JANUARY TO DECEMBER, WE’LL HAVE MOMENTS TO REMEMBER...

Those opening lyrics come from The Four Lads 1955 Top Five record, “Moments To  Remember”.  Many hit songs throughout rock and rolls’ history either had a month of the year in the title or in the lyrics.  Our quiz this week is about those songs.  One of two of the questions actually give you the month in the question, but then we’ll want to know the name of the artist.  These were all Top 30 hits, with a couple going to #1...so if your rock and roll memory is in top form, you’ll be fine. 

QUESTIONS:

1.  In the early to mid 1960’s, this American group that the play “Jersey Boys” was based on, had such #1 chart hits as “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like A Man” and “Rag Doll”.  Their 5^th and final #1 happened in 1976.  The title of that hit had a month of the year in the title.  What’s the name of this #1 hit?                                                                                                                

2.  Ok we’re going a little further back than usual with this question.  In December of 1957, this song was #1 for a singer born in Jacksonville, Florida.  His great-great-great-great grandfather was a famous frontiersman.  During his lengthy career, this performer had five #1 hits and was well known for wearing white buck shoes.  He’s also an actor who’s starred in over 15 movies, including “Journey To The Centre of the Earth”, “State Fair” and “Bernadine”.  In 1977, his daughter also reached the #1 spot on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart.  The song we’re looking for, with a month of the year in the title, came from a 1957 movie that also starred this performer as well as actress Shirley Jones (aka Mrs. Partridge from “The Partridge Family” TV series).  So who is this actor/singer and what’s the name of his ‘month’ song? (HINT:  Think taxes)      

3.  This R&B group with three names was formed in Los Angeles by a former session drummer for Chess Records in Chicago.  He was also a former member of the Ramsay Lewis Trio.  The group first hit the singles chart in 1971, but their biggest single, “Shining Star” was a #1 smash in 1975.  The song we’re looking for with a month in the title made it to #8 on Billboards’ Hot 100 in February of 1979.  In fact, the month is the entire title of the song.  One of this groups’ lead singers went on to a successful solo career working with producer Phil Collins (yep, that Phil Collins).  Can you name the group with three names as well as their ‘month’ song?

4.  The opening lyrics to this 1969 hit are:  “Hot August night and the leaves hangin’ down...and the grass on the ground smellin’ sweet.”  Although this song only made it to #22 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart, the first three words were used as the title of a best selling live album by the same artist.  This Brooklyn, New York born singer/songwriter/actor first hit the singles chart in 1966 and he’s had three #1 hits.  He also wrote The Monkees biggest #1, “I’m A Believer”, which stayed at the top of the Hot 100 for 7 weeks.  “I’m A Believer” had a revival in 2001 when it was featured at the end of the first “Shrek” film sung by Smashmouth, who put the song back on the singles chart that same year.  OK, we’ve given you the month in this question.  What we want to know is – who’s the singer/songwriter?          

5.  “January, you start the year off fine.  February, you’re my little valentine.  March, I’m going to march you down the aisle.  April, you’re the Easter bunny when you smile”.  Those lyrics come from this singer/songwriter’s 7^th charted hit single from 1961.  He first appeared on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart in December 1958 with a #14 hit, “The Dairy”.  He’s had three #1 hits on his own and in 1975, a husband and wife duo took a song he’d co-written to #1. That song went on to win the Grammy Award for ‘Record of The Year’.  He launched his career as a member of The Tokens and made a successful comeback in the 1970’s thanks to Elton John.  So who is this singer/songwriter?         

ANSWERS

1.  The Four Seasons took “December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” to the #1 spot for three weeks starting the week of March 13th, 1976, where it remained for 3 weeks.  It was replaced by Johnny Taylor’s “Disco Lady”.  

2.  This was definitely an oldie, but a goodie.  Pat Boone took the song “April Love” to #1 for one week in December of 1957.  It’s the title song from the 1957 movie “April Love”.  Pat’s six   #1 hits were: “Ain’t That A Shame” (1955). “I Almost Lost My Mind” (1956), “Don’t Forbid Me” (1957), “Love Letters In The Sand” (1957), “April Love” (1957) and 1961’s “Moody River”.  His great-great-great-great grandfather was Daniel Boone.  Pat’s daughter Debby, had her own #1 hit in 1977 with “You Light Up my Life”.      

