We're Number Two! - VoI. IV Trivia Quiz

Answer: Little Darlin'

"Little Darlin'" was composed by Maurice Williams and recorded by his group at that time, The Gladiolas. Competing for chart position simultaneously, The Diamonds' version was a hands down winner, The Gladiolas version peaking at Number 41. Playing both versions back to back, one can hear why. The Diamonds' rendition is clearly superior in every respect, cleaner musically and vocally and much more energetic. Williams would get his day in the sun with the Number One "Stay" in 1960 with his new group, The Zodiacs. Meanwhile, this would be the apex of The Diamonds' career although they continued to record with some moderate success well into the 1970s with constantly changing personnel. "Little Darlin'" spent more weeks at Number Two than any other hit from 1941 to 1996. Glenn Miller's "Careless" spent nine weeks in that position in 1940 and in 1996, after Billboard revamped their charting criteria, Donna Lewis' hit, "I Love You Always Forever", duplicated Miller's feat.

Two of your other choices would classify as doo-wop songs. Recorded by The Elegants, "Little Star" topped the Top 100 in 1958. "Little Bitty Pretty One", Preston Harris' only Top 40 effort, peaked at Number Six in 1957. "Little Woman", however, was decidedly not a doo-wopper. Performed by teen idol Bobby Sherman in classic MOR pop fashion, it reached Number Three in 1969.

Answer: Moments to Remember

If you knew the artists that performed the other songs listed, this became an easy answer as all of them were performed by solo acts. All of them were Number One hits as well. Kitty Kallen took "Little Things Mean a Lot" to the top in the summer of 1954, "Young Love" hit Number One for both Sonny James and Tab Hunter in 1957 while Dean Martin's "Memories Are Made of This" topped the Top 100 in 1956.

Like The Diamonds, The Four Lads hailed from Toronto, Ontario and got their big break backing up Johnnie Ray on his recordings of the early 1950s, most notably "Cry" in 1951. Similarly, they also were unable to score a Number One hit themselves so this was to be the biggest hit of their career despite maintaining a significant charting presence throughout the decade. They formally disbanded in 1977, but lead tenor Bernie Toorish revived the group in 1984 with new personnel and they remain active well into the new millennium doing the "oldies" circuit.

Two hits denied this song a Number One placement on the charts. Roger Williams' classic instrumental "Autumn Leaves" held them off for the first four weeks then "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford did the honors for the other two.

Answer: Great Balls of Fire

All of these were Lewis recordings but "Great Balls of Fire" was his defining accomplishment. It was thwarted in its quest for Number One by another Rock & Roll classic, "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors.

Although raised within a devoutly religious family, he clearly was marching to a different drummer. For example, he was expelled from a Texas Bible College for playing a religious hymn to a boogie rhythm. On one occasion, at a concert featuring several R&R acts, he was scheduled to be the penultimate performer just in front of Chuck Berry who was closing. Lewis wanted to be a big star and he recognized Berry as a rival who could steal his thunder. When he finished his performance, he set his piano on fire. Because of the smoke and other safety issues, the concert was over right then and Berry never got the chance to play!

Lewis moved to Memphis in 1956 at the age of 21 supremely confident that he was going to hit the big time. He had already been divorced once and his second marriage was faltering. He was rejected by several record labels but he finally caught the eye of Sam Phillips at Sun records. His first hit, "Whole Lot of Shaking Goin' On", was a smash Number Three hit and his follow-up, "Great Balls of Fire" was even more successful. His second divorce finalized, he secretly married his 13 year old cousin, the daughter of his uncle and the bass player in his band, then left for Britain with his new bride to support those hits on tour. The British press learned of the marriage and he was brutally excoriated by them to such an extent that the tour was cancelled. There was no refuge in the U.S. either. Radio stations banned his music and his records were not being stocked in stores. His career could have been doomed.

However, through perseverance and turning to Country music, he managed to revive his career by the early 1970s. Still active in the new millennium, it's reported that although he primarily caters to the Country music crowd, he will frequently kick away his piano stool, attack his piano like a demon and perform his old rock standards like it was 1957.

Answer: No

I'm not fond of Y/N questions, but seriously, how could I possibly come up with three other plausible answers to challenge "Blue Suede Shoes"? Besides which, I'm really curious on the number of players who get this right.

