ROCK A HULA ELVIS!

This weekend is the annual Elvis Festival in Collingwood.  Hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world travel to the Georgian Bay town to celebrate ‘The King of Rock and Roll’.  And that’s what we’re doing with this quiz.  All Elvis – for all 5 questions.  So don’t go “Crying In The Chapel” or get “All Shook Up”, “Surrender” to the quiz for “One Night”, “I Beg Of You”.  If you need your “Good Luck Charm” for this quiz, “Don’t” be afraid to use it.  And if you get all 5 questions correct, “Kiss Me Quick” (OK, you don’t really have to). 

      

QUESTIONS

1.  What was Elvis’ FIRST # 1 hit in 1956?  Was it:  a. “Blue Suede Shoes”  b. “Heartbreak Hotel”  c.  “That’s Alright Mama”                   

2.  In 1969, Elvis charted 7 hot singles, but he had only ONE # 1.  Which Elvis song made it to the top of the charts in ’69?  Was it:  “a. “If I Can Dream”  b. In The Ghetto”                        c. “Suspicious Minds”            

3.  How many # 1 hits did Elvis have during his lifetime?  Was it:  a. 18  b. 19  c. 20.                    

4.  In 1956, Elvis charted five # 1 hits.  Two of them were # 1 for 11 weeks.  One of those was “Hound Dog”.  What was the title of the other Elvis hit that also stayed at the top of the singles chart for 11 weeks?  Was it:  a. “Heartbreak Hotel”  b. “Love Me Tender”  c. “Don’t Be Cruel”                   

5.  All true Elvis fans know that his 1956 # 1 hit “Love Me Tender” was adapted from an 1861 tune called “Aura Lee”.  The Paul Anka written hit “My Way” (which climbed to # 22 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart more than 6 months after Elvis passed away) was an English adaptation of the French song “Comme d’Habitude”.  In 1960, Elvis had his 14th # 1 with “It’s Now Or Never”, which was based on the Italian classic “O Solo Mio” (every accordion player in the world has played this ditty at one time or another).  In 1961, another Italian song had English lyrics written to the original melody and Elvis took that to # 1 for two weeks.  What’s the name of this hit?  Is it:  a. “Can’t Help Falling In Love”  b. “Little Sister”  c. “Surrender”                                                      

ANSWERS

1.  It was b. “Heartbreak Hotel” which stayed at # 1 for 8 weeks.  “Blue Suede Shoes” made it to # 20 in ‘56.  “That’s Alright Mama” did not chart on Billboards’ Hot 100 but certainly got played on the radio a lot.  It introduced the world to the new singing sensation from Memphis.       

2.  That would be c. “Suspicious Minds”, which was # 1 for the week of November 1st, 1969.  It was knocked off the next week by “Wedding Bell Blues” from The 5th Dimension.  “In The Ghetto” made it to # 5 and “If I Can Dream” climbed to # 12.                                             

3.  If you said b. 19, you are a certified Elvis superfan.  His first was “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956 and his last was “Suspicious Minds” in 1969, although he charted more than 40 songs after “Suspicious Minds”, including Elvis’ final Top Ten hit, “America The Beautiful” in 2001, which climbed to # 6 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart.    

4.  Any self respecting Elvis fan knows that c. “Don’t Be Cruel” was the other Elvis hit that stayed # 1 for 11 weeks.  “Love Me Tender” remained at the top of the charts for 5 weeks and “Heartbreak Hotel” was # 1 for 8 weeks.                             

5.  c. “Surrender” is the correct answer.  The English version was based on the Italian song “Tome A Surriento”.  “Can’t Help Falling In Love” used the melody to the French song “Plaisir d’amour” with original English lyrics from Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss.  “Little Sister” was an original song written for Elvis by New York based songwriters Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.