I was watching a hit TV show the other night and just happened to be taping the end credits. I saw a name I recognized as the person who'd written the theme song. I had no idea that he'd done this theme, so that got me to thinking about other TV show themes written by musicians you might not have thought did those things. Now, I'm not talking about the CSI franchise that uses The Who's songs for their themes. These are, for the most part, original theme songs written for the specific programs although for the purpose of this quiz, one of the themes was re-recorded from a hit song.
So that's the basis of this week's quiz. Hopefully, I explained it well enough...so as Jackie Gleason used to say when he finished his opening monologue and segued into the rest of his weekly TV program..."And away we go".
QUESTIONS:
1. The theme from "The Office", the North American version (not the Ricky Gervais British original), starts with a short, catchy piano tune. It's a very distinctive theme. There are no words, but none are really needed. The composer of "The Office" theme is a former member of the rock groups Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne and scored two Top hits on his own. In 1978, he went Top Ten with "Thunder Island" and in '79 'Cruised' into the Top 40 with his second chart hit. Can you name this artist/TV theme composer?
2. Unfortunately, this singer/songwriter recently passed away, but during his career, he had one Top Ten hit and one that made the Top 30. His father and mother were famous musicians, although not in the rock field, and this artist wrote the themes for not one, but two successful TV series. One featured three 'Golden Girls' in Florida and the other theme was for a hit series set in New York starring Paul Riser and Helen Hunt. Big props if you can name the singer/songwriter AND the two hit series his songs were featured in as the theme.
3. "You're gonna make it after all" is a lyric that was made famous as part of the theme song for a super successful TV series starring a female actress who worked in a fictional TV newsroom with an angry boss and a kinda-sorta dumb anchorman. The series was usually # 1 during its run from 1970 until 1977. The theme was titled, "Love IS All Around" and another lyric from the theme was "Who can turn the world on with a smile. Who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile." Sure, now you know the theme don't you? Ok, here's the tough part. Who wrote and sang that theme? (HINT: Think Buddy Holly, but remember he died in a plane crash in 1959).
4. The Disney Channel hit TV series "Hanna Montana" starred Miley Cyrus as a average everyday teen who lived a secret life as a pop star. The theme song that ran at the beginning of every episode was called "Best of Both Worlds" and was co-written by a man who had two Top Ten hits and a couple of other lesser hits during the late 1980's, early '90's. Who co-wrote the "Hanna Montana" theme song? (HINT: It's not singer Aaron Neville, but the name is somewhat similar).
5. Women tuned in to this hit TV series to see Bo and Luke, but men were glued to the screen when Daisy came on with her tight fitting outfits. This series, set in the southern U.S., also featured a famous car painted like a Confederate flag. The theme song was written and sung by a country music legend, who also narrated this series. Can you name both the singer and the TV series?
ANSWERS:
1. Jay Ferguson, the man who had a Top Ten hit in 1978 with "Thunder Island" and a Top 40 hit in 1979 with the song "Shakedown Cruise" is the gentleman who wrote the catchy theme for "The Office".
2. The late Andrew Gold wrote the theme for Paul Riser's TV series, "Mad About You" that ran from 1992 until 1999. The song was called "Final Frontier". Andrew's prior success was when his # 25 hit, "Thank You For Being A Friend' was adapted as the theme to "The Golden Girls" which aired between 1985 until 1992. Andrew Gold died on June 3 of this year at the age of 59. His father was Academy Award winning composer Ernest Gold and his mother, Marni Nixon, supplied the singing voice for actresses such as Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady", Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" and Deborah Kerr in "The King And I". Gold had played on records by and toured with Linda Ronstadt from 1973 until '77 and then occasionally during the '80's and '90's.
3. The Mary Tyler Moore theme song, "Love Is All Around", was written and performed by Sonny Curtis, who was the lead guitar player in Buddy Holly's Crickets. Sonny was also in Buddy's pre-Crickets group, The Three Tunes. After Buddy's plane crash, Sonny worked with The Everly Brothers. He's written several hit songs, including "I Fought The Law" which was a hit for the Bobby Fuller Four; "Walk Right Back" recorded by The Everly Brothers; "More Than I Can Say' which was a minor hit in 1961 for Bobby Vee and in 1980, went to # 2 with a version by Leo Sayer. Sonny also co-wrote the # 1 country hit, "I'm No Stranger To The Rain", sung by Keith Whitely. His songs have been recorded by Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Perry Como and Andy Williams as well as The Clash and Dead Kennedys.
4. Robbie Nevil and co-writer Matthew Gerrard wrote the "Hanna Montana" theme song, "Best of Both Worlds". Robbie's biggest hit, 1988's "C'est La Vie", went to # 2 on Billboard's singles chart.
5. The title song to "The Dukes of Hazard" TV series was written and performed by Waylon Jennings, who was credited as "The Balladeer". The hit TV show aired from 1979 to 1985 and Waylon's work was featured in 132 episodes, ironically more than episodes than the two stars, John Schneider and Tom Wopat, who are credited on 128 programs. The two held out for more money and left the show for a time. There were 146 episodes in the series in total. The Dukes car, known as the General Lee was featured in 142 episodes.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Hurray! Huzzah! Whooppee!!!