Although the song may now be most closely identified with Elvis, it was originally written and recorded by another Tennessee rock-a-billy artist, Carl Perkins. Both were stable-mates at Sun Studios for about a year until Presley's contract was sold to RCA Victor during one of Sam Phillips' frequent flirtations with bankruptcy. While performing at one dance, Perkins noticed a beautiful girl dancing with a fellow wearing blue suedes. He overheard him admonishing her to avoid stepping on his shoes and wondered about the mentality of a guy who would worry more about his shoes than a gorgeous girl. It bothered him to such an extent that he wrote the song that night. When it became a hit, he was driving to New York to perform it on The Perry Como Show but he never made it due to a serious car crash that laid him up for months. Elvis then recorded his version and performed it live on the Dorsey Brothers Show, Perkins watching that performance from his hospital bed. So, despite having the bigger hit, Presley's version only charting at Number 20, Perkins lost the opportunity to really capitalize on it. He never had another top 40 hit although he continued to perform right up to his death in 1998 at the age of 65. Of all the early Sun recording artists who became significant stars - Presley, Cash, Orbison, Perkins, Charlie Rich et al - only one remained alive in 2009... Jerry Lee Lewis.

"Blue Suede Shoes" sat at Number Two for a month, unable to overtake Presley's enormous hit "Heartbreak Hotel" which dominated the chart for eight weeks.

Answer: Blueberry Hill

Despite having 66 recordings crack the Top/Hot 100 charts, Fats Domino was yet another artist never to feel the exhilaration of a Number One hit. His rendition of "Blueberry Hill" was as close as he'd ever come.

The song was originally recorded by several big bands in 1940, Glenn Miller's being the most popular hitting Number One on the charts of the day. It was especially written for a western movie, "The Singing Hill", and was performed on the soundtrack by its star, Gene Autry. Some controversy exists regarding who actually wrote the lyrics but among those given official credit was Al Lewis. He was also an actor most notable for his portrayal of Grandpa in "The Munsters" and as Officer Leo Schnauser in "Car 54, Where Are You".

Fats Domino started recording in the late 1940s and his style of New Orleans R&B never wavered throughout the years. Essentially, his recording career ceased in the mid 1960s but he continued to perform at various New Orleans venues for many years thereafter. When the devastation of Hurricane Katrina struck, it was originally feared that he was among its victims but those rumors were unfounded. Now semi-retired and 81 years old as this is written, he makes the occasional appearance at special events in his hometown when health permits.

Regarding your other choices: "A Tear Fell" was a Number Five hit in 1956 for Teresa Brewer; "Learnin' the Blues" hit Number One for Frank Sinatra in 1955; "Willow Weep For Me" first hit the charts for Ted Fio Rito in 1932 then Paul Whiteman a year later. In more contemporary times, it was a Number 15 hit for Chad & Jeremy in 1964-5.

Answer: Bye Bye Love

"Bye Bye Love" by the Everly Brothers languished at Number Two while Pat Boone's "Love Letters in the Sand" was in the middle of a seven week run at Number One. It was their first charting single and was written by the husband and wife team that provided them with most of their biggest hits - Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. They wrote the boy's follow up release that soared to Number One immediately after, "Wake Up Little Susie", and two later Number Ones; "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Bird Dog". The only big Everly Brothers hit in those early years that they didn't make a contribution to was "Cathy's Clown" written by the brothers themselves.

Unless you knew the lyric right off, you were faced with some interesting choices among titles that were reasonably plausible. "There Goes My Baby" by The Drifters was also a Number Two hit except two years later in 1959. "Blue Blue Day" was a Number One Country hit in 1957 for Don Gibson that crossed over to the pop chart and peaked at Number 20. "Goodbye Baby" was recorded by Jack Scott and was a Number Eight hit during the winter of 1958-9.

Answer: Sweet Little Sixteen

All these song titles are courtesy of Chuck Berry and they all charted in 1957 or 1958 on the Top 100 Billboard chart or Hot 100 when that chart debuted in 1958. "Sweet Little Sixteen" stalled at Number Two in March 1958, denied Number One by "Tequila" recorded by The Champs. "Rock & Roll Music" peaked at Number Eight in 1957 and "Back in the U.S.A." squeezed into the Top 40 at Number 37, also in 1957. "Sweet Little Rock & Roll" was a minor Number 47 hit in 1958. Despite Berry's status as a Hall of Famer, it is rather surprising that he only had six Top ten hits over his lengthy career. "Sweet Little Sixteen" was his sole Number Two peak hit and his lone Number One was the novelty song "My Ding-a-Ling" recorded in 1972.

Back in those days, R&R artists would frequently hit the road together and play a series of concerts wherever they could get bookings. Packages would be available for fans to join the tour, as it were, as spectators. This song was about a sixteen year old girl who was on one of these packages and was intent on getting the autograph of every entertainer on the tour. This is identified in the second stanza:

"Sweet Little Sixteen, she's just got to have
About half a million framed autographs
Her wallet's filled with pictures; she gets 'em one by one"

In 1963, The Beach Boys recorded a Number Three hit, "Surfin' U.S.A." that sounded awfully familiar, particularly to Chuck Berry. Indeed the melody was virtually identical to Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen". How or why the Beach Boys could deny the similarity was almost beyond belief but Berry was obliged to sue and was naturally vindicated in court. The Beach Boys were obligated to give a full half share of writing credit to Berry with the commensurate share of financial royalties.

