The Grammy Awards may be over, but as we promised, we’re still asking questions about Grammy Award winners. This time out, we’ll see how you do with lyrics. It’s pretty basic – name the song from a selected portion of the lyrics. Every song was a national number one hit. C’mon, you can do it. So let’s go!
QUESTIONS:
1. Some of the lyrics of this song from a 3 time Grammy Award winning album are: “It’s wonderful to be here. It’s certainly a thrill. You’re such a lovely audience, We’d like to take you home with us. We’d love to take you home.” It comes from a legendary ‘60’s group from England. What’s the song?
2. Can you name the 1981 song that these lyrics come from: “And she’ll tease you, she’ll unease you. All the best just to please you. She’s precocious. And she knows just what it takes to make a pro blush.” It was number one for 9 weeks and won several Grammy Awards. So, what’s the title of the song?
3. This song was number one in 1976 for a former New York City jingle singer and musical director for Bette Midler. Some of the lyrics are: “I put the words and the melodies together. I am music and I write the songs.” It can’t get much easier than this. So, what’s the title of this song?
4. At the second annual Grammy Awards in 1959 this song was honoured as ‘Record of The Year’. Some of the lyrics are: “Now, did you hear about Louie Miller. He disappeared babe, after drawin’ out all his cash. And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor. Could it be our boy’s done somethin’ rash.” What’s the name of this classic song that’s been recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Louis Armstrong?
5. This multiple Grammy Award winning song from 1984 has lyrics that begin: “You must understand that the touch of your hand makes my pulse react. That it’s only the thrill of boy meeting girl. Opposites attract.” Can you name the song and the legendary singer?
ANSWERS
1. That would be the title song from The Beatles 1967 album, “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, which won Grammy Awards for ‘Album of the Year’, ‘Best Contemporary Album’, ‘Best Engineered Recording’ for Geoff Emerick as well as ‘Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts’ for Peter Blake and Jann Hawarth.
2. Kim Carnes took the song “Bette Davis Eyes” all the way to number one in 1981. The song was co-written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon. It won 1981 Grammy Awards for ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Song of the Year’.
3. Barry Manilow recorded it, but although he wrote quite a few of his hits, he DIDN’T write “I Write The Songs”. That was written by Bruce Johnston who joined The Beach Boys in 1965 and will be part of the 2012 Beach Boys 50th anniversary tour. Manilow’s version made it to number one on Billboards Hot 100 chart for the week of January 17th, 1976. “I Write The Songs” had first been recorded by Captain & Tennille’s on their debut album, but was never released as a single. Johnston produced the song with David Cassidy in 1975 for RCA Records in Britain. It rose to # 11 on the British charts. Clive Davis, who was President of Manilow’s label, Arista Records, heard the song while on a trip to England and thought it would be perfect for Barry. Clive was right. It won the 1976 Grammy Award for ‘Song of the Year’ for writer Bruce Johnston.
4. We were looking for the 1959 Bobby Darin number one hit “Mack The Knife”. Darin’s version won the Grammy for ‘Record of the Year’ beating out Elvis Presley’s “A Fool Such As I”, Frank Sinatra’s “High Hopes”, Andre Previn’s “Like Young” and The Browns’ “The Three Bells”. Bobby Darin also won ‘Best New Artist’ that year.
5. At the 1984 Grammy Awards, Tina Turner’s # 1 hit,“What’s Love Got To Do With It” took home the award for ‘Record of the Year’, ‘Song of the Year’ (for writers Graham Lyle and Terry Britten) as well as ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female” for Tina who also won ‘Best Rock Performance, Female’ for “Better Be Good To Me”. All in all, an amazing night for the former Anna Mae Bullock of Nutbush, Tennessee.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
‘LOVE’ FROM THE GRAMMY AWARDS
The Grammy Awards have all been given out for another year. The awards sweep of Adele, performances by The Beach Boys (with Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, both of whom haven’t performed together in many years), Bruce Springsteen, Glen Campbell and the double performances from Paul McCartney plus the poignant tributes to the late Whitney Houston are now history. For the next couple of weeks, we’ll be looking back at previous Grammy Award winners...and since this week also has Valentine’s Day in it, all of our questions have to do with Grammy Award winning ‘Love’ songs. So put on your tux, rent a super stretch limousine and let’s go to the Grammies.
QUESTIONS:
1. The 1982 Grammy Award for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male’ went to a singer/ songwriter who had LOST 7 times the previous year. He almost didn’t attend the ceremony as he didn’t want to face another loss. After his first solo Grammy win in ‘82, he was truly dancing on the ceiling. This singer/songwriter was one of Motown’s top stars of the 1980’s as well as a former member of a ‘70’s Motown hit machine. Can you name this performer?
2. It was a move theme ‘love’ song that won the 1977 Grammy Award for ‘Song Of The Year’. It was number one on the Billboard singles chart for 3 weeks and was co-written by Paul Williams, the man who also co-wrote “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “Rainy Days & Mondays” that The Carpenters recorded as well as Three Dog Night’s Top 5 hit, “An Old Fashioned Love Song”. The co-author was the female star of this movie – which is also part of the title of the Grammy Award winning number one hit. What’s the name of the song?
3. In 1975, a song written (and originally recorded) by one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the 1960’s and ‘70’s, who liked to sing about calendar girls, breaking up being hard to do and stairways to heaven long before Led Zeppelin ever did, went to number one and stayed there for 4 weeks. This song won the Grammy for ‘Record Of The Year’ and was nominated for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group or Chorus’, but lost out to The Eagles song “Lyin’ Eyes”. The duo who had the Grammy Award winning song also recorded a Spanish language version of this same number one and released it a few months after the English language version first came out, although that one didn’t fare as well on the charts. Can you name this duo and their first number one hit?
