Were Those Songs Really That Old? Finis! Quiz

Answer: Blueberry Hill

"Blueberry Hill" was written by Vincent Rose and Al Lewis, long time Tin Pan Alley composers. Six versions were immediately released in 1940 with Glenn Miller's leading the way at Number One. Ray Eberle, as usual during this period, handled the vocals. The song's revival in 1956 was instigated by Fats Domino with his Number Two hit. A number of other versions were recorded in the late 1950s with a diverse array of artists taking their turn; Elvis, Andy Williams, Ricky Nelson and Little Richard were among them. Although none of these artists had charting success on the Hot 100 with it, Louis Armstrong did at Number 29. Interestingly enough, his was a re-release of a 1949 recording. Domino's success led Armstrong's record label to give it another whirl.

One last rendition merits notice. Vladimir Putin, Russia's Prime Minister at the time, performed the song during a charity function for sick children in 2010. Putin a lounge lizard? Take a gander. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV4IjHz2yIo

As this will be my last quiz on this particular theme, in this section throughout the quiz I'll be listing some hits that were considered for inclusion but missed the cut, generally because not enough of the lyric could be used as a clue. There were quite a few but how many will you recall?

"Among My Souvenirs" - Number One for Paul Whiteman - 1928; Number Seven for Connie Francis in 1959.

"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" - Number One for both Whiteman and The Platters in 1934 and 1958, respectively.

"It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" - Number One for Fats Waller in 1943; Number Seven for Something Smith and The Redheads in 1955. I really wanted to include this one (love it!).

"Brazil" - Number Two for Xavier Cugat and Number 14 for Jimmy Dorsey in 1943; Number 11 for the disco influenced Ritchie Family in 1975.

Answer: I Remember You

The song was written by movie producer and director Victor Schertzinger with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was featured in Schertzinger's movie, "The Fleet's In" where it was sung by Dorothy Lamour. Schertzinger had been involved with movies since the mid-1910s and frequently composed the scores for the films he directed and/or produced. Sadly, this was his last project. He died of a heart attack in October, 1941 at the age of 53. More about Mercer a little later.

A native of England, although he grew up in Australia, Ifield achieved considerably more success in his homeland than he did in North America. In that 1962-3 period he had three consecutive Number One hits in the U.K.: this one led it off followed by "Lovesick Blues" and "Wayward Wind". Prior to him, only Presley had duplicated the feat. He added a fourth later in 1963 with "Confessin'" before his career started to taper off.

Here's two more of those other song candidates:

"Frankie and Johnny" - modest hits for Frankie Crumit (Number 18) and Ted Lewis (Number 9) in 1927. Brook Benton (Number 20 in 1961), Sam Cooke (Number 14 in 1963) and Elvis Presley (Number 25 in 1966) also had moderate success with it.

"Harbor Lights" first charted in 1937 for two different recording acts then again in 1950 for seven different performers, Sammy Kaye's orchestra taking it to Number One that year. The Platters' version peaked at Number Eight in 1960.

Answer: Goody Goody

"Goody Goody" was written by Matty Malneck and Johnny Mercer. Malneck was the composer of a few other songs but other than this one, none of them really stood out as memorable in my mind. We'll discuss Mercer in greater depth in a while. Beside Goodman's chart topper, Freddy Martin took it to Number Five and Bob Crosby to Number Seven.

Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers are a bit of a curiosity. The Bronx-based group stormed onto the music scene in 1956 with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", a Number Six Hot 100 hit but Number One on the R&B charts for five weeks. Immediately, the group started to splinter when their manager began promoting Lymon as a solo act. In fact, "Goody Goody" was sung by Lymon as a solo with session singers backing him up although it was released under the group's name. It would be their third and final hit. The Teenagers have persisted right into 2012 performing on the oldies circuit, albeit with a multitude of personnel changes. Meanwhile, by 1957, Lymon was already hooked on heroin and his solo career spiraled downward as a result. He died of an overdose in 1968 at the age of 25.

Other songs and covers:

"Riders in the Sky" - Number One for Vaughn Monroe in 1949; a Number 30 hit in 1961 for The Ramrods and a Number 31 hit in 1981 for The Outlaws.