The Collingwood Elvis Festival is finally here (Thursday July 21 to Sunday July 24th), so if you're in the Collingwood, Ontario area (oh heck, even if you're in Columbus Ohio or Hartford, Connecticut), c'mon up to Collingwood and join in the celebrations of the King of Rock and Roll. There are hundreds of Elvis Tribute artists to enjoy, lots of incredible music and plenty of fun, fun, fun (wait that was a Beach Boys song, not an Elvis one).
True Elvis fans will once again have no problems with any of these questions.
QUESTIONS:
1. While living and filming movies in Hollywood during the 1960's, Elvis met The Beatles. True or false?
2. Elvis worked with many female actresses throughout his movie career, including Barbara Stanwyck (1964's "Roustabout"), Tuesday Weld (1961's "Wild In The Country"), Mary Tyler Moore (1969's "Change Of Habit"), Shelley Fabares (1965's "Girl Happy",'66's "Spinout" & '67's "Clambake") and Ann-Margaret (1964's "Viva Las Vegas"). Which one of the following three actresses did Elvis NOT work with in any of his movies: a. Mary Tyler Moore b. Nancy Sinatra c. Ava Gardner
3. In 1968 Elvis starred in a TV special for Singer Sewing Machines as the sponsor. It later became known as the Comeback Special, but it was simply titled "Elvis", Which television network aired this special?
4. Where did Elvis and Priscella get married?
5. Linda Thompson was Elvis' girlfriend from 1972 until '76. Although she never married Elvis, she did later marry two other famous men (separately of course). One was an Olympic champion and the other was a 15 time Grammy Award winner. Can you name these two former husbands of Linda Thompson?
ANSWERS:
1. You betcha those musical icons of the 1960's met. Elvis was living at 565 Perugia Way in Bel-Air (an exclusive area of Los Angeles) and on Friday night, August 27, 1965, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr came a-callin'. They arrived at 10 o'clock at night, stayed until 2AM and a good time was had by all.
2. No trick question this time. The correct answer is c. Ava Gardner, although Ava DID co-star in a real-life marriage with another music idol. From 1951 until '57, she was married to Frank Sinatra. It was Ava's third and final marriage. Frank's daughter Nancy Sinatra (from his previous marriage) co-starred with Elvis in 1968's "Speedway"
3. NBC aired the "Elvis" special. NBC and RCA Victor, Elvis' record label, were both owned by General Electric so that may have helped NBC snag the King's special. Colonel Tom Parker had wanted Elvis to end the special with a Christmas tune, but producer Steve Binder convinced Elvis to sing a song especially written for the TV special called "If I Can Dream". "Elvis" aired at 9PM on December 3, 1958 and was the most watched TV special of 1968 by women 18 to 49 years of age.
4. Elvis and Priscilla Beaulieu became man and wife on May 1, 1967 in a suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The two honeymooned in Palm Springs, California, then moved into a mansion in Beverly Hills. They divorced in 1973.
5. Linda Thompson went on to marry Olympic Gold Medal decathlete Bruce Jenner (he's now Kim Kardashian's step-dad) in 1981. They had two sons and divorced in '84. In 1991, Linda married Canadian born musician, record producer and composer David Foster. She filed for divorce from David in 2005.
True Elvis fans will once again have no problems with any of these questions.
QUESTIONS:
1. While living and filming movies in Hollywood during the 1960's, Elvis met The Beatles. True or false?
2. Elvis worked with many female actresses throughout his movie career, including Barbara Stanwyck (1964's "Roustabout"), Tuesday Weld (1961's "Wild In The Country"), Mary Tyler Moore (1969's "Change Of Habit"), Shelley Fabares (1965's "Girl Happy",'66's "Spinout" & '67's "Clambake") and Ann-Margaret (1964's "Viva Las Vegas"). Which one of the following three actresses did Elvis NOT work with in any of his movies: a. Mary Tyler Moore b. Nancy Sinatra c. Ava Gardner
3. In 1968 Elvis starred in a TV special for Singer Sewing Machines as the sponsor. It later became known as the Comeback Special, but it was simply titled "Elvis", Which television network aired this special?
4. Where did Elvis and Priscella get married?
5. Linda Thompson was Elvis' girlfriend from 1972 until '76. Although she never married Elvis, she did later marry two other famous men (separately of course). One was an Olympic champion and the other was a 15 time Grammy Award winner. Can you name these two former husbands of Linda Thompson?
ANSWERS:
1. You betcha those musical icons of the 1960's met. Elvis was living at 565 Perugia Way in Bel-Air (an exclusive area of Los Angeles) and on Friday night, August 27, 1965, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr came a-callin'. They arrived at 10 o'clock at night, stayed until 2AM and a good time was had by all.
2. No trick question this time. The correct answer is c. Ava Gardner, although Ava DID co-star in a real-life marriage with another music idol. From 1951 until '57, she was married to Frank Sinatra. It was Ava's third and final marriage. Frank's daughter Nancy Sinatra (from his previous marriage) co-starred with Elvis in 1968's "Speedway"
3. NBC aired the "Elvis" special. NBC and RCA Victor, Elvis' record label, were both owned by General Electric so that may have helped NBC snag the King's special. Colonel Tom Parker had wanted Elvis to end the special with a Christmas tune, but producer Steve Binder convinced Elvis to sing a song especially written for the TV special called "If I Can Dream". "Elvis" aired at 9PM on December 3, 1958 and was the most watched TV special of 1968 by women 18 to 49 years of age.