4. The Beatles are no stranger to winning Grammy Awards. They won ‘Best New Artist’ in 1964 and their number one hit, “A Hard Day’s Night’ took the Grammy that year for ‘Best Performance By A Vocal Group”, but lost to Petula Clark’s “Downtown” for ‘Best Rock & Roll Recording’. Can you believe that? At the 1966 Grammy Awards, John Lennon & Paul McCartney (as songwriters) took home the ‘Song Of The Year’ statuette. It was a true Beatles love song. In fact the phrase ‘I love you, I love you, I love you’ is sung fairly early on in the lyrics. Can you name this Grammy Award winning Beatles ‘love’ song?
5. By the early 1990’s, this performer had already had a handful of chart hits, including one number one. He was the former lead singer of a group called Blackjack in the 1970’s and received a lot of comments about his hair. For many years, he dated one of the actresses on the hit TV series “Desperate Housewives”. Several of his ‘love’ songs made the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, including “Time, Love & Tenderness”, ”Love Is A Wonderful Thing” and “Said I Love You...But I Lied”. In 1991, he had a number one hit with a remake of a previous number one from 1966 that won the Grammy Award for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male’. Can you name this ‘man’ and his song?
ANSWERS
1. Lionel Richie took home the 1982 Grammy for his love song “Truly”, beating out nominees Donald Fagen, Joe Jackson, Elton John, Michael McDonald and Rick Springfield. It was Lionel’s second solo number one after his 1981 duet with Diana Ross, “Endless Love”, which was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards, but did not win.
2. The song was “Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen)”, co-written by Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams. It won “Song Of The Year” and ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female’ for Barbra at the 20th annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on February 23, 1978
3. Captain & Tennille was the duo we were looking for. The song, written by ‘60’s pop icon Neil Sedaka, was “Love Will Keep Us Together”.
4. The Grammy Award for ‘Song Of The Year’ for 1966 went to John Lennon and Paul McCartney for “Michelle”. It beat out “Born Free”, “The Impossible Dream”, “Somewhere My Love” and “Strangers In The Night”. Ironically, “Michelle” never charted as a single but was included on The Beatles December 1965 album release, “Rubber Soul”.
5. That man is Michael Bolton. His cover version of the 1966 Percy Sledge hit, “When A Man Loves A Woman” won the 1991 Grammy for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male’. That was the same year that Natalie Cole won a handful of Grammy Awards for her “Unforgettable” duet with her late father, Nat Cole.
QUESTIONS:
1. The 1982 Grammy Award for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male’ went to a singer/ songwriter who had LOST 7 times the previous year. He almost didn’t attend the ceremony as he didn’t want to face another loss. After his first solo Grammy win in ‘82, he was truly dancing on the ceiling. This singer/songwriter was one of Motown’s top stars of the 1980’s as well as a former member of a ‘70’s Motown hit machine. Can you name this performer?
2. It was a move theme ‘love’ song that won the 1977 Grammy Award for ‘Song Of The Year’. It was number one on the Billboard singles chart for 3 weeks and was co-written by Paul Williams, the man who also co-wrote “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “Rainy Days & Mondays” that The Carpenters recorded as well as Three Dog Night’s Top 5 hit, “An Old Fashioned Love Song”. The co-author was the female star of this movie – which is also part of the title of the Grammy Award winning number one hit. What’s the name of the song?
3. In 1975, a song written (and originally recorded) by one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the 1960’s and ‘70’s, who liked to sing about calendar girls, breaking up being hard to do and stairways to heaven long before Led Zeppelin ever did, went to number one and stayed there for 4 weeks. This song won the Grammy for ‘Record Of The Year’ and was nominated for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group or Chorus’, but lost out to The Eagles song “Lyin’ Eyes”. The duo who had the Grammy Award winning song also recorded a Spanish language version of this same number one and released it a few months after the English language version first came out, although that one didn’t fare as well on the charts. Can you name this duo and their first number one hit?
4. The Beatles are no stranger to winning Grammy Awards. They won ‘Best New Artist’ in 1964 and their number one hit, “A Hard Day’s Night’ took the Grammy that year for ‘Best Performance By A Vocal Group”, but lost to Petula Clark’s “Downtown” for ‘Best Rock & Roll Recording’. Can you believe that? At the 1966 Grammy Awards, John Lennon & Paul McCartney (as songwriters) took home the ‘Song Of The Year’ statuette. It was a true Beatles love song. In fact the phrase ‘I love you, I love you, I love you’ is sung fairly early on in the lyrics. Can you name this Grammy Award winning Beatles ‘love’ song?
5. By the early 1990’s, this performer had already had a handful of chart hits, including one number one. He was the former lead singer of a group called Blackjack in the 1970’s and received a lot of comments about his hair. For many years, he dated one of the actresses on the hit TV series “Desperate Housewives”. Several of his ‘love’ songs made the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, including “Time, Love & Tenderness”, ”Love Is A Wonderful Thing” and “Said I Love You...But I Lied”. In 1991, he had a number one hit with a remake of a previous number one from 1966 that won the Grammy Award for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male’. Can you name this ‘man’ and his song?
ANSWERS
1. Lionel Richie took home the 1982 Grammy for his love song “Truly”, beating out nominees Donald Fagen, Joe Jackson, Elton John, Michael McDonald and Rick Springfield. It was Lionel’s second solo number one after his 1981 duet with Diana Ross, “Endless Love”, which was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards, but did not win.