"I'll Never Smile Again" - Number One for Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra as vocalist in 1940; The Platters' cover reached Number 25 in 1961.

"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" - Number Five for Fats Waller in 1935; Number Three for Billy Williams in 1957.

"I'll See You in My Dreams" - seven weeks at Number One for Isham Jones in 1925; Number 32 for Pat Boone in 1962.

Answer: Marie

Irving Berlin was, without question, America's premier songwriter regardless of the era. Without his contributions, there probably would not be a "Great American Songbook". Here's just a partial list of his most memorable compositions:

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" 1911; "Always" 1924; "Blue Skies" 1926; "Cheek to Cheek" 1935; "Easter Parade" 1933; "God Bless America" 1918 and revised in 1938; "Heat Wave" 1933; "How Deep Is the Ocean" 1932; "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" 1937; "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" 1917; "Play a Simple Melody" 1914; "Puttin' on the Ritz" 1930; "The Piccolino" 1935; "Say It with Music" 1921; "There's No Business Like Show Business" 1946; "What'll I Do" 1924; "You're Just in Love" 1950; and, of course, "White Christmas" 1942.

He was born in Russia in 1888, fled to New York with his family in 1893 to escape Czar Alexander III's anti-Jewish pogroms, became a songwriting star in 1911 and lived out his life in NYC until his death in 1989. I remember in 1988, my wife and I were wandering the streets of New York after just leaving the U.N. Building. In front of a nice but not overly distinctive apartment complex, there appeared to be a demonstration going on. Investigating, we saw about 100 or more Boy Scouts and Girl Guides waving banners and placards wishing Berlin a happy 100th birthday. Apparently, he resided in that apartment building. I remember thinking how neat it was that kids, maybe not even in their teens, were commemorating a celebrity who had been out of the public's eye for several years. The man had impact!

The Bachelors continued to record songs of this type throughout the 1960s with varying degrees of success although they always were more popular in the U.K. and Europe than they were in America. They worked in every entertainment medium over the years; T.V., movies, the stage, concerts, records, they did it all. In 1984, they finally broke up after nearly 30 years performing together. Two members of the act, the Cluskey Brothers, persisted as a duo while the other member, John Stokes, found another partner and formed the New Bachelors. Both acts remain viable into the 2010s.

A few more hits that I had considered for inclusion in this series, none of them by Berlin.

"I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time" - Number Two in 1920 for Charles Harrison and Number Five for the Andrews Sisters in 1941; Number 31 for Tab Hunter in 1959.

"The Old Lamplighter" - Number One for Sammy Kaye in 1946; Number Five for The Browns in 1960.

"Temptation" - Number Three in 1934 for Bing Crosby; Number 27 for the Everly Brothers in 1961.

"Amor" - a top ten hit for both Bing Crosby and Andy Russell in 1944; a Number 18 hit for Ben E. King in 1961.

Answer: Over the Rainbow

That shouldn't have been too hard, right? Just in case you didn't know, Judy Garland sang the song in "The Wizard of Oz" and had the Number Five hit. Bob Crosby's Number Two version and Larry Clinton's Number Ten hit rounded out the quartet of 1939 hits of the song. Harold Arlen composed the music for the movie while Yip Harburg handled the lyrics. Among Harburg's other lyrical works were "Brother Can You Spare a Dime", "April in Paris" and "It's Only a Paper Moon". Meanwhile, Arlen's body of work was almost as extensive as Irving Berlin's. Here are some of his more notable scores: "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive", "Blues in the Night", "Get Happy", "I've Got the World on a String", "It's Only a Paper Moon", "One For My Baby", "Stormy Weather" and "That Old Black Magic". One of his more frequent lyrical collaborators was Johnny Mercer as you shall soon see.