4. Elvis and Priscilla Beaulieu became man and wife on May 1, 1967 in a suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The two honeymooned in Palm Springs, California, then moved into a mansion in Beverly Hills. They divorced in 1973.
5. Linda Thompson went on to marry Olympic Gold Medal decathlete Bruce Jenner (he's now Kim Kardashian's step-dad) in 1981. They had two sons and divorced in '84. In 1991, Linda married Canadian born musician, record producer and composer David Foster. She filed for divorce from David in 2005.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Collingwood Elvis Festival
It's that wonderful time of year again. Time to celebrate all things Elvis. The annual Collingwood Elvis Festival is almost here, so in honour of 'The King of Rock 'N' Roll", for the next two weeks, the questions will be all about Elvis. True Elvis fans won't have a problem with any of these, so good luck.
Well, I guess there's not much else to say, except "thank you! Thank you very much!"
QUESTIONS
1. Elvis' mom Gladys was 46 when she died in 1958. Elvis was 42 when he died in 1977. At what age was Elvis' father when he passed away?
2. After Elvis received his draft notice in 1957, the Draft Board gave him a 60 day deferrment to complete a movie. Which movie was it?
3. Any Elvis fan knows that his full name is Elvis Aaron Presley (although his birth certificate issued by the state of Mississippi misspelled it as Aron. His Social Security card also spelled it Aron). He had a twin brother who died at birth. What was the full name of Elvis' twin?
4. Sam Phillips of Sun Records was the man who signed and recorded Elvis for the first time. His first release on Sun was "That's All Right". Which popular Memphis disc jockey played it for the very first time?
5. There are dozens of names that Elvis was given for various movies. One of the following three names was not an Elvis movie character's name. Can you guess the wrong one? a. Danny Fisher b. Lonnie Beale c. Jimmy Tomkins.
ANSWERS
1. Elvis' dad, Vernon Elvis Presley, died on June 26, 1979 at the age of 63. He outlived his son by less than two years.
2. The movie Elvis completed before he reported for induction into the U.S. Army was "King Creole". Elvis received a 60 day deferrment from the Army to finish the movie and reported for induction on March 24, 1958.
3. The full name of Elvis' twin was Jesse Garon Presley. He was delivered stillborn on January 8, 1935.
4. Although he wasn't related to Sam Phillips, the DJ's name was Dewey Phillips who worked at WHBQ in Memphis.
5. Sorry, this one was a trick question. Elvis played all three of these characters in various movies. Danny Fisher was the name of Elvis' character in 1958's "King Creole"; He played Lonnie Beale in "Tickle Me", released in 1965; Elvis played Jimmy Tomkins in 1956's "Loving You". It was only Elvis' second movie. A few of the other names Elvis was given for movie characters include: Clint Reno ("Love Me Tender"), Tulsa McLean ("G.I. Blues"), Pacer Burton ("Flaming Star") and Toby Kwimper ("Follow That Dream") .
Saturday, July 9, 2011
SUMMER
Just in case you hadn't noticed, summer is officially here (unless you live in Australia where it's now winter), so we thought this week we'd make our trivia quiz fit the season. As usual, there are 5 questions and each one is about a song with summer in the title. There's one question from the 1950's, '60's, '70's, '80's and '90's but they aren't in chronological order, so good luck.
QUESTIONS:
1. During the 1970's, there were a couple of 'summer' songs that made the singles chart, including "Summer Nights" from Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in 1978, "Summertime Blues" from The Who in 1970 and "Summer" by War in 1976, but the summer song we're looking for charted in 1972 from a duo that were former members of The Champs from 1958 until 1965. That's the group that had the 1958 hit "Tequila", although these two joined the band after the hit happened. One of them had a hit making brother who was also one half of a duo, if that helps at all. Think Summer and see if you can come up with the duo and the hit song that made it to # 6.
2. There'll be no tag days for this superstar. He easily made a successful transition from music to TV acting to movie star. He's originally from Philadelphia and, as part of a recording duo, had hits from 1986 until 1993 when he went solo, starred in a TV series based on his recording character, then hit the motherlode with film stardom. He's also scored three # 1 hits as a solo performer, two of which came from movies he starred in. In the summer of 1991, he and his musical partner had the biggest hit of their career with a 'summer' song. Can you name the this Ten hit as well as the name of the performer?
3. This singer/songwriter died at the age of 21, but not before he had 7 hits on the singles chart. His first hit, "Sittin' In The Balcony", came in 1957 and made it to # 18. His biggest though happened the following year (1958) when a song he wrote zoomed all the way up to # 8. Several other performers have recorded this hit, including Blue Cheer, The Who and country artist Alan Jackson. The question is - who's the artist and what was his 'summer' hit?