2. The song was “Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen)”, co-written by Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams. It won “Song Of The Year” and ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female’ for Barbra at the 20th annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on February 23, 1978
3. Captain & Tennille was the duo we were looking for. The song, written by ‘60’s pop icon Neil Sedaka, was “Love Will Keep Us Together”.
4. The Grammy Award for ‘Song Of The Year’ for 1966 went to John Lennon and Paul McCartney for “Michelle”. It beat out “Born Free”, “The Impossible Dream”, “Somewhere My Love” and “Strangers In The Night”. Ironically, “Michelle” never charted as a single but was included on The Beatles December 1965 album release, “Rubber Soul”.
5. That man is Michael Bolton. His cover version of the 1966 Percy Sledge hit, “When A Man Loves A Woman” won the 1991 Grammy for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male’. That was the same year that Natalie Cole won a handful of Grammy Awards for her “Unforgettable” duet with her late father, Nat Cole.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Valentine’s Day is nearly here and in keeping with the mushy sentiments of the season, all of our questions this week have to do with love – either the word ‘love’ is in the song title or it’s in the song lyrics. As usual, there are 5 questions but each one is from a different decade. There’s a 50’s questions, a 60’s questions, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s AND each song in question was a number one hit. One warning though – the questions might not be sequential decade order, so pay close attention to the question.
This week, love will make you happy, especially if you answer all the questions correctly. so let’s give it a go!
QUESTIONS:
1. By 1956, the King of Rock’N’Roll had scored five number one hits. His fifth chart topper had the word ‘love’ in its title and it’s not “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” – that was his second number one in ’56. So what’s the title of this song?
2. Back at the end of May 1966, a singer from Alabama took a certain ‘love’ song to number one on the singles chart for 2 weeks. Thirty years later, the song was number one again, courtesy of another singer/songwriter who also became famous for his mane of long hair. By the time he re-recorded this hit, this singer had already had 8 Top Twenty hits, including one number one. A previous hit for this artist was a re-recording of Otis Reddings’ only number one. Can you name the song and the singer?
3. In 1975, a song written (and originally recorded) by one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the 1960’s, went to number one and stayed there for 4 weeks. The song was recorded by a husband and wife duo that later went on to have a weekly TV variety show and 6 more Top 5 hits. They even made the charts with a Spanish language version of this same number one, although that one didn’t fare as well on the charts. Can you name the duo and their first number one hit?
4. You don’t need to be def to know this ‘love’ song from 1988. It was the only number one single for this ‘hard rock’ British band, but they had many other hit albums and singles, including “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me”. The question is – what’s the name of the band and their number one ‘love’ hit?
5. 1967 is often described as ‘The Summer of Love’. By then, The Beatles had over a dozen hits with three other number ones that had ‘love in the title’. In ’67, they had one only ‘love’ number one. It was a song John Lennon had written that was broadcast live around the world to hundreds of millions of viewers. All you need to do is guess the name of this Beatles ’67 number one.
ANSWERS
1. Elvis took the title song from his first Hollywood movie, “Love Me Tender” to the top of the singles chart for 5 weeks starting on November 3, 1956.
2. In 1991, Michael Bolton, who’d already had a number 11 song with Otis Reddings’ “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay“ took Percy Sledges’ 1966 number one, “When A Man Loves A Woman” back to the top of the charts for one week.
3. That would be The Captain & Tennille who recorded Neil Sedaka’s song, “Love Will Keep Us Together” and put it on their debut album. The song first hit Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at number 98 in April of 1975. Nine weeks later, it was number one. The Captain (real name: Daryl Dragon) and (Toni) Tennille then re-recorded their self titled debut album in Spanish and the Spanish language version of “Love Will keep Us Together”, called “Por Amor Iviremos”, also hit the Hot 100 chart, which only made it as high as number 49.
4. Def Leppard had their only number one single in 1988 with “Love Bites”.
5. The June 1967 TV broadcast was called “Our World”. It was the first global television satellite broadcast, and was watched by 400 million people in 26 countries. John Lennon wrote “All You Need Is Love” and The Beatles performed it live from Abbey Road Studio One, accompanied by a small studio orchestra and surrounded by friends and family, including Mick Jagger, Graham Nash, Donovan, Keith Moon and others. The single that was released a few weeks later featured a new lead vocal by John Lennon. It became number one on Billboard’s single chart the week of August 19.
This week, love will make you happy, especially if you answer all the questions correctly. so let’s give it a go!
QUESTIONS:
1. By 1956, the King of Rock’N’Roll had scored five number one hits. His fifth chart topper had the word ‘love’ in its title and it’s not “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” – that was his second number one in ’56. So what’s the title of this song?
2. Back at the end of May 1966, a singer from Alabama took a certain ‘love’ song to number one on the singles chart for 2 weeks. Thirty years later, the song was number one again, courtesy of another singer/songwriter who also became famous for his mane of long hair. By the time he re-recorded this hit, this singer had already had 8 Top Twenty hits, including one number one. A previous hit for this artist was a re-recording of Otis Reddings’ only number one. Can you name the song and the singer?
3. In 1975, a song written (and originally recorded) by one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the 1960’s, went to number one and stayed there for 4 weeks. The song was recorded by a husband and wife duo that later went on to have a weekly TV variety show and 6 more Top 5 hits. They even made the charts with a Spanish language version of this same number one, although that one didn’t fare as well on the charts. Can you name the duo and their first number one hit?
4. You don’t need to be def to know this ‘love’ song from 1988. It was the only number one single for this ‘hard rock’ British band, but they had many other hit albums and singles, including “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me”. The question is – what’s the name of the band and their number one ‘love’ hit?