Meanwhile, Glenn Miller was starting to dominate the charts like Paul Whiteman did a generation earlier. In 1939 alone, his orchestra would have six Number One hits with a cumulative total of 23 weeks at the top. He would have 17 more Number Ones before his untimely passing in 1944. Conversely, Judy Garland only had 17 charting hits in her 15 year recording career and not one reached Number One. This would rank as her fourth biggest charting hit. As for the Demensions who covered the song in 1960, this was their only significant hit... period. Doo-wop groups were a dime a dozen in those days so to have a hit of any nature would be an achievement. It seems that with many personnel changes over the years, they still exist as a 2012 entity.

More of those potential candidates:

Another song from "The Wizard of Oz" qualified. "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" was the flip side to Glenn Miller's "Over the Rainbow" and reached Number 17 on its own accord. The Fifth Estate would have their only charting success at Number 11 with their groovy version in 1967.

"My Prayer" - Number Two for Bing Crosby and Number Three for The Inkspots in 1939, Number One for The Platters in 1956.

"Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody" - Number One for Al Jolson in 1918, Number ten in 1956 for Jerry Lewis (yes, the movie guy and Gary's dad).

"Lazy River" reached Number 19 in 1932 for the song's composer Hoagy Carmichael. In 1961, Bobby Darin's cover peaked at Number 14.

Answer: South Pacific

All these options were works by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the premier writers of Broadway musicals during its Golden Era, the 1940s and 1950s.

When the song was released on record in 1949, it stormed the charts with no less than seven different versions making an appearance, six of them in the Top Ten. Let's review them. Perry Como led the way with his Number One version that stayed on top for five weeks. Bing Crosby at Number Three, Jo Stafford at Number Four, Frank Sinatra at Number Six and John Laurenz at Number 28 released standard pop vocal versions of the song. Paul Weston's version was an instrumental that peaked at Number Nine. The singer who performed it on Broadway, noted New York Met opera star Ezio Pinza, submitted his version which reached Number Seven.

During the rock era, only two versions have managed to appear on the Hot 100. Jane Olivor's barely eked in at Number 91 in 1977 and was NOT a rock song. Jay and The Americans' recording was modernized certainly but not excessively so and Jay Black's vocal did the song justice. He had a splendid voice! That cover peaked at Number 13 in 1965.

Resuming the list of other originals and covers:

A song that has been entitled "See See Rider" or "C.C. Rider" is a blues classic that's been around for ages and recorded numerous times. Ma Rainey had the first charting recording in 1925 at Number 14. In more modern times, Chuck Willis took it to Number 12 in 1957 with a version that stimulated the dance craze, The Stroll. Laverne Baker did a really nifty jazzy/rock take on the song but unfortunately, it stalled at Number 34. Then, the version most of us know best, the classic rocker by The Animals in 1966. It peaked at Number 10.

"Try a Little Tenderness" was a torch song in 1933 for the master of the genre, Ruth Etting. Her version made it to Number 16 but another recording by Ted Lewis charted at Number Six. I've never heard it but I'm sure it was suitably maudlin. Otis Redding (Number 25 in 1967) and Three Dog Night (Number 29 in 1969) had the best performing modern covers but a nod should be extended to The Commitments for their Number 67 take on the song from their 1991 movie.

"So Rare" - Number Two for Gus Arnheim and Number Three for Guy Lombardo in 1937. Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra recorded it in 1957 just before he died of cancer. It also peaked at Number Two.

"Baby Face" - Four versions charted in 1926 with Jan Garber's reaching the pinnacle. In 1948, four more charting versions appeared with Art Mooney leading the way at Number Three. A truly dreadful cover version, at least to me, peaked at Number 14 in 1975 for the disco oriented studio group, The Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps.

Answer: chewing gum

When the song first charted at Number Nine in 1924, it had the title "Does the Spearmint Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?" The original was recorded by Ernest Hare and Billy Jones, a comedic novelty radio act that formed with the advent of the medium in 1921. The duo charted with many hit comedy songs and they were a radio institution until Hare's death in 1939. Jones died a year later. The cover was recorded by the famous British skiffle band leader, Lonnie Donegan, in 1959. In those days, the BBC would not play compositions with trade names either within the song itself or as part of the title. For example, "Come Together" by The Beatles was never played on "The BEEB" since Coca Cola was mentioned in the lyric. Not wishing to run afoul of that institution, Donegan replaced "Spearmint" with "chewing gum". The result was a Number Three hit in the U.K. It took a couple of years but when the song made its way across the Atlantic, it met with similar success... a Number Five Hot 100 hit and the highest charting hit he would have there. As I was writing this, I was reminded what a great thing radio was back in the early 1960s. I follow the sublime "Some Enchanted Evening" with this ridiculous song in the quiz. It easily could have happened on a radio station's play list back then as well. I miss that!