4. He was a founding member of a 'high flying' group that formerly backed up Linda Ronstadt on tour. Many, many hits from that group hit the charts, they were the darlings of both FM and AM radio. They famously broke up, saying they'd get back together "When Hell Freezes Over". Naturally, they did get back together and named their 1994 reunion album, "Hell Freezes Over". This performer also had a hugely successful solo career in the 1980's and '90's with 6 Top Ten hits (although he never made # 1, something his old band did 5 times in the 1970's. The song we're lookin for went Top 5 in 1985. So who's the performer and what was his 'summer' song? (HINT: If you think baseball, you'll be very close)
5. "Summertime", "A Summer Song", "Summer's Comin'" and "In The Summertime" are just four 'summer' songs from the 1960's. The song we're looking for though, came from a group that had 3 American members and 1 Canadian. This was their first and only # 1 hit. From 1965 until 1967, this group had 7 Top Ten hits. They supplied the musical for several '60's films, including Woody Allen's "Waht's Up Tiger Lily" and Francis Ford Coppolla's "You're A Big Boy Now". Can you name the group and their # 1 'summer' hit?
ANSWERS:
1. In 1972, Jim Seals and Dash Crofts, better known as Seals & Crofts, had the # 6 song with "Summer Breeze". Jim Seals brother, Dan Seals was one half of England Dan & John Ford COley, who had such hits in the '70's as "I'd Really Love To See You Again" and "Nights Are Forever Without You".
2. Before he became an 'A' list movie star, Will Smith was known as The Fresh Prince. In 1991, D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince took the song "Summertime" to # 4 on Billboards' Hot 100 singles chart. Two of the # 1 hits he had as a solo artist were "Men In Black" and "Wild Wild West", both films Will starred in.
3. In 1958, Eddie Cochrane recorded "Summertime Blues", which as the question states, has been covered by several other artists over the years. Cochrane died in a car crash during a British tour in 1960. While his recording career was short, his legacy lives on with songs he wrote, including "C'mon Everybody", being performed by the likes of The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The White Stripes and The Sex Pistols.
4. Don Henley, a founding member of The Eagles, took his solo song, "The Boys Of Summer" to # 5 on February 9, 1985.
5. The 1960's summer hit we were looking for was "Summer In The City" by The Lovin' Spoonful, which was # 1 during the week of August 13, 1966 and remained # 1 for 3 weeks. It was replaced by Donovan's "Sunshine Superman". The Lovin' Spoonful were lead singer and songwriter John Sebastian, Canadian Zal Yanovsky on lead guitar, Steve Butler on bass and drummer Joe Butler. The group was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and not a second too soon as Zal Yanovsky died two years later.
QUESTIONS:
1. During the 1970's, there were a couple of 'summer' songs that made the singles chart, including "Summer Nights" from Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in 1978, "Summertime Blues" from The Who in 1970 and "Summer" by War in 1976, but the summer song we're looking for charted in 1972 from a duo that were former members of The Champs from 1958 until 1965. That's the group that had the 1958 hit "Tequila", although these two joined the band after the hit happened. One of them had a hit making brother who was also one half of a duo, if that helps at all. Think Summer and see if you can come up with the duo and the hit song that made it to # 6.
2. There'll be no tag days for this superstar. He easily made a successful transition from music to TV acting to movie star. He's originally from Philadelphia and, as part of a recording duo, had hits from 1986 until 1993 when he went solo, starred in a TV series based on his recording character, then hit the motherlode with film stardom. He's also scored three # 1 hits as a solo performer, two of which came from movies he starred in. In the summer of 1991, he and his musical partner had the biggest hit of their career with a 'summer' song. Can you name the this Ten hit as well as the name of the performer?
3. This singer/songwriter died at the age of 21, but not before he had 7 hits on the singles chart. His first hit, "Sittin' In The Balcony", came in 1957 and made it to # 18. His biggest though happened the following year (1958) when a song he wrote zoomed all the way up to # 8. Several other performers have recorded this hit, including Blue Cheer, The Who and country artist Alan Jackson. The question is - who's the artist and what was his 'summer' hit?
4. He was a founding member of a 'high flying' group that formerly backed up Linda Ronstadt on tour. Many, many hits from that group hit the charts, they were the darlings of both FM and AM radio. They famously broke up, saying they'd get back together "When Hell Freezes Over". Naturally, they did get back together and named their 1994 reunion album, "Hell Freezes Over". This performer also had a hugely successful solo career in the 1980's and '90's with 6 Top Ten hits (although he never made # 1, something his old band did 5 times in the 1970's. The song we're lookin for went Top 5 in 1985. So who's the performer and what was his 'summer' song? (HINT: If you think baseball, you'll be very close)
5. "Summertime", "A Summer Song", "Summer's Comin'" and "In The Summertime" are just four 'summer' songs from the 1960's. The song we're looking for though, came from a group that had 3 American members and 1 Canadian. This was their first and only # 1 hit. From 1965 until 1967, this group had 7 Top Ten hits. They supplied the musical for several '60's films, including Woody Allen's "Waht's Up Tiger Lily" and Francis Ford Coppolla's "You're A Big Boy Now". Can you name the group and their # 1 'summer' hit?