5. 1967 is often described as ‘The Summer of Love’. By then, The Beatles had over a dozen hits with three other number ones that had ‘love in the title’. In ’67, they had one only ‘love’ number one. It was a song John Lennon had written that was broadcast live around the world to hundreds of millions of viewers. All you need to do is guess the name of this Beatles ’67 number one.
ANSWERS
1. Elvis took the title song from his first Hollywood movie, “Love Me Tender” to the top of the singles chart for 5 weeks starting on November 3, 1956.
2. In 1991, Michael Bolton, who’d already had a number 11 song with Otis Reddings’ “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay“ took Percy Sledges’ 1966 number one, “When A Man Loves A Woman” back to the top of the charts for one week.
3. That would be The Captain & Tennille who recorded Neil Sedaka’s song, “Love Will Keep Us Together” and put it on their debut album. The song first hit Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at number 98 in April of 1975. Nine weeks later, it was number one. The Captain (real name: Daryl Dragon) and (Toni) Tennille then re-recorded their self titled debut album in Spanish and the Spanish language version of “Love Will keep Us Together”, called “Por Amor Iviremos”, also hit the Hot 100 chart, which only made it as high as number 49.
4. Def Leppard had their only number one single in 1988 with “Love Bites”.
5. The June 1967 TV broadcast was called “Our World”. It was the first global television satellite broadcast, and was watched by 400 million people in 26 countries. John Lennon wrote “All You Need Is Love” and The Beatles performed it live from Abbey Road Studio One, accompanied by a small studio orchestra and surrounded by friends and family, including Mick Jagger, Graham Nash, Donovan, Keith Moon and others. The single that was released a few weeks later featured a new lead vocal by John Lennon. It became number one on Billboard’s single chart the week of August 19.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
2012 IS HERE
Since we're just a couple of weeks into the new year, I thought we'd travel back three decades and see how well you remember the album charts from 30 years ago. For the 52 weeks of 1982, only 10 albums made it to # 1...but which 10? These questions are all about those # 1 albums from '82...so here we go.
QUESTIONS
1. This was the first # 1 album in 1982. It was the week of January 9th and this album by Australian rockers AC/DC had also been the last # 1 album in 1981. It was produced by Mutt Lange, the former husband of Shania Twain. It took nearly a year for this album to make # 1. Can you name this AC/DC classic?
2. A soundtrack album took the # 1 spot for 4 weeks starting the week of April 17th, 1982. This movie won 4 Academy Awards, including "Best Picture". It also spawned a # 1 single. One of the most famous scenes showed a group of runners in slow motion running on a beach near the surf. Can you name this # 1 soundtrack album?
3. Nine weeks is a long time to remain in the # 1 album spot, but this American performer from Indiana did it starting on the week of September 11, 1982. David Bowie's manager gave him a catchy stage name, which this performer, who was no fool (HINT! HINT! HINT!) really didn't like it and eventually reverted to his real name, but for this # 1 album he was still going by his stage name. What's the name of the 1982 # 1 album by this famous Indiana native?
4. This album was # 1 for two weeks starting the week of May 15, 1982. It was replaced at the top of the chart by Paul McCartney's "Tug Of War". The group took back the top spot two weeks later where it remained for an additional 7 weeks. The album title was named for the group who recorded it. It's a one word name. If you know what continent China is in. then you know the name of the group as well as the # 1 album title. So, what is it already?
5. The final # 1 album of 1982 was sitting at the top of the album chart for 14 weeks, 7 of them at the end of 1982. Their success continued well into February 1983, when it was finally replaced at the top of the album chart by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album. They are Australian (sort of) and had two # 1 single hits in '82 as well. This band won the 1983 Grammy Award for 'Best New Artist'. They come from the land down under and their name is...??? While you're at it, what's the name of their 1982 # 1 album?
ANSWERS
1. AC/DC was formed in 1973 and since then has sold nearly 71 million albums in the U.S. alone. The album, "For Those About To Rock We Salute You" was initially released in January 1981 and took almost a full year to make it to the top of the Billboard album chart, which it did for the week of December 26, 1981. It was the bands' 8th Australian album and 7th international studio release and was recorded in a rehearsal space on the outskirts of Paris, France. Not long after the album came out, AC/DC embarked on their first North American arena tour. You can check out the bands website at acdc.com.
2. "Chariots Of Fire" was the true story of two British athletes who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. One, a devout Scottish missionary who ran for God. The other, a Jewish student who ran for fame and to escape prejudice. The film starred Ben Cross, Ian Holm and Ian Charleson. Vangelis wrote the music and had a # 1 Hit with the title theme as well as winning an Oscar for "Best original Score".
3. That would be John 'Cougar' Mellencamp's hot hit album, "American Fool". The name Johnny Cougar was given to him by David Bowie's manager Tony deFries. "American Fool" was the last album released still using that name before he reverted to his real name John Mellencamp. Mellencamp scored two Top 5 hits in 1982 from the "American Fool" album - "Hurts So Good", which made it to # 2, and Mellencamps' first # 1 single, "Jack & Diane".
4. It's "Asia" which was formed in 1981 from various other bands, including Yes, King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe and Carl Palmer were the original members of Asia. The debut self-titled"Asia" album sold 10 million copies worldwide and featured two hit singles, "Heat Of The Moment", which went to # 4 on the singles chart, and "Only Time Will Tell", which only made it to # 17.
5. The Australian group Men At Work (although lead singer/songwriter Colin Hay is actually Scottish) had the final # 1 album of 1982 with "Business As Usual". In 1982, their two # 1 hit singles were "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under". Men At Work performed "Down Under" during the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
QUESTIONS
1. This was the first # 1 album in 1982. It was the week of January 9th and this album by Australian rockers AC/DC had also been the last # 1 album in 1981. It was produced by Mutt Lange, the former husband of Shania Twain. It took nearly a year for this album to make # 1. Can you name this AC/DC classic?
