THERE’S A TIME AND A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

OK, OK, I know it’s a little less than two months until Christmas and you’re probably already being driven mad by the displays in malls and department stores.  But our little quiz is not about Christmas.  Our clocks are already back to Standard Time, so naturally enough, this quiz is about time.  Songs about time to be more precise...and as usual, all the songs in question made the Top Ten on the Billboard singles chart.  I see by the old clock on the wall that it’s TIME to get started on the quiz.  Take your TIME with those questions that are a little tougher.  There’s no TIME limit.  Good luck.     

    

QUESTIONS

1.  He’s a singer whose # 1 hits include “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” and “When A Man Loves A Woman”.  This 1991 hit of his, with TIME in the title, made it to # 7.  He was equally as famous for his voluminous hair as he was for his singing.    Hopefully, it won’t take a BOLT (HINT ALERT) out of the blue for you to know who the singer is AND his TIME song.  Can you name him and the song in question?      

      

2.  This British group, who took their name from a Muddy Waters song, first hit the North American singles chart in 1964 with their cover version of Buddy Holly’s hit “Not fade Away”, which made it to # 48.  Their first Top Ten hit in 1964 was a song with TIME in the title that Irma Thomas had also recorded.  They continue to tour and recently celebrated their 50^th anniversary as a group.  What’s the name of this group and the name of their TIME song?                  

                

3.  She won a Tony Award earlier this year, but the Brooklyn/Queens, New York born singer/songwriter has been in the public eye since her debut album, “She’s So Unusual” first charted in 1983.  She’s had 14 songs make Billboards’ Hot 100 with two becoming # 1, and that includes her TIME song from 1984.  She’s also an actress and had a recurring role in the ‘90’s TV series “Mad About You”.  Her rather ‘unique’ voice and Brooklyn accent definitely makes her ‘stand out’ from the crowd.  Can you name this award winning singer/ songwriter/actress and her # 1 TIME song?                 

                   

4.  This singer died in a plane crash in 1973 at the height of his popularity.  That same year, two of his songs reached # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.  This “Bad Bad” singer (HINT ALERT), first charted in 1972 with a Top Ten hit, “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim”.  Other hits include “Operator”, “I Got A Name” and “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song”.  His TIME song went to # 1 two months after his untimely death.  Who’s the singer and what’s the name of his TIME song?      

    

5.  1977’s “Year of The Cat” was this Scottish singer’s best known hit and his biggest chart success…that is until 1978 and his TIME song.  The opening lyrics are:  “It was late in December.  The sky turned to snow.  All ‘round, the day was going down slow.  Night like a river beginning to flow”.  Or you might remember this lyric line from the song:  “Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight.”  Can you name the song and the singer?         

              

ANSWERS

1.  Michael Bolton was the singer.  1991’s “Time, Love And Tenderness” was the song.  Michael’s real name is Michael Bolotin.  He changed it early in his career.  Michael first hit Billboards’ Hot 100 chart in 1983 with the song “Fools Game”, which only got as high as # 82.  His next charted hit, “That’s What Love Is All About” climbed to # 19 and his interpretation of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” took him to # 11.  Michael’s first # 1 was “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”, which fought off all comers to remain # 1 for 3 consecutive weeks in late January/early February of 1990.                         

2.  That would be The Rolling Stones with “Time Is On My Side”, which climbed to # 6 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart in 1964.  The following year (1965), the Stones, who took their name from a song by blues legend Muddy Waters, had another TIME song in the Top Ten with “The Last Time”.  The body of co-founding Stones member Brian Jones was found in his swimming pool in the summer of 1969.  Mick Taylor replaced Jones and was himself replaced a few years later by Ron Wood (formerly of The Faces), who’s been with The Stones ever since.  Bass player Bill Wyman retired from the group in 1991.  The rest of The Stones, just keep rollin’ on and on.           

    

3.  Tony Award winner Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper aka Cyndi Lauper, had her first # 1 hit in 1984 with “Time After Time”.  Her debut single, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” had just missed the top of the charts, but did get to # 2.  Cyndi hit # 1 again in ’86 with “True Colors”.  Cyndi’s also an actress and has appeared in TV series such as “Bones”. “That’s So Raven” and had a recurring role in the Paul Riser/Helen Hunt ‘90’s sitcom “Mad About You”.  Her Tony Award this year was for the Broadway musical, “Kinky Boots”.                  

4.  Jim Croce’s 1973 # 1, “Time In A Bottle” was the TIME song we were looking for.  Croce was born in Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell, on January 10, 1943 and died 30 years later on September 20, 1973.  His first # 1 was “Bad Bad Leroy Brown”, which hit the top of the singles chart for two weeks in July ’73, so Jim got to see that success while he was still alive.  “Time In A  Bottle” became # 1 the final week of December

73 and the first week in January of ’74.           

    

5.  Scottish born Al Stewart took his hit, “Time Passages” all the way to # 7 in 1978.  Stewart, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, is one of two Scottish singers with the last name of Stewart who’ve made the North American record charts.  Andy Stewart (also born in Glasgow) had hits in 1961 with “A Scottish Soldier” and “Donald, Where’s Your Troosers” (Andy does a respectable Elvis Presley impression on that one).  These two songs did much better in Canada than in the U.S. where they got to # 69 and # 77 respectively.