ANSWERS:
1. In 1972, Jim Seals and Dash Crofts, better known as Seals & Crofts, had the # 6 song with "Summer Breeze". Jim Seals brother, Dan Seals was one half of England Dan & John Ford COley, who had such hits in the '70's as "I'd Really Love To See You Again" and "Nights Are Forever Without You".
2. Before he became an 'A' list movie star, Will Smith was known as The Fresh Prince. In 1991, D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince took the song "Summertime" to # 4 on Billboards' Hot 100 singles chart. Two of the # 1 hits he had as a solo artist were "Men In Black" and "Wild Wild West", both films Will starred in.
3. In 1958, Eddie Cochrane recorded "Summertime Blues", which as the question states, has been covered by several other artists over the years. Cochrane died in a car crash during a British tour in 1960. While his recording career was short, his legacy lives on with songs he wrote, including "C'mon Everybody", being performed by the likes of The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The White Stripes and The Sex Pistols.
4. Don Henley, a founding member of The Eagles, took his solo song, "The Boys Of Summer" to # 5 on February 9, 1985.
5. The 1960's summer hit we were looking for was "Summer In The City" by The Lovin' Spoonful, which was # 1 during the week of August 13, 1966 and remained # 1 for 3 weeks. It was replaced by Donovan's "Sunshine Superman". The Lovin' Spoonful were lead singer and songwriter John Sebastian, Canadian Zal Yanovsky on lead guitar, Steve Butler on bass and drummer Joe Butler. The group was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and not a second too soon as Zal Yanovsky died two years later.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
BROADWAY HITS THE CHARTS
Broadway's annual Tony Awards were awarded a few weeks back (anyone remember who won?), and we thought that it might be fun to test your musical knowledge about Broadway plays that launched hit songs. This won't be EVERY Broadway play from the beginning of time, that would be way too tough, but only those from 1960 on. And all of the hits were at least Top 30, so this weeks quiz shouldn't be all that difficult.
So get out your Playbill because the orchestra's tuning up and the curtain's about to rise.
QUESTIONS
1. "Grease" first hit Broadway in June of 1972 after its initial 1971 debut in Chicago and an Off Broadway run that started in February of '72. The play ran for 3,388 performances, a Broadway record until "A Chorus Line" surpassed it a few years later. It won 7 Tony Awards. Three of its biggest songs were not in the original play but were written when the play was made into a movie. It's since had one not-so-successful sequel that starred Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield (and what has he done lately?). So the question is, what song from "Grease" that was a Top 5 hit, was in the original play as well as the original movie?
2. This play starred Carol Channing (that should be enough to give it away right there) as a New York matchmaker and was first mounted on Broadway in 1964. That same year, a legendary jazzman took the title song straight to # 1 on the singles chart right at the height of Beatlemania. If you know the play, then you know the title of that # 1. So what was it and who was the jazz performer who took it to the top?
3. The actors got nude in this play (again, I just gave it away) and its subtitle was "The American Love-Rock Musical". No less than 4 songs became hits - One made it to # 1 while another went to # 4. A third was a # 3 hit and the fourth went to # 2. It should be easy to guess the title of this 1968 Broadway production which has been performed all over the world. There have been over a thousand vocal and or instrumental versions of songs from this hit play. So what's its name already?
4. She got her start on Broadway before becoming a Hollywood legend. She's a two time Academy Award winner and has 12 Grammy Awards, which includes a Lifetime Achivement Award, a Grammy Legend honour and two Hall of Fame Awards. Her Broadway debut was in the play "I Can Get it For You Wholesale" in 1962. After a highly successful album and several appearances on TV shows, she returned to Broadway in 1964 to star in "Funny Girl" as Fanny Brice, a part she also played in the hit movie version. This performer took one of the most famous songs from "Funny Girl" to # 5 on the singles chart in 1964. It became her signature song even though she's since had six # 1 hits. Can you name the singer and her first chart hit?
5. It was a play that launched the careers of Murray Head and Yvonne Elliman, although it began as an album BEFORE it was a play on Broadway and in London's West End. This 'rock opera' was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (OK I gave it away again) and two Top 30 hits came out of it. One, sung by Elliman, made it to # 28 and Murray Head took the title song to # 14 on the singles chart (although it took two separate attempts to achieve that success). The 'rock opera' eventually became a movie that was released in 1973 with Canadian Norman Jewison directing. A second film adaptation was released in 2000 and apparently yet a third version is due to be released in 2014. Can you name the album/play/movie?
ANSWERS
1. "Grease", "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and "You're The One That I want", all major hits, were NOT in the original Broadway production. They were written specifically for the film that starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The only hit that was in "Grease" from the beginning (and written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the co-creators), was "Summer Nights", sung by Travolta and Newton-John. That song went to # 5 on Billboards' Hot 100 chart in 1978. Both the title song, sung by Frankie Valli and "You're The One That I Want", sung by John & Newton-John were # 1 hits.
2. If you said "Hello Dolly" by Louis Armstrong, then you really know your Broadway. Louis' version was # 1 for the week of May 9,1964 and replaced The Beatles "Can't BUy Me Love" which had been # 1 for the previous 5 weeks. Louie was 63 at the time and his # 1 hit was replaced the next week by Mary Wells and "My Guy". Louis Armstrong died 2 days after his 71st birthday on July 6, 1971. The Broadway version of "Hello Dolly" won 11 Tony Awards in its first run. The movie version starred former Broadway legend Barbra Streisand.