2. A soundtrack album took the # 1 spot for 4 weeks starting the week of April 17th, 1982. This movie won 4 Academy Awards, including "Best Picture". It also spawned a # 1 single. One of the most famous scenes showed a group of runners in slow motion running on a beach near the surf. Can you name this # 1 soundtrack album?
3. Nine weeks is a long time to remain in the # 1 album spot, but this American performer from Indiana did it starting on the week of September 11, 1982. David Bowie's manager gave him a catchy stage name, which this performer, who was no fool (HINT! HINT! HINT!) really didn't like it and eventually reverted to his real name, but for this # 1 album he was still going by his stage name. What's the name of the 1982 # 1 album by this famous Indiana native?
4. This album was # 1 for two weeks starting the week of May 15, 1982. It was replaced at the top of the chart by Paul McCartney's "Tug Of War". The group took back the top spot two weeks later where it remained for an additional 7 weeks. The album title was named for the group who recorded it. It's a one word name. If you know what continent China is in. then you know the name of the group as well as the # 1 album title. So, what is it already?
5. The final # 1 album of 1982 was sitting at the top of the album chart for 14 weeks, 7 of them at the end of 1982. Their success continued well into February 1983, when it was finally replaced at the top of the album chart by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album. They are Australian (sort of) and had two # 1 single hits in '82 as well. This band won the 1983 Grammy Award for 'Best New Artist'. They come from the land down under and their name is...??? While you're at it, what's the name of their 1982 # 1 album?
ANSWERS
1. AC/DC was formed in 1973 and since then has sold nearly 71 million albums in the U.S. alone. The album, "For Those About To Rock We Salute You" was initially released in January 1981 and took almost a full year to make it to the top of the Billboard album chart, which it did for the week of December 26, 1981. It was the bands' 8th Australian album and 7th international studio release and was recorded in a rehearsal space on the outskirts of Paris, France. Not long after the album came out, AC/DC embarked on their first North American arena tour. You can check out the bands website at acdc.com.
2. "Chariots Of Fire" was the true story of two British athletes who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. One, a devout Scottish missionary who ran for God. The other, a Jewish student who ran for fame and to escape prejudice. The film starred Ben Cross, Ian Holm and Ian Charleson. Vangelis wrote the music and had a # 1 Hit with the title theme as well as winning an Oscar for "Best original Score".
3. That would be John 'Cougar' Mellencamp's hot hit album, "American Fool". The name Johnny Cougar was given to him by David Bowie's manager Tony deFries. "American Fool" was the last album released still using that name before he reverted to his real name John Mellencamp. Mellencamp scored two Top 5 hits in 1982 from the "American Fool" album - "Hurts So Good", which made it to # 2, and Mellencamps' first # 1 single, "Jack & Diane".
4. It's "Asia" which was formed in 1981 from various other bands, including Yes, King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe and Carl Palmer were the original members of Asia. The debut self-titled"Asia" album sold 10 million copies worldwide and featured two hit singles, "Heat Of The Moment", which went to # 4 on the singles chart, and "Only Time Will Tell", which only made it to # 17.
5. The Australian group Men At Work (although lead singer/songwriter Colin Hay is actually Scottish) had the final # 1 album of 1982 with "Business As Usual". In 1982, their two # 1 hit singles were "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under". Men At Work performed "Down Under" during the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Monday, December 19, 2011
CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY HITS
Well, we're almost at the end of 2011. A new year will soon be upon us. I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday to all those readers who doesn't celebrate Christmas.
This week I thought we'd ask about some of the classic Christmas/Holiday songs of the past 50 years or so and since most of these songs still get played on the radio during this time of year, they're fairly easy questions.
Hopefully everyone's in a holiday mood, so let's have a holly, jolly fun time.
QUESTIONS
1. Elvis Presley took this 'Blue' song to # 1 for two weeks on the Christmas singles chart in 1964. It comes back every year and is one of the top songs of the season. Can you name thhis holiday tune?
2. They're starring in a movie right now, but back in December of 1958, this group of 'furry little animals' had the # 1 song on the singles chart. Who are they and what was their # 1 Christmas hit?
3. Brenda Mae Tarpley was 16 when her 'dynamite' Christmas song hit # 14 on the Pop singles chart and we've been 'rockin' to that holiday hit every year since. Can you guess the song as well as the name Brenda Mae changed to? (HINT: She also scored a dozen Top ten hits throughout her career which began in the 1950's. In 1960, she hit # 1 twice.)
4. In 1984, a group of rock and pop stars from England and Ireland got together in a London studio and recorded a charity Christmas single that raised millions for African famine relief. What was the name of the song and the group of stars who recorded it?
5. He's a huge movie star these days, although his most recent film was severly panned by many critics. Several of his movies have grossed over one hundred million dollars each. Before moving to Hollywood, he was a TV cast member on one of NBC TV's longest running series, which is where he performed his only holiday hit, which reached the Top 10 in 1995. WHo is this performer and what was his holiday hit?
ANSWERS
1. 'The King' of rock'n'roll saw his recording of "Blue Christmas" hit the top of the Christmas singles chart in December of 1964.
