Sweet Tooth Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jam Up and Jelly Tight

"Jam Up and Jelly Tight" scored a Billboard U.S. number eight hit for Roe in 1970. Only a few months prior, in 1969, he had scored his biggest hit with "Dizzy". Although Roe was considered a "bubblegum" artist, he scored a number of very successful tunes in the early 1960s such as "Sheila", "Everybody", "Hooray For Hazel" and "Sweet Pea".

Answer: I Want Candy

The Strangeloves were an interesting story. They were three musicians from New York (Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer) who pretended to be three guys from Australia named The Strange Brothers (Niles, Miles, and Giles). They actually had written some big hits prior to this such as "My Boyfriend's Back" (The Angels).

In reality, they never recorded this song. It was done by some studio musicians, who ended up touring as The Strangeloves. The song itself was their biggest hit, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard U.S. Hot 100 charts.

They did have two other songs that actually reached Top 40 status in the U.S. Their album, also called "I Want Candy" was ultimately re-recorded with a new singer voicing over the tracks, and one of the songs became a big hit.

The singer? Rick Derringer. The song? "Hang On Sloopy".

Answer: My Boy Lollipop

The song was written in 1956 by Bobby Spencer of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs. Jamaica born Millie Small recorded this song in 1964 and took it all the way to number two in both the U.S. and the U.K. It is a pioneering hit in that it is generally considered the first international "ska" hit.

Answer: Candy Girl

"Candy Girl" is unique in that it was the first Four Seasons hit that was not composed by either Bob Crewe or Bob Gaudio. This song was put together by Larry Santos. No matter though, since during that era, anything the group did shot up the charts. This song was a number three U.S. Billboard Hot 100 hit.

The B-side, called "Marlena" got to number 36 on the charts without ever being released as a single in its own right.

Answer: Cherry, Cherry

This was Neil Diamond's first major hit in 1966. It was written by Diamond himself and produced by the legendary duo of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. "Cherry Cherry" was released in 1966, and went to number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts, propelling Diamond on his way to a career which has spanned over 40 years.

Answer: Sweet Cherry Wine

"Sweet Cherry Wine" was a 1969 release by the group which was sandwiched between the big hits "Crimson and Clover" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion". The song made it to number seven in the U.S. on the Billboard charts.

Answer: Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie

"Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" gave Jay and The Techniques their biggest hit in 1967. The song went to number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. An inter-racial group from Allentown, Pennsylvania, the group could never match the success of this, their first release. Other releases included "Keep The Ball Rolling", and "Strawberry Shortcake". They disbanded in 1968.

Answer: Goody Goody Gumdrops

"Goody Goody Gumdrops" was a minor hit for the group in 1968 following the very successful "1-2-3 Red Light". "Gumdrops" just barely cracked the U.S. Billboard Top 40, peaking at number 37. The short lived era of "bubblegum music" was starting to fade at this point, although the group did have one more big hit called "Indian Giver" in 1969.

Answer: The Candy Man

The immortal Sammy Davis Jr. took this song, which was specifically written for the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory", and turned it into one of his biggest hits. The song went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts when it was released in 1972.

Interestingly, Davis originally disliked the song, and had to be coaxed to work it into his act. He eventually came around, and now the song is one of his most recognizable tunes.

Answer: Sugar, Sugar

All the choices were actual charting tunes, but of course I could only be talking about "Sugar, Sugar", The Archies tune that ended up as U.S. Billboard's number one song for the year of 1969. The brainchild of musician Ron Dante, the song spent four weeks at the number one position in the U.S. that year, and has been rated at number 63 on Billboard magazine's "Greatest Hits Of All Time". Pretty good for a bunch of cartoon characters.