3. The play was "Hair" and the four hits included the 1969 title song sung by The Cowsills (# 2); Three Dog Night took "Easy To Be Hard" to # 4 also in '69 while Oliver sang "Good Morning Sunshine" (# 3). The biggest hit from "Hair" was the Fifth Dimensions' version of "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" which was # 1 for six weeks beginning with the week of April 12, 1969.
4. Barbra Streisand starred in "Funny Girl" on Broadway and on film and in 1964, made her debut on the Billboard singles chart with the play's signature song "People". Barbra's most recent movie role is that of Roz Focker, the mother of Ben Stiller's character of Gaylord Focker in "Meet The Fockers" and "Little Fockers".
5. "Jesus Christ SUperstar" is the correct answer to this question. Yvonne Elliman, who performed on the original album and on Broadway, is best known for her 1978 # 1 hit, "If I Can't Have You" from "Saturday Night Fever". Murray Head's first release of "Superstar"in 1970 only made it as far as # 74. A re-release the following year saw the song zoom up to # 14on the singles chart. In 1985, Head hit the charts again with "one Night In Bangkok" which went to # 3. That song was from the musical project "Chess" and was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Alvaeus of ABBA fame along with Murray's old "Jesus Christ Superstar" pal, Tim Rice.
So, how'd you do?
So get out your Playbill because the orchestra's tuning up and the curtain's about to rise.
QUESTIONS
1. "Grease" first hit Broadway in June of 1972 after its initial 1971 debut in Chicago and an Off Broadway run that started in February of '72. The play ran for 3,388 performances, a Broadway record until "A Chorus Line" surpassed it a few years later. It won 7 Tony Awards. Three of its biggest songs were not in the original play but were written when the play was made into a movie. It's since had one not-so-successful sequel that starred Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield (and what has he done lately?). So the question is, what song from "Grease" that was a Top 5 hit, was in the original play as well as the original movie?
2. This play starred Carol Channing (that should be enough to give it away right there) as a New York matchmaker and was first mounted on Broadway in 1964. That same year, a legendary jazzman took the title song straight to # 1 on the singles chart right at the height of Beatlemania. If you know the play, then you know the title of that # 1. So what was it and who was the jazz performer who took it to the top?
3. The actors got nude in this play (again, I just gave it away) and its subtitle was "The American Love-Rock Musical". No less than 4 songs became hits - One made it to # 1 while another went to # 4. A third was a # 3 hit and the fourth went to # 2. It should be easy to guess the title of this 1968 Broadway production which has been performed all over the world. There have been over a thousand vocal and or instrumental versions of songs from this hit play. So what's its name already?
4. She got her start on Broadway before becoming a Hollywood legend. She's a two time Academy Award winner and has 12 Grammy Awards, which includes a Lifetime Achivement Award, a Grammy Legend honour and two Hall of Fame Awards. Her Broadway debut was in the play "I Can Get it For You Wholesale" in 1962. After a highly successful album and several appearances on TV shows, she returned to Broadway in 1964 to star in "Funny Girl" as Fanny Brice, a part she also played in the hit movie version. This performer took one of the most famous songs from "Funny Girl" to # 5 on the singles chart in 1964. It became her signature song even though she's since had six # 1 hits. Can you name the singer and her first chart hit?
5. It was a play that launched the careers of Murray Head and Yvonne Elliman, although it began as an album BEFORE it was a play on Broadway and in London's West End. This 'rock opera' was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (OK I gave it away again) and two Top 30 hits came out of it. One, sung by Elliman, made it to # 28 and Murray Head took the title song to # 14 on the singles chart (although it took two separate attempts to achieve that success). The 'rock opera' eventually became a movie that was released in 1973 with Canadian Norman Jewison directing. A second film adaptation was released in 2000 and apparently yet a third version is due to be released in 2014. Can you name the album/play/movie?
ANSWERS
1. "Grease", "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and "You're The One That I want", all major hits, were NOT in the original Broadway production. They were written specifically for the film that starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The only hit that was in "Grease" from the beginning (and written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the co-creators), was "Summer Nights", sung by Travolta and Newton-John. That song went to # 5 on Billboards' Hot 100 chart in 1978. Both the title song, sung by Frankie Valli and "You're The One That I Want", sung by John & Newton-John were # 1 hits.
2. If you said "Hello Dolly" by Louis Armstrong, then you really know your Broadway. Louis' version was # 1 for the week of May 9,1964 and replaced The Beatles "Can't BUy Me Love" which had been # 1 for the previous 5 weeks. Louie was 63 at the time and his # 1 hit was replaced the next week by Mary Wells and "My Guy". Louis Armstrong died 2 days after his 71st birthday on July 6, 1971. The Broadway version of "Hello Dolly" won 11 Tony Awards in its first run. The movie version starred former Broadway legend Barbra Streisand.
3. The play was "Hair" and the four hits included the 1969 title song sung by The Cowsills (# 2); Three Dog Night took "Easy To Be Hard" to # 4 also in '69 while Oliver sang "Good Morning Sunshine" (# 3). The biggest hit from "Hair" was the Fifth Dimensions' version of "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" which was # 1 for six weeks beginning with the week of April 12, 1969.
