Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. A song released by an up-and-coming group in late 1966 was this band's second number one hit in as many entries on the American charts. It soon claimed top spot on Billboard for seven weeks, and early in the new year spent a month at the head of the U.K. charts and at the same time got there for one week in Australia. The group went on to score another huge hit one year later, but the record in question, which was written by Neil Diamond, was it's biggest and went on to be the band's signature song.
2. A lady from a strong musical family had early success in Europe and Japan but didn't register on the American charts until her career- cutting duet partner came up with a gem. The pair then enlisted the services of the acclaimed session musicians named "The Wrecking Crew", and then went about creating a record which ultimately became a huge hit. This song has really stood the test of time and many artists recorded it, with Jessica Simpson taking it to number fourteen on the American charts as late as 2005. It was also included in the soundtrack of the Stanley Kubrick 1987 movie "Full Metal Jacket". One of this lady's most notable efforts was the theme to a James Bond movie.
3. In 1964 a young British act did, in Australia, exactly the same to the Beatles as what Louis Armstrong achieved in America. This was to, temporarily, stop the boys from Liverpool dominating the number one position on each chart which they had held with three songs for fourteen and seventeen weeks respectively. This song lasted two weeks on top of the Australian charts, as it did in the U.K., and for one in the U.S. Ironically it was a Lennon-McCartney composition which caused the great band's "downfall" in Australia. The song was given to the brother of Paul's then girlfriend who gleefully went on to record it. John, reportedly, was not a great fan of the song as the opening line insinuated that the singer was mentally retarded. These boys later recorded a hit song which was banned in the English city of Coventry.
4. There is some speculation about the origin of the next song which another British group took to the top in all three countries in the latter half of 1964. It is most widely believed to have been written by Kentuckians Georgia Turner and Bert Martin under a slightly different name to the one that became so popular. In the early sixties the song was sung by many artists including Nina Simone and Bob Dylan. It became the first British group to go number one on Billboard after the Beatles in what was then known as the "British Invasion". ("Stranger On The Shore" by Mr. Acker Bilk and "Telstar" by The Tornadoes was prior to this era). It topped the U.S. charts for three weeks, and in Australia and the U.K. for two and one weeks respectively. Originally called The Alan Price Combo, the band changed its name after a commanding blues singer joined, and this traditional folk song with a dark brooding arrangement was its first entry on the charts.
5. The collaboration between a young singer-songwriter and a keyboard wizard in 1961 produced a number of hit-and-miss demos. Neither could read or write music but both were very innovative. This ultimately created a song with a very distinctive sound that topped the Billboard charts for three weeks, the U.K. list for a month and the Australian top forty for six weeks. By using a heavily modified Clavioline electronic keyboard called a "Musitron", the co-writer Max Crook gave a haunting solo performance which greatly enhanced the song's popularity. It also launched the singer's career which led to many memorable hits including two further number ones in Australia. It is estimated that over 200 artists have covered this hit since, and a modified version by the original singer was recorded as the theme song for television's "Crime Story".
6. Back in 1911 a musical composition entitled "Melody In A Major" came from an amateur pianist and flautist named Charles Dawes. In the early fifties, lyrics for the tune were written by Carl Sigman and, after a change of title, it went to number eighteen on the charts in 1951. After languishing in the M.G.M. vault for seven years this same song went on to become one of the biggest hits of 1958. It ruled the U.S. charts for six weeks and the U.K. top forty for three. In Australia the song debuted at number forty and took over two months to wend it's way to the top for one week.This would be the only number one for this rhythm and blues singer, although he produced five more songs onto the Billboard charts in the following two years.
7. A young North American singer/composer produced one of the biggest selling recordings in music history in 1957. He went on to have thirty three entries into Billboard which included thirteen top tens and three number ones. The song in question hit the American charts one day before his sixteenth birthday, and although staying on top for only one week there, it was huge in the U.K. and Australia with a nine and eight week dominance in those charts respectively. He had gone to New York, aged 14, and auditioned for Don Costa on ABC. The network was initially more interested in this young man's compositions than his singing but he soon showed that he excelled in both fields.
8. Something very unusual occurred in early 1957 when a number one song on the Billboard charts was continued on - but by a different artist. A country singer/guitarist who was to go on to be one of the great performers in that field, went to the top of the charts for one week but was then displaced by another version of the same song which had entered the top 40 list a fortnight later. The "vanquished" act then became one of the biggest crossover hits of all time by heading the Billboard country music charts for nine weeks. The other version was performed by a young man pegged as a teen idol who took the song to the top of the American top 40 for six weeks. It then went on to the number one position in the U.K. for seven and in Australia for two weeks. This song also made a comeback in 1973 when yet another artist took it to the top in the U.K. for four weeks.
9. In 1956 a very popular singer/actor/comedian scored the trifecta with a song co-written by Terry Gilkyson and backed by Terry Gilkyson And The Easyriders. This man was part of the entertainment scene for decades and was half of a successful comedy team for ten years. In his singing career his signature song came with his second and last number one hit eight years later, which was also the theme for his own TV show. The song in question went to the top of the Australian and U.S. charts for six weeks apiece, and headed the U.K. top 40 list for four weeks.
10. A song which was written by a talented songwriter and son of a coalminer Merle Travis in 1946, became a major hit at the end of 1955. It was taken up an emerging popular country singer who was soon to be hosting his own TV variety show on NBC, and affectionately known as "The Old Pea Picker". He was also heavily involved in religious music and won a Grammy for his album "Great Gospel Songs". The song he sang to achieve the treble went top in America for eight weeks, in Australia for six and in the U.K. for four.
Source: Author
muffin1708
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
Dalgleish before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