3.  It was the week of February 10^th, 1979 and Earth, Wind & Fire had the #8 hit on the singles chart called “September”.  It came from songwriter Allee Willis along with Earth, Wind & Fires’ Maurice White and Al McKay.  “September” was written specifically for Earth, Wind & Fire’s Greatest Hits album.  The song has been heard in several movies, the most famous of which is “Night At The Museum” starring Ben Stiller.  Allee Willis also co-wrote Earth, Wind & Fire’s next Top Ten hit, “Boogie Wonderland” as well as The Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance”.  Philip Bailey, one of Earth, Wind & Fire’s lead singers, had a #2 hit with “Easy Lover” (produced by Phil Collins, yep that Phil Collins) in 1985.   

4.  Neil Diamond was the artist.  The song was “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Band”.  Neil’s been in the Songwriters Hall of Fame since 1984.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of in 2011, the same year he received the Kennedy Centre Honors.  His star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame was unveiled this past August.  Neil’s three # 1 hits were “Cracklin’ Rosie” (1970), “Song Sung Blue” (1972) and his duet with Barbra Streisand, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (1978).

5.  “Calendar Girl” was Neil Sedaka’s biggest hit to that time.  It reached #4 on the Hot 100 singles chart in 1961.  Neil would go on to have many more hits, including three #1’s, “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” in 1962, plus “Laughter In The Rain” and “Bad Blood” (featuring Elton John on backing vocals), both in 1975.  That same year, Neil and longtime co-writing partner Howard Greenfield watched as The Captain & Tennille took their song “Love Will Keep Us Together” to #1.  The song even mentions Neil with the line “Sedaka is back” as it’s fading out.          

BAND ON THE RUN

Paul McCartney’s on tour again, hitting Canadian cities Vancouver on November 25^th and Edmonton for two nights on November 28^th and 29th.  So our questions this week revolve around Sir Paul’s solo career.  Paul’s one of the richest rock stars on the planet with an estimated net worth of 800 million $$.  This past June, Macca (as the British press call him) celebrated his 70^th birthday.  All of these singles/albums were Top 10 hits (and often # 1 hits) for either solo Paul or his band Wings, so this should be “easy, like Sunday Morning” (thank you Lionel Richie for that line).     

   

QUESTIONS:

1.  “Saturday Night Fever” kept this Wings album out of the # 1 album spot.  The album sat stalled behind The Bee Gees soundtrack for six long weeks.  It was named after the city where Paul has his MPL office.  The biggest hit from this album was “With A Little Luck” which made it to # 1 on the Hot 100 chart for 2 weeks in May of 1978.  Can you name the album?                                                                                                                 

2.  This 1982 McCartney single was a duet with a major Motown star.  The song zoomed up the Billboard Hot 100 chart to # 1 where it remained for 7 weeks.  The following year, 1983, McCartney did the same thing again with former Motown legend Michael Jackson.  That collaboration, “Say Say Say”, stayed at # 1 for 6 weeks.  So the question here is, can you name the Motown star Paul recorded with in ’82 as well as the name of their # 1 hit?          

3.  Here’s another Macca album question.  In April 1976, a Paul McCartney & Wings album went to # 1 for one week and was replaced by Led Zeppelin’s “Presence” album, which stayed on top for two weeks.  That album was replaced by The Rolling Stones “Black And Blue” for another two weeks, then the McCartney and Wings album zoomed back to # 1 where it fought off all comers for 5 more weeks until it was knocked out of the top perch by “Frampton Comes Alive“. There were several Wings hits that came from this album, including, “Silly Love Songs” (a # 1 hit) and “Let ‘Em In” (a # 3 hit).  Can you name this Wings album? (HINT:  You’ll have to be ‘Speedy”)       

4.  After hitting # 1 on the Hot 100 singles chart 20 times with The Beatles from 1964 until 1970, this song was Paul McCartney’s FIRST solo # 1.  The year was 1971 and the song came from Paul’s first solo album “Ram”, which made it to # 3 on the album chart in June of ‘71, but just couldn’t break the strangle hold at number one held by Carole King’s “Tapestry”, which was # 1 for 15 straight weeks.  The title refers to one of Paul’s relatives as well as a famous World War II U.S. Naval officer.  What’s the name of this # 1 hit single from Sir Paul?      

