Sing Me a One Word Title Song Trivia Quiz

Answer: Steve Miller Band

"Abracadabra" was written by Steve Miller and appeared on an album of the same name released in 1982. It reached number one on the "Billboard Hot 100" in Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada and Austria, and reached number two in the UK and number eight in New Zealand.

The Steve Miller band formed in San Francisco in 1967 and has had different members from time to time over the years. They had a string of hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording.

It is believed that the word "abracadabra" has been around since the third century AD and was used by a physician to Emperor Caracalla of the Roman Empire. He maintained that if the word was written out in the form of a pyramid, it would cure malaria. In modern day "abracadabra" is commonly used by stage magicians as an incantation.

Answer: Barry Manilow

"Copacabana" was written by Barry Manilow, Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman. The song is set at the "Copacabana" night club in New York sometime I the 1940s and the story tells of the showgirl, Lola and her love for Tony, a bartender at the club. In 1985 the song was expanded into a full length TV musical and then into a stage musical that ran in London's West End for two years.

Barry Alan Pincus (Barry Manilow), was born in June 1943 in Brooklyn, New York USA. After graduating from high school, Barry attended the Julliard School of performing arts and worked at CBS to pay his expenses. He wrote a score for a musical which ran off-Broadway for eight years. He also worked as a commercial jingle writer and was the musical director for the WCBS-TV series "Callback". He arranged for Ed Sullivan's production company. He accompanied Bette Midler on the piano for several years and assisted her in the production of her first two albums. He released his own first album in 1974.

Barry Manilow has won many awards including two Emmys, a Tony, a Grammy and several American Music Awards. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. Some of his more famous hits are "Mandy", "I Write the Songs", "Looks Like We Made It", and"Can't Smile Without You".

Answer: Little Willie John

"Fever" was written by Otis Blackwell and Eddie Cooley under the pseudonym "John Davenport". The Little Willie John version reached number one on the US R&B Best Sellers chart and made it to number 24 on the "Billboard" chart. The version by Peggy Lee, released in 1958 with additional lyrics written by Lee herself, reached number eight on the "Billboard Hot 100".

William Edward John (Little Willie John) was born in 1937 in Arkansas and was one of ten children. He and some of his brothers formed a gospel singing group in the late 40s. He performed in talent shows and was signed to a recording contract in 1955. He was short of stature and short of temper and was known for his alcohol abuse. He was convicted of manslaughter in 1966. He died in 1968 whilst in prison, officially of a heart attack.

In 1996 he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Answer: Layla

"Layla" was written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon and released by their then band Derek and the Dominoes. It appeared on their album" "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" but was not very successful on its first release. The song had considerable chart success in 1972 and 1983 on US Billboard Hot 100, UK Singles Chart, and the Australian, Canadian Irish, and New Zealand charts. In 2004 on the "Rolling Stone" list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "Layla" was ranked as number 27. The second version won a Grammy in 1993 for "Best Rock Song".

The name "Layla" in the title was from a 12th century story by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi and is reputedly based on a true story.

Pattie Boyd eventually divorced George Harrison in 1974 and in 1979 she and Eric Clapton married; George Harrison attended the wedding along with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. However Boyd and Clapton divorced in 1989.

Answer: Hall & Oates

"Maneater" charted very well for Hall & Oats when it was released in 1982. It reached number one on "Billboard Hot 100", number six on the UK Singles Chart, and number four on the Canadian Singles Chart, among others. The song can be heard on the soundtrack of the movie "Runaway Bride" and also in an episode of the TV series "Scrubs".

Hall & Oates had their greatest success in the 1970s and 1980s. They had such hits as "Rich Girl", "Kiss on My List", "Private Eyes", and "Out of Touch", among as others. They have had over 30 singles chart hits on the "Billboard Hot 100", resulting in "Billboard" magazine naming them as "the most successful duo of the rock era", even surpassing the Everly Brothers. Hall & Oates were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.

Answer: Del Shannon

Del Shannon both co-wrote and recorded "Runaway" and it reached number one on the "Billboard Hot 100." On the 2004 "Rolling Stone" list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", this song rates as number 466. This song was featured in the 1973 movie "American Graffiti" and in the 1984 movie "Children of the Corn".

Some of the artists to cover "Runaway" are: Elvis Presley, Bonnie Raitt, the Travelling Wilburys and the Small Faces.