2. The Chipmunks were the creation of Ross Bagdasarian, who used the stage name David Seville. Simon, Alvin and Theodore were named after executives at Liberty Records in Hollywood, where Ross aka David recorded. The chipmunk 'sound'was created by recording the background musicians at normal speed, then playing the tape at a slower speed while David / Ross recorded his 'chipmunk' vocals at normal speed. The tape was then brought back to regular speed and while the music sounded normal, the voices were sped up, thus 'chipmunky' and The Chipmunk Song" was born. There latest movie, "Chipwrecked" is in theatres now.
3. The song was "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" as sung by Brenda Lee, the former Brenda Mae Tarpley. Brenda was born on December 11, 1944 in Lithonia, Georgia. She signed with Decca Records in 1956 and first hit the charts the following year when she was only 13 years old. Her nickname back then was 'Little Miss Dynamite'. In 1960, her two # 1 hits were: "I'm Sorry" and "I Want To Be Wanted". In 1964, Brenda took another holiday song, "Jingle Bell Rock" to # 8 on the Christmas singles chart.
4. All those stars, which included Paul mcCartney, Phil Collins, Sting, Bono and George Michael, going under the name Band Aid recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas" at the Sarm West Studios in the Notting Hill district of London in November of 1984. "Do They Know It's Christmas" had been written by Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox and when it was released, sold a million copies in its first week. The single raised millions for African famine relief efforts.
5. That would be Adam Sandler, who was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" from 1990 to 1995, which was where he performed "The Chanukah Song". Some of Adam's hit movies include "Happy Gilmour", "The Wedding Singer", "Mr. Deeds", "50 First Dates" and "You Don't Mess With The Zohan". His current film, "Jack and Jill" is not getting good reviews from film critics.
This week I thought we'd ask about some of the classic Christmas/Holiday songs of the past 50 years or so and since most of these songs still get played on the radio during this time of year, they're fairly easy questions.
Hopefully everyone's in a holiday mood, so let's have a holly, jolly fun time.
QUESTIONS
1. Elvis Presley took this 'Blue' song to # 1 for two weeks on the Christmas singles chart in 1964. It comes back every year and is one of the top songs of the season. Can you name thhis holiday tune?
2. They're starring in a movie right now, but back in December of 1958, this group of 'furry little animals' had the # 1 song on the singles chart. Who are they and what was their # 1 Christmas hit?
3. Brenda Mae Tarpley was 16 when her 'dynamite' Christmas song hit # 14 on the Pop singles chart and we've been 'rockin' to that holiday hit every year since. Can you guess the song as well as the name Brenda Mae changed to? (HINT: She also scored a dozen Top ten hits throughout her career which began in the 1950's. In 1960, she hit # 1 twice.)
4. In 1984, a group of rock and pop stars from England and Ireland got together in a London studio and recorded a charity Christmas single that raised millions for African famine relief. What was the name of the song and the group of stars who recorded it?
5. He's a huge movie star these days, although his most recent film was severly panned by many critics. Several of his movies have grossed over one hundred million dollars each. Before moving to Hollywood, he was a TV cast member on one of NBC TV's longest running series, which is where he performed his only holiday hit, which reached the Top 10 in 1995. WHo is this performer and what was his holiday hit?
ANSWERS
1. 'The King' of rock'n'roll saw his recording of "Blue Christmas" hit the top of the Christmas singles chart in December of 1964.
2. The Chipmunks were the creation of Ross Bagdasarian, who used the stage name David Seville. Simon, Alvin and Theodore were named after executives at Liberty Records in Hollywood, where Ross aka David recorded. The chipmunk 'sound'was created by recording the background musicians at normal speed, then playing the tape at a slower speed while David / Ross recorded his 'chipmunk' vocals at normal speed. The tape was then brought back to regular speed and while the music sounded normal, the voices were sped up, thus 'chipmunky' and The Chipmunk Song" was born. There latest movie, "Chipwrecked" is in theatres now.
3. The song was "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" as sung by Brenda Lee, the former Brenda Mae Tarpley. Brenda was born on December 11, 1944 in Lithonia, Georgia. She signed with Decca Records in 1956 and first hit the charts the following year when she was only 13 years old. Her nickname back then was 'Little Miss Dynamite'. In 1960, her two # 1 hits were: "I'm Sorry" and "I Want To Be Wanted". In 1964, Brenda took another holiday song, "Jingle Bell Rock" to # 8 on the Christmas singles chart.
4. All those stars, which included Paul mcCartney, Phil Collins, Sting, Bono and George Michael, going under the name Band Aid recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas" at the Sarm West Studios in the Notting Hill district of London in November of 1984. "Do They Know It's Christmas" had been written by Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox and when it was released, sold a million copies in its first week. The single raised millions for African famine relief efforts.
5. That would be Adam Sandler, who was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" from 1990 to 1995, which was where he performed "The Chanukah Song". Some of Adam's hit movies include "Happy Gilmour", "The Wedding Singer", "Mr. Deeds", "50 First Dates" and "You Don't Mess With The Zohan". His current film, "Jack and Jill" is not getting good reviews from film critics.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Rolling Stone Rock Trivia
Rolling Stone Magazine has been around since 1967. It's still an important magazine for breaking political stories and for its profiles of, and interviews with, rock musicians. The magazine has gone through several changes over the decades, but continues to be very successful. Many now world famous individuals started with Rolling Stone, including photographer Annie Leibowitz; Writer Hunter S. Thompson was a major political writer for Rolling Stone (Johnny Depp's latest movie "The Rum Diary" was an adaptation of a novel written by the late gonzo journalist). Cameron Crowe, wrote and directed "Almost Famous" about his time as a Rolling Stone jornalist. Crowe also directed the films "Jerry Maguire", "Elizabethtown", "Vanilla Sky" and 2011's "We Bought A Zoo" starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson. Joe Eszterhas was a longtime featured writer for Rolling Stone. His movie writing credits include "Flashdance", "Basic Instinct", "Nowhere To Run', "Showgirls" and his latest, "Lust", due to be released in 2012. Recently, the company published a book of trivia titled "Rolling Stone Rock Trivia". It's 120 pages with hundreds of questions spanning six decades of rock history. It's available at your favourite book or magazine store right now. This time out, I thought we'd quiz you with questions about Rolling Stone Magazine itself. They're all fairly easy, so give them a whirl.