5.  1973 was an interesting year for Paul McCartney.  For the week of May 23^rd, The Beatles 1967-1970 album hit the top spot on the album chart.  For the following 3 weeks, Sir Paul and Wings held the # 1 album spot.  That album was replaced for the week of June 23^rd by former bandmate George Harrison’s “Living In The Material World”.  The biggest single hit from that ‘73 McCartney & Wings album was “My Love”, which ‘sped’ (HINT ALERT) it’s way to # 1 on the Hot 100 chart where it stayed put for 4 weeks.  There’s a colour and a flower in the title, so with those clues, can you name this # 1 album? 

ANSWERS

1.  The album was “London Town”, the sixth studio album by Wings and the final one for Capitol Records until 1984.  “London Town” hung on at # 2 on the album chart from the week of May 6th, 1978 until the week of June 10^th.  Several songs from the “London Town” album were recorded on a yacht in the Virgin Islands.  Ironically, Wings’ # 1 single from that album “With A Little Luck” knocked off a song from the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack – Yvonne Elliman’s “If I Can’t Have You”, written by Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb aka The Bee Gees. 

2.  It was Motown great Stevie Wonder who dueted with Paul on their # 1 single, “Ebony and Ivory”.  The song came from Paul’s “Tug of War” album, recorded with just the two of them.  Stevie played electric piano, synthesizers, drums and percussion as well as backing vocals. Paul played bass, guitar, synthesizers, vocorder and percussion along with backing vocals.  I’d ‘Say Say Say’ that was a pretty talented duo.    

3.  Paul McCartney & Wings were in the middle of a world tour in 1976 when “Wings At The Speed of Sound” was released.  The band started recording the album in England in January of ’76 and it was completed by the end of February.  The line of Wings at this time was Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Joe English and Jimmy McCulloch, who died 3 years later. 

4.  McCartney’s first solo # 1 single was 1971’s “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”.  The title refers to Paul’s own uncle Albert as well as Admiral ‘Bull’ Halsey, who commanded the South Pacific in the early stages of World War II (after the U.S. had entered into the war in 1941).  Later, Halsey was appointed Commander of the Third Fleet until the end of the war.  Halsey died in 1959 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.   

5.  “Red Rose Speedway” was the album title we were looking for.  The album cover has Paul with a red rose in his mouth.  “My Love”, a song from that album, made it to # 1 on the singles chart and the flip side of the 45rpm, “Hi Hi Hi” got to # 10.  This edition of Wings included Paul & Linda, Denny Laine along with Henry McCullough on guitar, backing vocals and percussion and Denny Seiwell on drums. 

“THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES...”

That was the theme song used by comedian/actor/Los Angeles real estate mogul Bob Hope.  Here in Canada, we’ve already celebrated our Thanksgiving.  The U.S. will celebrate it this month.  That got me to thinking (a very dangerous thing indeed) that there are dozens of songs with ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you’ in the lyrics or in the title.  So that’s our quiz for this week.  Example songs include “Thank God I Found You” by Mariah Carey in 2000, Andrew Gold’s 1978 hit “Thank You For Being A Friend” (which was later re-recorded by a female singer and used as the theme song for the hit TV series “Golden Girls”) and 1978’s “Thank God It’s Friday” by Love & Kisses.  The list of ‘thank you’ songs goes on and on, so your job (should you choose to accept it) is to guess the name of the song (and sometimes the artist as well).  All of these songs were Top 10 hits, so your brain shouldn’t get too much of a workout (that is, if you know your music). 

     

QUESTIONS:

1.  Their last names were Moore and Prater, but they were known professionally by their first names.  These ‘soul men’ (HINT ALERT) never had a # 1 hit, but they came close in 1967.  The ‘thank you’ song we’re looking for made it to # 9 on the singles chart in 1968.  Most of their hits were written and produced by the Stax Records team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter.  What in the ‘Sam’ Hill (HINT ALERT  # 2) is the name of this song?                                                                                                                 

2.  This singer first came to fame as a member of the Chad Mitchell Trio in the 1960’s.  Later, after he went solo, he wrote and recorded such hits as “Rocky Mountain High” and “Annie’s Song”.  He’s an Emmy award winner for his television special “An Evening With...” and acted in several movies, including “Oh, God”, directed by Gary Marshall and co-starring George Burns.  He had four # 1 hits during his lifetime and was a tireless environmentalist.  He also loved to fly, which was most likely inherited from his father, a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force.  You’ve probably figured out who we’re talking about, but can you guess the name of his ‘thank you’ hit?         