Answer: Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)

"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" came from the Hitchcock movie of foreign intrigue, "The Man Who Knew Too Much", starring James Stewart and Doris Day. When the movie was cast, Hitchcock wasn't overly thrilled having Day in the movie. Although she had appeared in several movies starting in 1948, he still thought of her as a singer rather than an actress. He was reported to have said in resignation, "Okay, if she must be in the movie, at least write a song for her to sing in it". This was it. Day, herself, was not keen on the song and after recording it stated "Well, that's the last you'll hear of this one". How wrong she was! Not only was it performed several times in the movie but it eventually became her theme song.

Among your other choices, "It's Not For Me To Say" was a Number Five hit in 1957 for Johnny Mathis. The DeCastro Sisters took "Teach Me Tonight" to Number Two in 1955 and "Teenage Prayer" was a Number Six hit for Gale Storm in 1956.

Answer: Just Walking in the Rain

"Just Walking in the Rain" was Johnnie Ray's biggest hit of the rock era, post 1955. He had several big hits earlier in the decade when his style of emotional crooning was more in vogue. The song had a nice long 27 week chart run, peaking at Number Two for a week, another victim of Presley's mammoth record "Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog". "Lonely Street" was a Number Five success for Andy Williams in 1959, "Lonesome Town" charted at Number Seven for Ricky Nelson in 1958, the same year that The Four Lads took "Put a Light in the Window" to Number Eight.

As noted in the question, the song had an interesting genesis. In 1953, two prisoners in the Tennessee State Prison, Johnny Bragg and Robert Riley, were walking in the courtyard, in the rain, when Bragg observed "Here we are, just walking in the rain". Bragg was the lead singer of a group in the prison, The Prisonaires, which often performed for the inmates and staff. Aware of this, Riley noted that those words might make an interesting song. Bragg was illiterate so in exchange for partial writing credit, Riley wrote down Bragg's words as he composed the lyrics. After the music was written, it was sung by the group at one of the prison's concerts. The warden was a progressive sort and he arranged for the group to be escorted by armed guards to the Sun Studio in Memphis for the song to be recorded. It became a hit on the R&B charts selling over 50,000 copies.

At the time, Bragg was serving six consecutive 99 year sentences for rape. The Governor was a fan of The Prisonaires and often had the group perform at functions in his mansion. Just before he left office in 1959, he commuted Bragg's sentence but Bragg drifted in and out of prison until 1977 when he finally straightened out for good. He continued to compose and record Country and R&B music for small record labels in Nashville for several years, passing away in 2004 at the age of 78.

Answer: I Hear You Knocking

"I Hear You Knocking" was originally released by blues singer Smiley Lewis earlier in 1955, reaching Number Two on the R&B chart. The "sanitized" MOR version was released a short time later by Gale Storm and it was foiled in its quest for Number One by Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons". More an actress than a singer, her short recording career was quite productive - six Top ten songs over a two year span from 1955 to 1957. She seems to have deserted the recording studio in favor of the sound stage exclusively in 1957, devoting her energies to the TV series "The Gale Storm Show', also known as "Oh! Susanna". She passed away in June 2009 at the age of 87. The 1961 cover, a minor charting success at Number 67, was recorded by venerable R&B artist Fats Domino in 1958 but it took three years for it to be released as a single. The last charting version was performed by Welshman Dave Edmunds which, I suppose, accounts for the song reaching the top of the U.K. charts. This was his only major charting success in North America and he later served as producer to such artists as Shakin' Stevens and The Stray Cats.

Your other choices were all big hits in the 1950s and were covered later in time by other artists but did not meet the criterion set out in the question in one way or another. "It's Only Make Believe" was a Number One hit for Conway Twitty in 1958 and a Number Ten hit for Glen Campbell in 1970. "Ain't That a Shame" was a charting hit on four occasions: Number One for Pat Boone and Number Ten for Fats Domino, both in 1955; Number 22 for The 4 Seasons in 1963; and, Number 35 for Cheap Trick in 1979. "Since I Met You Baby" charted no less than five times but the highest placement it ever achieved was Number 12 for Ivory Joe Hunter in 1956. Mindy Carson took it to Number 34 in 1957, Bobby Vee cracked the Hot 100 with it in 1960 at Number 81, Sonny James reached Number 65 with his take on it in 1969 and finally, Freddy Fender's version stalled at Number 45 in 1975.