Whose Line Was It Anyway? US Number One Hits1972 Quiz

Answer: American Pie

"American Pie" was a number one hit for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 for Don McLean in 1972. It reached number two on the UK singles chart the same year.

Don McLean was born Donald McLean in New Rochelle, New York, USA, in 1945. His father and grandfather were also named Donald McLean. His first album "Tapestry" was released in 1970 by Mediarts Records after being rejected by over 70 other record labels. It sank without trace but track three on side two "And I Love You So" became a transatlantic hit for Perry Como in 1973.

"American Pie" was partly inspired by the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper in a plane crash on the 3rd February 1959, (the day the music died). Although reluctant to talk about it for years, Don McLean has stated that the lyrics are also a somewhat abstract story of his own life up to the time he wrote the song in the late '60s.

Answer: Stay Together

"Let's Stay Together" was a number one hit for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 for Al Green in 1972. It reached number seven on the UK singles chart the same year.

Al Green was born Albert Greene in Forrest City, Arkansas, USA, in 1946. The number one hit "Let's Stay Together" was his first Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit. This led to six more Top 10 hits over the next three years.

In 1974 his married girlfriend Mary Woodson White attacked him in his home in Memphis before committing suicide with his gun. In 1976 he became an ordained pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis. In 1979 after some years of falling record sales and mixed reviews from critics, he injured himself falling off the stage while performing in Cincinnati. After this incident he concentrated his efforts on pastoring his church and gospel singing.

Answer: True

"Heart Of Gold" was a number one hit for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 for Neil Young in 1972. It reached number 10 on the UK singles chart the same year.

Neil Young was born Neil Percival Young in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1945. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and also suffered from polio as a child. Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell contracted the virus in the same 1951 epidemic. After his recovery he went on holiday to Florida in 1952. Back in Canada he moved around to various places and took up playing the ukulele. Later he joined various groups such as The Squires with Ken Koblun and The Mynah Birds with Rick James.

After The Mynah Birds folded he moved to Los Angeles with their bass player Bruce Palmer, at this time he was in the USA illegally. He met up with Stephen Stills again (he had first met him in Canada), Richie Furay, and Dewey Martin. They later formed Buffalo Springfield who, after one Billboard Top 40 hit in 1967 "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)" disbanded in 1968.

Answer: America

"A Horse With No Name" was a number one hit for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 for America in 1972. It reached number three on the UK singles chart the same year.

The three original members of the group Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek all had American fathers in the military. They were stationed at the United States Air Force base at RAF West Ruislip, London, UK. Their mothers were all British but only Dewey Bunnell was born in the UK. They all attended the London Central High School in the '60s.

America had 11 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1972 and 1983 including the two number one hits, "A Horse With No Name" and "Sister Golden Hair". "A Horse With No Name" was their only UK Top 40 hit.

Answer: Roberta Flack

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" gave Roberta Flack a number one hit for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. It reached number 14 on the UK singles chart the same year.

Roberta Flack was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA, in 1939. At the age of 15 she became one of the youngest students to enroll at Howard university in Washington D. C. when they awarded her a music scholarship. She was the first black student teacher at an all-white school in Maryland. After graduating from Howard university at 19 she had various teaching jobs in North Carolina and Washington D. C.

Jazz pianist/vocalist Les McCann discovered Roberta Flack singing and playing jazz in a Washington nightclub. He arranged an audition for her with Atlantic records. She did not have much success until Clint Eastwood paid $2,000 for the use of "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" in his directorial debut movie "Play Misty For Me". The song sold over 1,000,000 copies and earned her a Gold Disc and the album it came from "First Take" sold nearly 2,000,0000 copies in the USA. She became the first black female soloist to top the Billboard album chart.

Answer: Sammy Davis Jr.

"Candy Man" gave Sammy Davis Jr. a number one hit for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. It did not chart in the UK.

Sammy Davis Jr. was born Samuel George Davis Jr. in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA, in 1925. He died of complications from throat cancer in Beverly Hills, California, USA, in 1990 aged 64. He lost his left eye and damaged his nose in an auto accident near San Bernardino, California, in November 1954. He was back performing in January the following year.

"The Candy Man" was his only number one hit record on the Billboard Hot 100. His previous biggest hit was "Something's Gotta Give" which entered the Billboard chart on June 4 1955 and reached number nine.

Answer: Alone Again (Naturally)

"Alone Again (Naturally)" gave Gilbert O'Sullivan a number one hit for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. It reached number three on the UK singles chart the same year.

Gilbert O'Sullivan was born Raymond Edward O'Sullivan in Waterford, Ireland, in 1946. In 1960 his family moved to Swindon, Wiltshire, England. He attended St. Joseph's Catholic College and the Swindon College of Art. He briefly played drums in a group called Rick's Blues, founded by Rick Davies who later founded Supertramp.

"Alone Again (Naturally)" was his only US number one hit but he did have two other Top 10 hits. In the UK he had seven Top 10 hits which included two number one hits "Clair" and "Get Down". He was voted number one UK male singer of 1972. After 1975 his career was virtually on hold while he sued Gordon Mills the owner of MAM records. The case dragged on but in 1982 he was awarded £7,000,000 in damages.

Answer: Black & White

"Black & White" was number one for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 for Three Dog Night in 1972. It did not chart in the UK.

Three Dog Night were singers Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells. They were backed by Mike Allsup (guitar), Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass) and Floyd Sneed (drums). The group were named after the coldest night in the Australian outback.

Three Dog Night had 11 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1969 and 1975. This included three number one hits "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)", "Joy To The World" and "Black & White". The group disbanded in 1976 but reformed with an ever changing line up in the '80s.

Answer: I Can See Clearly Now

"I Can See Clearly Now" was a number one hit for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 for Johnny Nash in 1972. It reached number five on the UK singles chart the same year.

Johnny Nash was born John Lester Nash Jr. in Houston, Texas, USA, in 1940. He had his first hit "A Very Special Love" in 1957 which reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. He played Spencer Scott in the 1959 movie "Take A Giant Step" for which Burt Lancaster was executive producer. In 1965 Johnny Nash and Danny Sims formed the JAD record label in New York. One of their signings was four brothers from Newport, Rhode Island, called The Cowsills.

In 1968 Nash went to Jamaica planing to try and break the rocksteady sound in the United States. While there he signed a group called The Wailers to a publishing and recording contract with his JAD label and financed some of their recordings,

He had a number of minor hits in the US until the first of only two Top 10 hits "Hold Me Tight" reached number five in 1968. In the UK Johnny Nash had six Top 10 hits between 1968 and 1989 which included the number one hit "Tears On My Pillow". It did not chart in the US.

Answer: Woman

"I Am Woman" was a number one hit for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 for Helen Reddy in 1972. It never charted in the UK.

Helen Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1941. She won a talent contest on the Australian pop music TV show Bandstand, the prize was a trip to New York City to record a single for Mercury Records. She arrived in New York in 1966 and was told that the prize was only the chance to audition for the label and the Australian Bandstand footage constituted her audition which was unsuccessful. Even though she only had $200 and a return ticket to Australia she decided to stay in the US with three-year-old daughter Traci and pursue a singing career.

After struggling for years she made a record for Capitol "I Believe In Music"/"I Don't Know How to Love Him". The A side was not successful but Canadian DJ's flipped the record and "I Don't Know How to Love Him" reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. She had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1971 and 1981. She only had two UK chart hits "Angie Baby" which reached number five in 1975 and "I Can't Say Goodbye To You" which reached number 43 in 1981.