QUESTIONS:
1. Which member of The Beatles was the first to have his picture featured on Rolling Stone Issue # 1?
2. Rolling Stone Magazine recently published a list of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time. Who made # 1 on the list? (HINT: and not by the skin of his teeth either).
3. Who was the co-founder of Rolling Stone Magazine? He's still listed today as editor and publisher.
4. In What city did Rolling Stone originate? (HINT: It was the home to Flower Power and the hippie movement).
5. It was considered an important milestone in your career to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. One band, who at that point had NOT made the cover, recorded a hit song about it that debuted on the charts in late 1972. Can you name the song and the group?
ANSWERS:
1. Rolling Stone used a film still of John Lennon in his uniform as "Sergeant Gripweed" from Richard Lester's 1966 movie, How I Won The War" on the cover of Issue # 1 dated November 9, 1967. One of the most iconic Rolling Stone covers features a naked John Lennon wrapped around his wife Yoko Ono, who was clothed, for the issue dated January 22, 1981, a month and several weeks after Lennon had been shot and killed in New York City.
2. The # 1 Guitarist, according to the guitarists Rolling Stone Magazine polled, was Jimi Hendrix, who occasionally would play his guitar with his teeth. The rest of the Top Ten included Eric Clapton (#2), Jimmy Page (#3), Keith Richards (#4), Jeff Beck (#5), B.B. King (#6), Chuck Berry (#7), Eddie Van Halen (#8), Duane Allman (#9) and Pete Townshend (#10).
3. A young Jann Wenner (pronounced 'yawn') borrowed several thousand dollars from his family and founded Straight Arrow Publishers Inc with Rolling Stone Magazine as its first (and for many years, it's Only) publication. Jazz and pop music critic and writer Ralph J. Gleason was the co-founder. Gleason died in 1975. The company is now called Wenner Media Inc. and along with Rolling Stone Magazine, publishes US Weekly and Men's Journal magazines.
4. These days, Rolling Stone Magazine's headquarters are in New York City, but back in 1967, Jann Wenner and company launched the magazine from San Francisco. They moved to New York in 1977. Jann Wenner had been born in New York in January of 1946, but his family moved to San Francisco while Jann was still an infant.
5. Who could forget the lyrics to that 1973 Dr. Hook hit "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", a song written by humourist Shel Silverstein, a longtime contributor to Playboy Magazine. The song made it as far as # 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Dr. Hook, although in caricature form, did make the cover of Rolling Stone on March 29, 1973. The cover copy read "What's-Their-Names Make The Cover".
QUESTIONS:
1. Which member of The Beatles was the first to have his picture featured on Rolling Stone Issue # 1?
2. Rolling Stone Magazine recently published a list of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time. Who made # 1 on the list? (HINT: and not by the skin of his teeth either).
3. Who was the co-founder of Rolling Stone Magazine? He's still listed today as editor and publisher.
4. In What city did Rolling Stone originate? (HINT: It was the home to Flower Power and the hippie movement).
5. It was considered an important milestone in your career to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. One band, who at that point had NOT made the cover, recorded a hit song about it that debuted on the charts in late 1972. Can you name the song and the group?
ANSWERS:
1. Rolling Stone used a film still of John Lennon in his uniform as "Sergeant Gripweed" from Richard Lester's 1966 movie, How I Won The War" on the cover of Issue # 1 dated November 9, 1967. One of the most iconic Rolling Stone covers features a naked John Lennon wrapped around his wife Yoko Ono, who was clothed, for the issue dated January 22, 1981, a month and several weeks after Lennon had been shot and killed in New York City.
2. The # 1 Guitarist, according to the guitarists Rolling Stone Magazine polled, was Jimi Hendrix, who occasionally would play his guitar with his teeth. The rest of the Top Ten included Eric Clapton (#2), Jimmy Page (#3), Keith Richards (#4), Jeff Beck (#5), B.B. King (#6), Chuck Berry (#7), Eddie Van Halen (#8), Duane Allman (#9) and Pete Townshend (#10).
3. A young Jann Wenner (pronounced 'yawn') borrowed several thousand dollars from his family and founded Straight Arrow Publishers Inc with Rolling Stone Magazine as its first (and for many years, it's Only) publication. Jazz and pop music critic and writer Ralph J. Gleason was the co-founder. Gleason died in 1975. The company is now called Wenner Media Inc. and along with Rolling Stone Magazine, publishes US Weekly and Men's Journal magazines.
4. These days, Rolling Stone Magazine's headquarters are in New York City, but back in 1967, Jann Wenner and company launched the magazine from San Francisco. They moved to New York in 1977. Jann Wenner had been born in New York in January of 1946, but his family moved to San Francisco while Jann was still an infant.
5. Who could forget the lyrics to that 1973 Dr. Hook hit "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", a song written by humourist Shel Silverstein, a longtime contributor to Playboy Magazine. The song made it as far as # 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Dr. Hook, although in caricature form, did make the cover of Rolling Stone on March 29, 1973. The cover copy read "What's-Their-Names Make The Cover".