Charles Weedon Westover (Del Shannon), was born in 1934 in Michigan and learned to play the guitar and ukulele. Whilst serving in the US Army in Germany, he played guitar in a band. He had various jobs after leaving the Army and was eventually signed to a recording contract in 1960. It was at this time that he changed his name to Del Shannon.

He committed suicide in February 1990 whilst suffering from depression. In 1999 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Answer: Matt Monro

In 1997 "Yesterday", written by Paul McCartney, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It has been claimed by Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) that in the twentieth century this song has been performed over seven million times.

In 1999, a poll of music experts and listeners on BBC Radio 2, voted "Yesterday" as the "Best Song of the 20th Century". In 2000, the song was voted as the "Number one Pop song of all time" by both MTV and "Rolling Stone" magazine. On the 2004 "Rolling Stone" list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of Al Time", "Yesterday" ranks as number 13.

According to the "Guinness World Records", ". . . by January 1966 1,600 cover versions have been made . " Some of the artists are Cilla Black, Marianne Faithful, The Mamas and the Papas, The Seekers, Joan Baez, Michael Bolton, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Ray Charles

Matt Monro was born in 1930 in London and was a very popular singer both in the UK and internationally during the 1960s. He toured extensively and performed in nightclubs, cabarets and stadiums in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, the Middle East, America and Africa. He had such hits as "Portrait of My Love", "My Kind of Girl", "Walk Away" and of course "Yesterday" which peaked at number eight on the UK chart. He died in 1985 from liver cancer.

Answer: The Bee Gees

"Tragedy", both written and recorded by the Bee Gees was the number one song in the UK in February 1979, and also number one on the US "Billboard Hot 100" the following month. The song also made number one in Canada, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Brazil, and number two in Australia, China, Germany and South Africa. A cover version by "Steps" made it to number one on the UK singles Chart in 1998.

The Bee Gees have been inducted into: Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1979, Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001, Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and London's Walk of Fame in 2005. They have won nine Grammy Awards, one World Music Award, five American Music Awards.

They have sold well over 200 million records worldwide and just some of their hit records are "Spicks and Specks", "New York Mining Disaster 1941", "To Love Somebody", "Massachusetts", "Words", "I've Gotta Get a Message to You", "Lonely Days", and "Run to Me". Their soundtrack album for "Saturday Night Fever", was a number one album in the UK, US, Germany, Australia and New Zealand and sold millions of copies. Over 400 cover versions of "How Deep Is Your Love", their most popular composition have been made by among others, artists such as Michael Bolton, Eric Clapton, Destiny's Child, Elton John, Tom Jones, Lulu, Elvis Presley, Nina Simone, and Percy Sledge.

Other artists have had success with songs written by the Bee Gees, such as "Chain Reaction" by Diana Ross, "Grease" by Frankie Valli, "Guilty" by Barbra Streisand, "Heartbreaker" by Dionne Warwick, and "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton,

Answer: Van Halen

"Jump" was a US "Billboard Hot 100" number one hit for Van Halen. It was also number one on the "Billboard Mainstream Rock" chart. It rose to number seven in the UK, two in Australia, one in Canada, seven in France, four in Germany and number two in Ireland. "Jump" appeared on the Van Halen album "1984".

American hard rock band Van Halen, formed in 1972 in California. Band members have changed over the years and changed back again. Its past and present members are Mark Stone, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Wolfgang Van Halen.

Van Halen has sold at least 75 million albums worldwide and is one of five rock bands who have had two albums in the US sell more than ten million copies. Their debut album went "diamond" for selling ten million copies.

Answer: China Beach

My Khe beach in Da Nang, Vietnam, was nicknamed "China Beach". The story focuses not on the war, but on people and particularly the women, civilians and military personnel around the 510th Evacuation Hospital and the Rest & Recreation facility. The story followed characters both whilst they are in Vietnam and after they returned home.

"China Beach" starred Dana Delaney as nurse Colleen McMurphy and she won an Emmy Award in 1992 for Best Actress for her role in the series.

"Reflections" was recorded by Diana Ross & The Supremes in 1967 and rose to number two on the US "Billboard Hot 100", number four on the "Billboard" R&B Singles Chart, number two on the US Cash Box Pop Singles chart and number five on the UK Singles Chart.