4. Barbra Streisand starred in "Funny Girl" on Broadway and on film and in 1964, made her debut on the Billboard singles chart with the play's signature song "People". Barbra's most recent movie role is that of Roz Focker, the mother of Ben Stiller's character of Gaylord Focker in "Meet The Fockers" and "Little Fockers".
5. "Jesus Christ SUperstar" is the correct answer to this question. Yvonne Elliman, who performed on the original album and on Broadway, is best known for her 1978 # 1 hit, "If I Can't Have You" from "Saturday Night Fever". Murray Head's first release of "Superstar"in 1970 only made it as far as # 74. A re-release the following year saw the song zoom up to # 14on the singles chart. In 1985, Head hit the charts again with "one Night In Bangkok" which went to # 3. That song was from the musical project "Chess" and was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Alvaeus of ABBA fame along with Murray's old "Jesus Christ Superstar" pal, Tim Rice.
So, how'd you do?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
THE LONG AND LONG OF IT
Traditionally back in the late 50's and early 60's, hit songs were an average length of two to two and a half minutes. There were some exceptions, but not many. They got longer as the years went on. This time out, we're going to quiz you on some of these longer songs. All of these songs made the Top Ten and several went to # 1.
QUESTIONS
1. The man who changed the music business forever was raised in Hibbing, Minnesota and was born Robert Zimmerman. Although he wasn't really known for hit singles, he still managed to rack up quite a few, although he never had a number one single. In the fall of 1965, he released his longest 45 single and it 'rolled' up the Billboard charts to # 2. Who is the singer and what was his 'long' song from '65?
2. This song talks about 'The day the music died'. Back in the time of 45 rpm records it was so long that they had to split it into two parts with Part 1 on Side 1 and Part 2 on the second side of the 45. The singer went on to have several other hits including "Vincent" and "Crying", but this was his only # 1. Who's the singer and what was his super long hit from 1972?
3. The Beatles were certainly no strangers to the top of the charts. This hit from 1968 was their 16th number one and their longest single ever. 'Hey', What's the name of this song?
4. Mike Myers made this song an even bigger hit than it was in his 1992 movie "Wayne's World". This 'royal' group had originally released this 'long' song in 1976 and it shot up to # 9 on Billboard's singles chart. After "Wayne's World" came out, the song re-entered the Billboard chart where it went to # 2. Can you name the group and the song?
5. This hit making singer was one of the first country artists to cross over to the pop charts. His 'long' song went to # 1 in the early months of 1960. This singer had his own TV show and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry from 1953 until his death in 1982 at the age of 57, The song was set "out in the West Texas town of..." and was about a lovely senorita named "Felina" and her hot headed cowboy boyfriend. What was the song and who was the singer?
ANSWERS
1. "Like A Rolling Stone" was a gift for disc jockeys. Now they could run to the washroom and still make it back before the song ended as Bob Dylan's hit clocked in at 6 minutes in length.
2. The singer was Don McLean and his 'long' song was 1972's "American Pie - Parts 1 & 2" which had a listed time of 8:36.
3. "Hey Jude" by The Beatles clocks in at 7:11 and could never be confused with the convenience store chain with the same name.
4. Queen's "Bohemenian Rhapsody" times out to 5 minutes and 50 seconds...both in 1976 and 1992.
5. "El Paso" from Marty RObbins clocks in at 4:40, a very long time for that era. Marty Robbins first hit the Billboard pop charts in 1957 with "Singing The Blues". His 1961 hit, "Don't Worry" was one of the first records to use a fuzztone guitar. One of Marty's other big crossover hits was "Devil Woman" in 1962, but "El Paso" was Marty's only pop # 1.
QUESTIONS
1. The man who changed the music business forever was raised in Hibbing, Minnesota and was born Robert Zimmerman. Although he wasn't really known for hit singles, he still managed to rack up quite a few, although he never had a number one single. In the fall of 1965, he released his longest 45 single and it 'rolled' up the Billboard charts to # 2. Who is the singer and what was his 'long' song from '65?
2. This song talks about 'The day the music died'. Back in the time of 45 rpm records it was so long that they had to split it into two parts with Part 1 on Side 1 and Part 2 on the second side of the 45. The singer went on to have several other hits including "Vincent" and "Crying", but this was his only # 1. Who's the singer and what was his super long hit from 1972?
3. The Beatles were certainly no strangers to the top of the charts. This hit from 1968 was their 16th number one and their longest single ever. 'Hey', What's the name of this song?
4. Mike Myers made this song an even bigger hit than it was in his 1992 movie "Wayne's World". This 'royal' group had originally released this 'long' song in 1976 and it shot up to # 9 on Billboard's singles chart. After "Wayne's World" came out, the song re-entered the Billboard chart where it went to # 2. Can you name the group and the song?
5. This hit making singer was one of the first country artists to cross over to the pop charts. His 'long' song went to # 1 in the early months of 1960. This singer had his own TV show and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry from 1953 until his death in 1982 at the age of 57, The song was set "out in the West Texas town of..." and was about a lovely senorita named "Felina" and her hot headed cowboy boyfriend. What was the song and who was the singer?