3.  “Thanks for the times that you’ve given me.  The memories are all in my mind.” are the opening lyrics of a hit song from one of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s most successful groups.  One member of that group went on to even greater solo success, although several years after this singer/songwriter left, the group had a Top 5 hit with “Nightshift”.  The song in question was one of two # 1 hits this group had.  This should be relatively ‘easy’ (HINT ALERT) for you to figure out.  Can you name the group and the song?  Well, can you?       

4.  San Francisco was home base for this group.  From 1968 until 1975, they charted 20 songs that included three # 1 hits.  Their leader had a reputation of being late for gigs, but boy could they sing and ‘dance to the music’ (HINT ALERT).  They performed at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969.  This group really was a ‘family affair’ (HINT ALERT # 2) with two brothers, one sister and a cousin plus several non related members of the group.  They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.  Their ‘thank you’ song was # 1 for two weeks in February of 1970 and was replaced by Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.  What’s the name of the group and their ‘thank you’ song?    

5.  Our final question is about a singer/songwriter/actress born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1974.  She once played God in the movie “Dogma”.  Her career first took off in Canada where she was labelled a teen ‘disco’ performer, but prior to that, at the age of 12, she starred in the Canadian TV series “You Can’t Do That On Television” (which later aired on Nickelodeon in the U.S.)  In the ‘90’s, she moved to Los Angeles, and started writing songs from her heart about things that happened to her in her life, both good and bad.  Her debut U.S. album, “Jagged Little Pill” went on to sell over 30 million copies.  The ‘thank you’ song we’re looking for came from her 2nd U.S. album.  C’mon, ‘you oughta know’ this. (BIG TIME HINT ALERT)   

ANSWERS

1.  That would be Sam (Moore) & Dave (Prater) with “I Thank You”, a top ten hit in 1968.  Their ‘almost’ # 1 was “Soul Man” in 1967.  It made it to # 2 on the singles chart.  They recorded for Stax Records in Memphis.  Sam & Dave were not friends.  In fact, they didn’t even speak to each other off stage for nearly 13 years.  After their short lived success, they split up and went their separate ways in 1970.  In April 1988, Dave Prater was killed in a car crash in Sycamore, Georgia.  Sam & Dave were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.  They’re also members of the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.  

  

2.  It was “Thank God I’m A Country Boy”, a # 1 hit for the late John Denver in 1975.  He was born in Roswell, New Mexico three years before an alien spacecraft supposedly crashed there.  His real name was Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.  John took his stage name of Denver from the capital city of his favourite state, Colorado.  His father, an Air Force Lt. Colonel, set three speed records in B-28 Hustler and is in the U.S. Air Force Hall of Fame.  In March of 2007, the Colorado Senate adopted a resolution making Denver’s 1972 hit, “Rocky Mountain High” one of the state’s two official songs.  The other official Colorado state song is “Where The Columbines Grow”.     

3.  The Commodores first burst onto the singles chart in 1974 with their # 22 hit, “Machine Gun”.  They first made the Top Ten in 1976 with “Sweet Love” and “Just To Be Close To You”.  In 1978, they finally hit # 1 with the song we were looking for, “Three Times A Lady” written and sung by Lionel Ritchie.  The Commodores hit # 1 again in 1979 with “Still”, also written and sung by Richie, who left the group in 1982.  His solo hits include five # 1’s – “Endless Love” (a duet with Diana Ross), “Truly”, “All Night Long (All Night)”, “Hello” and “Say You, Say Me”.   

4.  Sly & The Family Stone took their hit, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” to the # 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the weeks of February 14^th and 21^st in 1970.  They replaced “Venus” by the Shocking Blue.  Their other # 1 hits were 1969’s “Everyday People” and 1971’s “Family Affair”.            