A few more "others":

The vocal group The Chimes had two Hot 100 hits in 1961 and both were covers. "Once in Awhile" peaked at Number 11 while the 1937 original spent seven weeks at Number One for Tommy Dorsey, holding off Horace Heidt's Number Two hit. Then, The Chimes followed up with the Number 38 "I'm in the Mood for Love" which was a Number One for Little Jack Little and a Number Three for Louis Armstrong, both in 1935.

Gene Austin's Number One hit in 1927 "Tonight You Belong To Me" was successfully covered in 1956 by Patience and Prudence. Their version soared to Number Four. Another Austin Number One in 1925, "Yes Sir! That's My Baby", was a moderate Number 34 hit for Ricky Nelson in 1960.

Frank Sinatra parlayed Rodger and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone" from "Carousel" into a Number Nine hit in 1945. Several versions made small dents in the Hot 100 over the years, Patti LaBelle's leading the pack with a modest Number 34 placement in 1964. Gerry and The Pacemakers had an enormous Number One hit with it in the U.K. in 1963, largely because of its popularity with Liverpool soccer fans, I suspect. The best it could do on the Hot 100 was Number 48 in 1965.

"Pennies From Heaven" - Number One for Bing Crosby in 1936, Number 24 for The Skyliners in 1960.

Answer: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Both the original and the cover peaked at Number Eight in their respective years of release. For Bobb B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, a trio concocted by Phil Spector, it would mark the apex of their short recording career. In fact, everything was not "satisfactual" with the group and by the end of 1963, they ceased to exist.

Unlike Irving Berlin who was the prototypical songwriter of words AND music, Johnny Mercer was primarily a lyricist who occasionally would score a song as well. As a lyricist, he contributed his poetry to more then 1,000 songs and it is believed that no one has surpassed this output as yet. Born in 1909 and the scion of a wealthy Savannah, Georgia lawyer and land developer, he developed his musical interests early in youth and by the early 1930s he was the lyricist for several hit songs. He was also a talented vocalist and as such, was able to record many of his own compositions and make charting successes of them. This was but one example. Others include "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive", "Personality", "Candy" and "On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe", all Number One hits. I've mentioned some of his songs in previous questions and to list all his hits would probably take all day. So, here's but a few: "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby", "Jeepers Creepers", "Day In, Day Out", "Blues in the Night", "That Old Black Magic", "One For My Baby", "Dream", "Glow-Worm", "Satin Doll", "Moon River", "Days of Wine and Roses" and "Summer Wind". Those are just MY favorites! He died at the age of 66 in 1976 of a brain tumor.

Just a few more:

One of my favorite Ray Charles songs wasn't a big hit, the Number 41 "Born to Lose" in 1962. Much to my surprise, I learned that it was another oldie, a 1942 Number 19 hit for Ted Daffan and His Texans.

"In the Chapel in the Moonlight" reached Number One for Shep Fields in 1936. The Bachelors cover made Number 32 in 1965 while Dean Martin took his to Number 25 in 1967.

Nat "King" Cole had a Number One hit with "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" but Eddy Howard, Dinah Shore, Charlie Spivak and Ella Fitzgerald all had big hits with it over the winter of 1946/7. Sam Cooke's cover peaked at Number 17 in 1958.

The Lettermen had a Number 13 hit in 1961 with "The Way You Look Tonight" but Fred Astaire's original topped the charts in 1936.

Answer: Red Roses for a Blue Lady

Vaughn Monroe, he of the sexy, deep baritone voice, out-charted Guy Lombardo when the song was first released in 1949, Lombardo's interpretation peaking at Number Eight. Monroe was very popular in the 1940s and early 1950s but like many artists of that era, faded from view with the rising popularity of R&R in the middle of the decade. His distinctive voice was only rivaled by Billy Eckstine during those years. I can't think of anyone during the rock era that had that sound.