ANSWERS
1. "Like A Rolling Stone" was a gift for disc jockeys. Now they could run to the washroom and still make it back before the song ended as Bob Dylan's hit clocked in at 6 minutes in length.
2. The singer was Don McLean and his 'long' song was 1972's "American Pie - Parts 1 & 2" which had a listed time of 8:36.
3. "Hey Jude" by The Beatles clocks in at 7:11 and could never be confused with the convenience store chain with the same name.
4. Queen's "Bohemenian Rhapsody" times out to 5 minutes and 50 seconds...both in 1976 and 1992.
5. "El Paso" from Marty RObbins clocks in at 4:40, a very long time for that era. Marty Robbins first hit the Billboard pop charts in 1957 with "Singing The Blues". His 1961 hit, "Don't Worry" was one of the first records to use a fuzztone guitar. One of Marty's other big crossover hits was "Devil Woman" in 1962, but "El Paso" was Marty's only pop # 1.
Monday, May 30, 2011
TO THE MOON AND BEYOND
50 years ago in 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy said, in a speech to Congress, "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." And of course, the U.S. did exactly that in the summer of 1969.
Well in the 50 years since JFK made that speech, there have been plenty of songs recorded about space travel. For example, there's "Moon River", both instrumentally by Henry Mancini and with lyrics by Andy Williams. KISS took their hit, "Rocket Ride" to # 39 on the singles chart in 1978. David Bowie had a # 15chart hit with "space Oddity" in 1973 (so obviously those aren't questions in this quiz - or are they?). This week's quiz is based on songs about space and space travel. See how many you can guess.
Thanks to our pal John H. in Kingston, Ontario for the idea.
QUESTIONS
1. This singer, songwriter, producer discovered the group Genesis and produced their first album, 1967's "From Genesis To Revelation". By then, he'd already had a top 20 'space' hit of his own all over the world. In fact, he wrote and produced several hits during the mid 1960's. He also later worked with 10cc and The Bay City Rollers and was the 'King' of the record charts for several years. Who is this singer and can you also name his 'space' hit from 1965?
2. Reginald Kenneth Dwight is a legend in pop music with dozens of hits to his credit. Well actually, they're credited to the name he took when he entered the music business. His 'space' hit happened in 1972 and 'rocketed' up the charts. OK, I practically gave you this one, but if you know your music, you should already have known it. Can you name the singer and his 'space' hit?
3. This musician was a member of Lester Lanin's dance band out of New York in the 1950's and later worked as an accompanist for Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Maurice Chevalier and Peggy Lee. Later on in the 1970's, he became the band leader for TV's Mike Douglas Show. His name was Joe Harnell and in 1963, his instrumental 'space themed' hit zoomed up the charts, landing in the Top 20. You'll need to rhyme with June and spoon for this one. So what's the name of this hit?
4. He played keyboards on several hits for The Beatles. In fact, he was the only 'outside' musician credited on a Beatles record. Previously, he'd been in Little Richards' band and met The Beatles while on tour with him in the early 1960's. This amazing performer had a couple of 'space themed' hits during the 1970's. Can you name either one?
5. It wasn't Sputnik, but this 'spaced themed' song was named after a famous satellite and was the first North American # 1 hit for a British group. It was an instrumental and the year was 1962. The same group, The Tornados, had another minor hit the next year called "Ridin' The Wind" but that one only made it to # 63 on Billboard's singles chart. Do you know the name of this 'space' hit?
ANSWERS
1. Jonathan King was an undergraduate at Cambridge University in England in 1965 when he hit the charts with "Everyone's Gone To The Moon", which went to # 17 on Billboard's Hot 100. For many years, he was the BBC correspondent on pop culture based in New York. Other hit songs he wrote and produced include 1965/66's"It's Good News Week" by Hedgehoppers Anonymous.
2. Elton John took his 'adopted' name from two other members of the group Bluesology, Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. Elton's first North American Top Ten hit was "Your Song" in 1970. His 'space' song was "Rocket Man" from the summer of 1972.
3. Joe Harnell recorded the bossa nova instrumental "Fly Me To The Moon", which debuted on the charts in December of 1962 eventually making it to # 14 on Billboard's singles chart. He was a producer at Kapp Records in New York and was asked to record some Bossa Nova instrumentals. He decided to record "Fly Me To The Moon" and in 1963 it became a hit. In 1973, Harnell moved to Hollywood where he wrote many film and television scores for which, in 1986, he won an Emmy Award. Joe Harnell died of heart failure in 2005.
4. Billy Preston had a couple of 'space' songs hit the Top Ten during the 1970's. In 1973, his "Space Race" song made it to # 4 on the charts, but two years prior to that, Billy took "Outta-Space" to # 2.
5. It was the first 'rock' hit by a British group in North America. English producer Joe Meek recorded the instrumental "Telstar" as the 'A' side of a 45 single along with the B side, "Jungle Fever" in 3 just hours. Ironically, the same year as The Tornados # 1 success, another British artist, Acker Bilk, took his clarinet instrumental, "Stranger on The Shore" to the top of the North American singles chart.
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