UK, Single and Worth a Million Quiz

Answer: "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets

"Diana" was the second in 1957. These are the only appearances by Cliff or Elvis on the list. It shows that chart dominance doesn't necessarily equate with the biggest selling songs. Indeed, there are artistes of the calibre of Madonna, Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones, the Police and the Bee Gees that don't appear at all.

Answer: Unchained Melody

The best-known of the three versions is that of the Righteous Brothers, originally recorded in 1965, but propelled back up the charts in 1990 due to its use in the movie "Ghost". It was this latter renaissance that enabled it to cross the million sales threshold.

The second version came from Robson Green and Jerome Flynn (1995) who had sung the song as actors in the TV drama "Soldier Soldier". This was under the guidance of media mogul Simon Cowell. Cowell also had a hand in the third version, a hit for Gareth Gates in 2002, after Gates had finished runner-up in the TV talent show "Pop Idol". Robson and Jerome reappear on the million sales list with "I Believe" (1996).

"Love Is All Around" (Wet Wet Wet - 1994); "Killing Me Softly" (The Fugees - 1996) and "Tragedy" (Steps - 1998) are also cover versions rather than the originals.

One further song, "Mary's Boy Child", has achieved the million sales mark for two different acts - Harry Belafonte in 1957 and Boney M in 1978.

Answer: "Blue Monday" by New Order

None of the four choices topped the UK chart but all sold more than a million copies. "Blue Monday" has a fascinating chart history. It entered the UK top 100 in March 1983 but did not reach its peak position until October of that year. It remained in the top 100, continuously, through to September 1984. Although the song is officially recognised as having sold a million copies, it did not receive the award at the time as the distributor, Factory Records, was not then a member of the BPI (British Phonographic Industry).

The other three songs were held off the top spot by fellow million selling singles. One might also spare a thought for "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred which spent no less than six weeks at number two, all of them behind Brian Adams' million selling "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Having failed to hit a million sales in the UK it did, however, manage the feat in America.

Answer: No Matter What

"No Matter What", from the musical "Whistle Down the Wind", was a hit for Boyzone in 1996. It was co-written with Jim Steinman. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (from "Evita") had been a hit for Julie Covington in 1976. In that same year, "Save All Your Kisses for Me" was a winning Eurovision Song Contest winner for Brotherhood of Man. Lloyd Webber had his own attempt at penning a Eurovision Song Contest winner, in 2009, with "It's My Time". It finished fifth.

"The Power of Love" has been the title of two completely different chart topping singles in the UK. The version to make the million sales list was that of Jennifer Rush in 1985. The other was a 1984 release by Frankie Goes to Hollywood which, unlike their previous two efforts, narrowly failed to make the list.

"Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade was first released in 1973 and is one of three on the list to include the word Christmas. The others are "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid and "Last Christmas" by Wham!.

Answer: Television

"Eye Level" (1973) by the Simon Park Orchestra was the instrumental theme tune from the TV detective series, Van Der Valk. As of 2011, the only other instrumental to have made the list was Acker Bilk's "Stranger on the Shore" in 1961.

"Can We Fix It" was a 2000 Christmas number one for children's TV favourite Bob the Builder. "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" by the New Seekers topped the UK chart after being used in a 1971 commercial for Coca-Cola. There is also the curiosity that both the Seekers ("The Carnival Is Over" - 1965) and New Seekers appear on the list.

Other million sellers with television tie-ins include David "Hutch" Soul's "Don't Give Up on Us"; Irene Cara's "Fame" (from the movie of the same name but released in the UK to coincide with the launch of the TV series, "The Kids from Fame"); the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar"; Robson and Jerome's "Unchained Melody" and "I Believe"; and that classic by the Teletubbies, "Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'" (1997).

Answer: Frankie Goes to Hollywood

"Relax" and "Two Tribes" both exceeded the million sales mark in 1984. "Relax" has the distinction of doing this despite being banned by the BBC. I have fond memories of "Two Tribes" having used it to pump myself up before each of my university finals exams.

The Spice Girls did manage two million selling singles - "Wannabe" and "2 become 1", both from 1996. Queen ("Bohemian Rhapsody" - 1975) and Culture Club ("Karma Chameleon" - 1983) had to settle for just the one.

And you may have wanted to forget it but Liverpool also appears on the list courtesy of Little Jimmy Osmond's, "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" (1973).

Answer: Grease

The two songs - "You're the One that I Want" and "Summer Nights" (both 1978) - were sung by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. The other films supplied Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" (Rocky lll - 1982); Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" (The Bodyguard - 1992); and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" (Titanic - 1998).