I found it very odd that a song that had been dormant for 16 years would suddenly come back into favor and be recorded by three different artists. It doesn't seem to have been part of a movie score or stage production so we'll just call it coincidence. Besides Vic Dana's cover, Bert Kaempfert recorded an instrumental version that peaked at Number 11 while Wayne Newton's release stalled at Number 23. Dana was a singer/dancer originally, but with the decline of dance in the entertainment industry at the time, he focused on singing and crooned in the Bobby Vinton style. Sadly for him, the British invasion was in full swing then and his career never really blossomed. He left show business some time ago.

Just a few more oldies and their covers to acknowledge.

Sammy Turner's Number 19 cover of "Always" in 1959 came nowhere close to the Number Ones achieved by the orchestras of Vincent Lopez and George Olsen in 1926. Similarly, in 1935, both Bing Crosby and Guy Lombardo had Number One hits with "Red Sails in the Sunset". Covers by The Platters in 1960 and Fats Domino in 1963 didn't fare quite as well at Number 36 and Number 35, respectively.

"Diane" was a big hit at Number Two in 1928 for Nat Shilkret and his outfit and the 1964 cover by The Bachelors also did just fine at Number Ten.

Bobby Darin had a nice Number Five hit in 1961 with "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby". The Dave Clark V version in 1967 peaked at Number 35. Bing Crosby's original recording hit Number One in 1938. He did that a lot back then!

Answer: Bill

His full name? Bill Bailey of course and the song was "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home". Everyone has had to have heard this song hundreds of times over the years but I'd venture a guess that most people have never heard the original lyric in its entirety. As written in 1902 by Hughie Cannon, here it is:

Verse 1: On one summer's day, the sun was shining fine.
The lady love of old Bill Bailey was hanging clothes on the line in her backyard and weeping hard.
She married a B & O brakeman that took and throw'd her down.
Bellering like a prune-fed calf with a big gang hanging 'round;
And to that crowd she yelled out loud.

Chorus: Won't you come home Bill Bailey, won't you come home?
She moans the whole day long.
I'll do the cooking darling, I'll pay the rent;
I knows I've done you wrong;
'Member that rainy eve that I drove you out,
With nothing but a fine tooth comb?
I know I'se to blame; well ain't that a shame?
Bill Bailey won't you please come home?

Verse 2: Bill drove by that door in an automobile,
A great big diamond coach and footman, hear that big wench squeal;
"He's all alone," I heard her groan.
She hollered through that door, "Bill Bailey is you sore?
Stop a minute; won't you listen to me? Won't I see you no more?"
Bill winked his eye, as he heard her cry.

Chorus: (repeat)

Hughie Cannon wrote many songs around the turn of the 20th Century for vaudeville and musical theatre but only two have endured into the 21st; "Bill Bailey" and "Frankie and Johnny". This tidbit was culled from the website "Parlor Songs" - "Supposedly, the song is based on a "real" Bill Bailey who was a black vaudeville performer, member of the team of Bailey and Cowan. One night he was locked out of his house by a wife who had reached her limit of tolerance for his late night revelry with friends. It is said that Cannon (the composer) was one of his friends who partook of these nocturnal pleasures with him and Cannon paid for a room for Bailey at a local hotel and assured him that a night away from home would surely cause his wife to plead for his return." Whether this story is true or not, Cannon was indeed a notorious carouser and died from cirrhosis of the liver in 1912 at the age of 35.

Arthur Collins' recording of the song reached Number One in 1902 for eight weeks. He was the premier recording act of the era specializing in minstrel style comedy recordings. Dan Quinn had a Number Two version and a fellow named Silas Leachman reached Number Four with his. In those days, the music chart probably only consisted of five songs but thankfully, all these releases were staggered over four months. Bobby Darin had a Number 19 hit with it in 1960 but perhaps the more definitive version was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1959. It peaked at Number 29.