Friday, November 18, 2011
NEIL YOUNG
Neil Young celebrated his 66th birthday on November 12. So, for this episode of our trivia quiz, our questions are all about Neil. For the record, Neil Young was born in Toronto, Ontario, (Canada for those reading out of the country). When his parents split up, he moved to Winnipeg with his mother, which is where he began his music career in earnest. He later returned to Toronto, then to Los Angeles and world wide stardom. Hey, even if you're not a died-in-the-wool Neil Young fan, this quiz will be fun and if you know your music, relatively easy.
Here we go.
QUESTIONS:
1. Neil Young first came to international fame as a member of Buffalo Springfield, but before that, he was in a Toronto group with Rick James (Yes, the Motown "Superfreak" himself). What was the name of this Canadian band?
2. Buffalo Springfield's first Top 10 hit on the charts was 1967's "For What It's Worth (Hey What's That Sound)". The original members of Buffalo Springfield were Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin and Bruce Palmer. Palmer was replaced by Jim Messina after 2 albums. When the band broke up in 1968, Stills and Young became part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Richie Furay and Jim Messina co-founded a folk/rock group that charted 13 hits between 1970 and 1989, although they only ever had 2 Top 20 hits. "Crazy", huh? Two of this groups' members later left to join The Eagles. Can you name this folk rock band?
3. Which southern U.S. rockers recorded a Top 10 hit in response to several of Neil's songs about the south?
4. Neil never really forgot his roots in Canada and has written several songs that mention his home and native land. We're looking for two specific songs. Can you name either one?
5. Neil's father was also famous, although he didn't write songs. What did he do for a living?
ANSWERS
1. The Mynah Birds was the groups' name. RIck James went on to success at Motown; Neil Young drove down to Los Angeles in a hearse, which is where he connected with Stephen Stills on the Sunset strip. The rest is music history.
2. Poco was the name of the group. Their biggest hit was 1979's "Crazy Love" which made it to # 17 on Billboards' Hot 100 chart. Two Poco members, Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmidt, who were in the band at different times, both ended up as members of The Eagles.
3. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote and recorded "Sweet Home Alabama" in answer to Neil's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". In "Sweet Home Alabama", the lyrics say, "Well I heard Mr. Young sing about her. Well, I heard ole Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember. A southern man don't need him around nyhow." "Sweet Home Alabama" hit its peak spot, # 8 in the fall of 1974.
4. "Helpless" is one. Those lyrics are: "There's a town in north Ontario..." The town Neil's refering to is Omemee, near Peterborough. The second song we were looking for is "Journey Through The Past". Those lyrics are: "Now I'm going back to Canada. On a journey through the past. And I won't be back until February comes."
5. Scott Young was a Canadian journalist, sports writer and novelist. Scott moved to Toronto in 1941, where he worked for the Canadian Press. After World War II, Scott joined Macleans Magazine, but left in 1948 to write fiction. He later worked for the Globe and Mail newspaper as well as The Toronto Telegram, where he was Sports Editor. Scott Young is inseveral Halls of Fame and in 1993, the Scott Young Public School was named in his honour in Omemee. Scott Young passed
away at 87 in 2004.
Here we go.
QUESTIONS:
1. Neil Young first came to international fame as a member of Buffalo Springfield, but before that, he was in a Toronto group with Rick James (Yes, the Motown "Superfreak" himself). What was the name of this Canadian band?
2. Buffalo Springfield's first Top 10 hit on the charts was 1967's "For What It's Worth (Hey What's That Sound)". The original members of Buffalo Springfield were Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin and Bruce Palmer. Palmer was replaced by Jim Messina after 2 albums. When the band broke up in 1968, Stills and Young became part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Richie Furay and Jim Messina co-founded a folk/rock group that charted 13 hits between 1970 and 1989, although they only ever had 2 Top 20 hits. "Crazy", huh? Two of this groups' members later left to join The Eagles. Can you name this folk rock band?
3. Which southern U.S. rockers recorded a Top 10 hit in response to several of Neil's songs about the south?
4. Neil never really forgot his roots in Canada and has written several songs that mention his home and native land. We're looking for two specific songs. Can you name either one?
5. Neil's father was also famous, although he didn't write songs. What did he do for a living?
ANSWERS
1. The Mynah Birds was the groups' name. RIck James went on to success at Motown; Neil Young drove down to Los Angeles in a hearse, which is where he connected with Stephen Stills on the Sunset strip. The rest is music history.
2. Poco was the name of the group. Their biggest hit was 1979's "Crazy Love" which made it to # 17 on Billboards' Hot 100 chart. Two Poco members, Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmidt, who were in the band at different times, both ended up as members of The Eagles.
3. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote and recorded "Sweet Home Alabama" in answer to Neil's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". In "Sweet Home Alabama", the lyrics say, "Well I heard Mr. Young sing about her. Well, I heard ole Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember. A southern man don't need him around nyhow." "Sweet Home Alabama" hit its peak spot, # 8 in the fall of 1974.
4. "Helpless" is one. Those lyrics are: "There's a town in north Ontario..." The town Neil's refering to is Omemee, near Peterborough. The second song we were looking for is "Journey Through The Past". Those lyrics are: "Now I'm going back to Canada. On a journey through the past. And I won't be back until February comes."
5. Scott Young was a Canadian journalist, sports writer and novelist. Scott moved to Toronto in 1941, where he worked for the Canadian Press. After World War II, Scott joined Macleans Magazine, but left in 1948 to write fiction. He later worked for the Globe and Mail newspaper as well as The Toronto Telegram, where he was Sports Editor. Scott Young is inseveral Halls of Fame and in 1993, the Scott Young Public School was named in his honour in Omemee. Scott Young passed
away at 87 in 2004.
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