5.  Alanis Morissette was a disco queen and a teen TV star in Canada long before she ventured down to Los Angles and wrote, recorded and released her 30+ million selling debut album, “Jagged Little Pill” for Madonna’s Maverick label.  In 1998, a song from her second Maverick album, “Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie” called “Thank U” made it to # 2 on the singles chart.  The song was inspired by a trip Alanis had made to India.  She was engaged to Canadian born actor Ryan Reynolds for a few years, but that ended in 2007.  Alanis became an American citizen in 2005, but retained her Canadian citizenship as well.  In 2010, she married rapper MC Souleye aka Mario Treadway.  Their first child was born on Christmas Day 2010.  

“RAININ’ IN MY HEART...”

Singer Slim Harpo made that song a hit in 1961. It’s been a tough week with Hurricane Sandy slamming into the U.S. east coast and Eastern Canada. Millions of people were without power and sadly, there were fatalities. Not to make light of this terrible disaster, but we thought we’d try to lighten up all the sadness with this quiz, which features song questions that are about storms, or rain or have those words in their title. All of these songs were Top 20 hits, so once again, it shouldn’t be too hard.
  
QUESTIONS:

1. What song that was # 9 in 1976 and came back again in 1992 to hit # 2 on the singles chart, featured these lyrics: “Thunderbolt and lightning. Very, very frightening me”?

2. This song made it to # 14 in 1971 and debuted on the singles chart the very same day that the lead singer died in Paris. A portion of the lyrics are: “Into this house we’re born. Into this world we’re thrown. Like a dog without a bone. An actor out alone”. Can you name this song?

3. A northern California group took this song to # 2 on the singles chart. The lead singer eventually left for a highly successful solo career and fought bitterly with the other members of the group, including his own brother, who continued on. A portion of the lyrics are: “Long as I remember, the rain’s been comin’ down. Clouds of mystery pourin’ confusion on the ground. Good men through the ages tryin’ to find the sun...”. The next line is the answer.

4. This Canadian group from Winnipeg took their ‘rain’ song to # 19 in 1971. A sample of the lyrics are: “Fifi said to Don the baker. Can you show me how to bake another bun, Don. And I’m still sittin’ with my next door neighbour, sayin’, where’d you get the gun John?”. And the song title is...?

5. A # 3 hit in 1992, this song was actually the 9th single charted by this LA based group. Their only # 1 was their first one to hit Billboards’ Hot 100 chart. “Sweet Child O’Mine” was its title. If you ‘slash’ your way through the wrong answers, you’ll come up with the correct one. (HINT: think this month). I can say no more. So what’s the name of the song already?  

ANSWERS 

1. You know it, you love it, you can’t stop singing along with it when it comes on the radio. It’s Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. The resurgence of this song in 1992 was due to the fact that Mike Myers featured it in his movie, “Wayne’s World”.

2. It was “Riders On The Storm” by The Doors. Jim Morrison died on July 3rd, 1971, the very day that “Riders On The Storm” made its debut on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart at # 74. Coincidence? You decide.

3. And the next line is: “And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain.” Creedance Clearwater Revival was the group. John Fogerty the lead singer. John also wrote that song along with all of the groups’ other hits, including “Proud Mary”, “Bad Moon Rising”, “Green River”, “Down On The Corner”, “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” and ”Travellin’ Band”, which was the other side of this two sided hit. Both “Travellin’ Band” and “Who’ll Stop The Rain” went to # 2 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart in 1970.

4. By 1971, lead guitarist Randy Bachman had left The Guess Who and a few years later would form Bachman-Turner Overdrive. This song, “Rain Dance” was written by lead singer and keyboard player Burton Cummings and guitarist Kurt Winter. “Rain Dance” was on The Guess Who’s “So Long Bannatyne” album.

5. Guns N’ Roses was the group, the song title was “November Rain”, a # 3 hit in the summer of 1992. At the time, the group was Axl Rose (real name: William Bailey), Slash (real name: Saul Hudson), Izzy Stradlin (real name: Jeffrey Isbell), Michael ‘Duff’ McKagen and drummer Steven Adler. Guns N’ Roses was signed to Geffin Records in 1986 and two years later, had their first # 1 smash single, “Sweet Child O’Mine”. The album that song came from, “Appetite For Destruction” sold over 28 million copies. There was a lot of in-fighting amongst the members of the group and eventually everyone left except for Axl, who then took well over a decade to write and produce the next ‘official’ album, “Chinese Democracy”, which after many false release dates, finally came out in North America on November 23, 2008.