen with her king.
Oh, what a birthday surprise,
Judy's wearing his ring.
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to,
cry if I want to, cry if I want to.
You would cry too if it happened to you".

"It's My Party" topped the BBH100 from June 1-June 14, 1963, and was Lesley Gore's first million selling tune. A couple of her other popular hits were "Judy's Turn To Cry" (1963), "You Don't Own Me" (1963) and "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" (1965), all of which cracked the top 15 on the BBH100 list.

Interesting fact: In November 2010, Amy Winehouse covered "It's My Party". It would turn out to be the last song she ever released.

9. Sometimes young love is the hardest kind to deal with. "I'm Sorry", recorded by a teenager in 1960, seems to attest to the trials and tribulations of a youngster's feelings. Who was the not yet 16 year old who sang: "I'm sorry, so sorry, that I was such a fool, I didn't know, love could be so cruel. Oh, oh, oh, oh, uh-oh, oh, yes. You tell me mistakes are part of being young, but that don't right the wrong that's been done. (I'm sorry) I'm sorry(So sorry)So sorry, please accept my apology. But love is blind and I was to blind to see"?

Answer: Brenda Lee

Recording for Decca Records, the then 15 year old, took "I'm Sorry" to Number One on the BBH100 list, (July 18, 1960-August 7, 1960). Born Brenda Mae Tarpley on December 11, 1944, her signature song was pretty popular on the other side of the pond as well, reaching as high as number four on the U.K. charts. One of the most popular singers of the 1960's, Brenda Lee also scored big with "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (1958), "All Alone Am I" (1962) and "Break it to Me Gently" (1962). She has entertained us for over 55 years, recording more than 55 albums and north of 70 singles. Brenda Lee was inducted into the Country Music HOF in 1997 the R&RHOF in 2002.

Interesting fact: That big voice came out of a 4'9" frame, and that fact along with a song she had recorded in 1957 called "Dynamite", led to her nickname of "Little Miss Dynamite". Her autobiography, published in 2002 is titled, "Brenda Lee: Little Miss Dynamite".

10. If you look in the dictionary under "one-hit wonders", you might very well see a picture of the group that sang: "Get A Job". Bill Horton was the lead singer for this group, which was originally called "The Gospel Tornados". Here are a few lyrics to jog your memory: "Well, when I get the paper, I read it through and through And my girl never fails to see, if there is any work for me And then I go back to the house, I hear that woman's mouth Preaching and cryin', tellin' me I'm lyin' about a job That I never could find". Can you recall the sobriquet of those singers who took "Get a Job" to Number One on the BBH100 list for two weeks in 1958?

Answer: The Silhouettes

"Get A Job" was numero uno on the Billboard chart on February 24, and March 3 1958, and it topped the R&B Best Selling Singles chart from February 3, 1958-March 3, 1958. Its catchy "do-wop" style caught on big and sold over a million copies, thanks in great part to The Silhouettes numerous appearances on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
They never had another song chart after "Get A Job", but toured for a while with among others popular performers, Sam Cook and Jackie ("Lonely Teardrops") Wilson.
"I Sold My Heart to the Junkman", and "Heading For the Poorhouse" were a couple of their forgetable releases, but "Get A Job" will long be remembered as one of the great "Do-Wop" songs of the R&R era.

Source: Author paulmallon

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ralzzz before going online.
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"Signature Songs" of Singers or Groups-Part 7 Quiz

This is a follow up to my "Signature Songs" -Part 6 quiz. Many singers have recorded one special tune with which they will long be associated. I'll give you the titles of ten songs. See if you can name the singer or group best known for singing them.

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