Tuesday, May 17, 2011

EVERYBODY'S BREAKIN' UP

Well, well, there've been a lot of break ups recently - Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver (25 years together) as well as Tipper & Al Gore (after 40 years. Although that happened last year). That got me to thinking about all the break up songs that have been written over the past 40 years. Some may have 'Goodbye' in the titleSo let's see how many you can guess.
Here we go.

QUESTIONS

1. This singer had a Top Ten song in 1959 with a 'break up' song. Although he was born in Canada, his success happened in the U.S. He charted 19 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 from 1958 until 1961. His first hit, "My True Love" went Top 5. You shouldn't have to 'Burn Bridges' to come up with his name. The 'break up' song we're looking for from this artist made it to # 8. Can you name this artist as well as the song in question?

2. Phil Collins was a member of Genesis as well as a super successful solo artist. His 'break up' song was featured on the 1980 Genesis album "Duke". Not many clues here, but let's see how good you really are. Name that 'break up' song.

3. OK, this one should be really easy if you know your '60's music. Neil Sedaka was a prolific hit maker with 30 songs charted on Billboards Hot 100 chart (including 9 Top 10s and 3 number ones). His 'break up' song was actually a hit for him twice - once in 1962 and again in 1976, although that version was slower. Can you name Neil's song?

4. This Philadelphia duo had over 30 chart hits during the 1970's and '80's. They made it to number one 6 times with songs such as "Rich Girl", "Kiss On My List", "Private Eyes" and "Out of Touch". This 'break up' song was actually a hit twice, although it was much bigger the second time around. What's the name of this 'break up' song and who sang it?

5. Time to throw your mind back to the 1970's (even if you weren't born yet). This duo became famous for their intricate harmonies and for being brother and sister (you know who we're talking about now don't you?). They had nearly 30 hits on the singles chart. Their 'break up' song made the Top 10 in 1972. And with this last question, I'll say 'Goodbye' til next time.

ANSWERS

1. Jack Scott (real name Jack Scafone, Jr) took his hit "Goodbye Baby" to # 8 in the Spring of 1959. Some of Jack's other hits include "Burning Bridges", "What In The World's Come Over You", "The Way I Walk" and "Leroy". Fleetwood Mac also recorded a song called "Goodbye Baby", but it was totally different than Jack Scott's version.

2. Phil Collins wrote "Misunderstanding" while he was recording his debut solo album "Face Value". The lyrics, about missed communication, were inspired by the divorce that Phil was going through at the time.

3. It was "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" which made it to # 1 in 1962. A slower version went to # 8 in 1976 while Neil was signed to Elton John's Rocket Records label.

4. "She's Gone", written and recorded by Daryl Hall & John Oates, first hit Billboards' singles chart in 1974. It came from the duos RCA Records album, "Abandoned Lunchonette". That time it only made it as far as # 60. Two years later, the single was re-released and jumped all the way to # 7. Hall & Oates met while both were students at Temple University in Philadelphia.

5. "Goodbye To Love" was the 11th hit in a row for Karen and Richard Carpenter. It was written by Richard and John Bettis and two lines from the lyric, "What lies in the future is a mystery to us all. No one can predict the wheel of fortune as it falls", took on a whole new meaning after Karen Carpenters' untimely death from a heart attack brought on by her anorexia nervosa in February of 1983 at the age of 32.

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