The Songs of 1966 - Fourth Volume Quiz

Answer: the poor side of town

Johnny Rivers co-wrote "Poor Side Of Town" with Lou Adler and it turned out to be his one and only #1 song in November 1966. Rivers was born in New York City but moved to Baton Rouge, La. with his parents at the age of five. He formed his own band when he was thirteen, The Spades, and became a local legend.

Born John Ramistella, he was given the "Rivers" handle by Alan Freed who auditioned him in 1957. His big break came after he moved to L.A. in 1961 with the recording of a live album "At The Whiskey A Go-Go" in 1963.

He still records and tours today as a blues musician.

Answer: Sunshine Superman

This would also prove to be Donovan's one and only #1 Billboard hit. In fact, tired of the music business and the jet-setting life style of a rock star, he abruptly retired in 1970. From being mentioned in the same breath as the Beatles and Rolling Stones, he moved his family to the deserts of California and lived "an alternative" lifestyle for close to twenty years.

He has now emerged from this hiatus and his first studio album in years, "Beat Café", was released in the late summer of 2004.

Answer: Sugar Town

Lee Hazlewood wrote the song and produced the record just as he had on eight of her ten top forty records, two of which were duets together - "Jackson" and "Lightning's Girl". For reasons not entirely explained, Hazlewood left the U.S. at the age of 41 and became a European vagabond, living in various countries abroad.

He's recently returned to the U.S. and in 2003 cut an album with Sinatra entitled "Nancy and Lee 3". As of 2004, it had not been released in the North American market as yet.

Answer: I Am A Rock

Simon and Garfunkel took "I Am A Rock" to #3 on the charts and it was just one of five top 25 songs they would have in 1966. Not bad for rookies... but the best was yet to come in their all too brief partnership.

Answer: Red Rubber Ball

Written by Paul Simon and Bruce Woodley of The Seekers (an interesting collaboration to start with), "Red Rubber Ball" peaked at #2, it's climb to the top stymied by "Strangers In The Night" and "Hanky Panky".

The Cyrkle shared managers with The Beatles, Brian Epstein, and it is thought that John Lennon came up with the "Cyrkle" name. The band toured with the Beatles during the summer of '66 and that likely had plenty to do with their successes that summer considering their only other charting single, "Turn Down Day", peaked at #13 that September. The group disbanded in 1968. Epstein died in 1967 and it's safe to assume that their new management didn't have the same moxie or connections that Epstein provided the group. The two lead singers of the group, Don Dannemann and Tom Dawes went on to successful careers as jingle writers. Dawes came up with Alka Seltzer's "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz".

Answer: Sloop John B

This was quite a departure for The Beach Boys, a traditional Calypso song that has been traced back to the West Indies, circa 1927. A similar version of the song "Wreck Of The John B" was recorded by Jimmie Rodgers in 1960 but only was a minor success charting at #64. The Beach Boys' rendition did better - #3!

Answer: Wild Thing

This cult classic was the band's debut single and it would be their biggest ever hit. The group only had three other charting hits in North America, the last, "Love Is All Around", coming in 1968. They have had considerably more success abroad and as of 2004, are still performing, primarily in the U.K., with two original group members - lead singer Reg Presley (nee Ball), and guitarist Chris Britton.

Answer: That's Life

Sinatra would only have five more singles enter the top forty charts, the last coming with "New York, New York" in 1980. That would be an impressive 40 or so years after his first charting hit. Still, he did continue to have considerable success with his album releases right up to the new millenium.

Answer: Guantanamera

The Sandpipers, a trio from Los Angeles, recorded this #9 hit. Their other hit in 1966, a #30, was a Spanish rendition of the classic Kingsmen hit from 1963, "Louie, Louie". The translation of the lines presented here were also read in the song - "I am a truthful man from this land of palm trees. Before dying I want to share these poems of my soul."

Answer: Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?

The Lovin' Spoonful had ten top forty hits in the less than three years the band recorded. That's a pretty good ratio. As of 2004, a band led by Jerry Yester, the lead gutarist who replaced Sal Yanovsky when he left the group in 1967, is still touring under the "Lovin' Spoonful" moniker.

Answer: Along Comes Mary

"Along Comes Mary" was the breakout hit for the group and managed a #7 placing on the Billboard charts. I'm going to quote more of the lyric just to show how far lyrics had come from the insipid stuff Sedaka and others sang about just five years earlier!
"And when the morning of the warning's passed, the gassed
And flaccid kids are flung across the stars
The psychodramas and the traumas gone
The songs are left unsung and hung upon the scars"
No Dooby-ooby's here!

Answer: You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

"You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" was a #1 hit in the U.K., however. Almost all her recordings charted better in her native land. Researching the net for Springfield tidbits, I came away with the impression that Dusty Springfield is regarded as the most favored and highly regarded female recording personality in the history of British music.

She passed away in 1999 at the age of 59 after enduring several bouts of breast cancer.

Answer: black

This was a period of time when the Stones embellished their "bad boy" image with some of their darkest, edgiest lyrics and grittiest music. Four songs in a row in 1966 particularly fit this mold - this one, "19th Nervous Breakdown", "Mother's Little Helper" and "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows".

They would switch gears with their first hit in 1967, the melodic ballad "Ruby Tuesday".

Answer: We Can Work It Out

Another #1 hit for the Beatles, their eleventh, in January 1966. Just nine more to go.

By 1966, The Beatles were so popular that many of us kids marked time through them in three month segments, eagerly anticipating the next Beatle release as their last hit was sliding off playlists. They were our mileposts of life!

Answer: Sunny Afternoon

Although inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990, The Kinks never did have a Billboard #1 hit despite catchy musical hooks and the clever lyrics of Ray Davies. In fact, their highest charting hits in North America were #6 songs - "Tired Of Waiting For You" in 1965 and "Come Dancing" in 1983. Probably their most famous song was "Lola", and it only made it to #9 in 1970.

There you have it - four quizzes with 50 songs from 1966. As DJ's are wont to say these days, see you on the other side - 1967!