If you want a million selling single then getting your song featured in a movie is highly advisable. Those to have benefitted from a movie tie-in also include Art Garfunkel's "Bright Eyes" ("Watership Down" - 1979); Irene Cara's "Fame" ("Fame" - 1982); Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" ("Ghostbusters" - 1984); Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" ("The Woman in Red" - 1984); The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" ("Ghost" - 1990); Brian Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" "(Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" - 1991); and Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around" ("Four Weddings and a Funeral" - 1994).

Answer: Black

The songs were respectively recorded by Black Box and the Black Eyed Peas. The other colours also relate to UK million selling singles. "Brown Girl in the Ring" partnered with "Rivers of Babylon" was a hit for Boney M in 1978. Green was the colour of Tom Jones' grass of home in 1966. Blue featured in both New Order's "Blue Monday" (1983) and Eiffel 65's "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" (1999). No place, though, for P!nk, the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine", Nena's "99 Red Balloons" or Prince's "Purple Rain".

Answer: "Pure and Simple" by Hear'say

Hear'Say was formed from the TV series "Popstars" in 2001. They split in 2002 after enjoying three further top ten UK singles. "Popstars" led on to "Pop Idol", which produced million sellers Will Young and Gareth Gates, and "X-Factor" which contributes Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke along with Shayne Ward ("That's My Goal" - 2005).

But no place for Girls Aloud, the most successful act to emerge from this genre.

Answer: All of these songs have sold a million copies

Does it surprise you that "Earth Song" (1995) is Michael Jackson's only UK million seller? It certainly surprised me. "Just the Way You Are" became the 108th song to make the list when it was certified in August 2011.

Answer: I'll Be Missing You

"I'll Be Missing You" was a 1997 hit for Puff Daddy and Faith Evans.

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" (1984) was a collaboration of leading artistes arranged by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure under the name of Band Aid. A rerecording in 2004, using the name Band Aid 20, also passed the million sales mark. "Perfect Day", again featuring various singers, was released in 1997 to raise money for the BBC's annual Children in Need appeal.

"Is This the Way to Amarillo?" (2005) was a reworking of the Tony Christie classic by comedian Peter Kay in aid of Comic Relief. One other UK million selling single has also been reworked for Comic Relief. In 2001, Westlife released their version of Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" (1983), and themselves sold over 750,000 copies.

Kay was not the first comedian to achieve a UK million seller although, strangely, the previous two occurrences - Ken Dodd ("Tears" - 1965) and Frank Skinner/David Baddiel ("Three Lions" - 1996) - were not comedy records.

Answer: Danish

It's easy to overlook the fact that chart superstars such as ABBA ("Dancing Queen" - 1976) and Celine Dion ("Think Twice" - 1994 and "My Heart Will Go On" - 1998) speak English as a second language. Similar acts to have sold more than a million include the Italian groups, Black Box ("Ride on Time" - 1989) and Eiffel 65 ("Blue (Da Ba Dee)" - 1999).

Answer: The Archies

The Archies' "Sugar Sugar" was first certified as a million seller, in 1970, on the evidence of RCA records but this was retracted when it was revealed that a million copies had been distributed to stores but hadn't all been sold. It had to wait another three decades, for the age of digital downloads, before it finally passed the threshold.

Shaggy is not the character from Scooby Doo - who would indeed have been a cartoon character - but the Jamaican singer who topped the charts with "It Wasn't Me" in 2001. The Human League's million seller was "Don't You Want Me" (1981) and Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy" (2006).

Answer: Three Lions

"Three Lions" was written by comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel in support of the England soccer team competing at the 1996 European Championships. It documented the 'thirty years of hurt' suffered since the team had won the World Cup against West Germany in 1966. In a supreme irony, the song was not only popular in the UK but also in Germany where it reached number 16. Germany won the tournament and the team sung the song on their victory parade. The song was rewritten for the 1998 World Cup becoming the first - and, as at 2011, only - song to top the charts twice with two differently worded versions.

"Release Me" (1967) was one of two million sellers for Engelbert Humperdinck, the other being "The Last Waltz". "Stand and Deliver" (1981) and "Never Ever" (1997) were hits for Adam and the Ants and All Saints.

Answer: Elton John

Elton John has never been part of a hit making group and only owes his place on the list to the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997 and his subsequent reworking of "Candle in the Wind".

John Lennon's "Imagine" was a hit in 1975 after he had enjoyed several million selling singles with the Beatles. Paul McCartney also hit the million mark with Wings' "Mull of Kintyre" in 1977.

George Michael topped the UK charts in 1984 with Wham! ("Last Christmas") and as a solo artist ("Careless Whisper") whilst Robbie Williams enjoyed success with "Angels" (1997) and as a member of Take That ("Back for Good" - 1995).