November Quiz - Answers

Larry and Mindy’s Quiz – November 2024

Here are the correct answers:

1.               c. The Teddy Bears. (To Know Him Is to Love Him) This song was written and recorded in 1958 by Phil Spector, inspired by the words on his father's gravestone, "To Know Him Was to Love Him." It was first recorded by the only vocal group of which Spector was a member.  Trio’s version resurrected the song in a country style, and it topped both the US Hot Country Songs chart and the Canadian country music chart.
* Peter and Gordon - 1965.
* Bobby Vinton - 1969.
* Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris, (collectively called Trio) - 1987.

2.               b. Gertrude Niesen. (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes) This is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical comedy Roberta. It was first recorded by Gertrude Niesen, with orchestral direction from Ray Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's second cousin, in 1933. Of course, The Platters’ version is by far the most popular.
* The Platters - 1958
* Blue Haze - 1972
* Charlie Parker - 1950

3.               c. Laura Nyro. (Wedding Bell Blues) This is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro in 1966. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a woman whose boyfriend has not yet proposed to her, and who wonders, "am I ever gonna see my wedding day?" The title subsequently became a popular phrase in American pop culture, after The 5^th Dimension made their hit version.
* Bobbie Gentry - 1970
* Percy Faith - 1970
* The 5th Dimension - 1969

4.               d. Johnny & Jackey. (Someday We'll Be Together) The song was written by Johnny Bristol, Jackey Beavers, and Harvey Fuqua in 1961. Johnny Bristol and Jackey Beavers recorded the song together as "Johnny & Jackey" that same year. It was a moderate success in the Midwestern United States but gained little notice in other venues. Diana Ross & the Supremes made it a huge hit.
* Diana Ross & the Supremes - 1969
* The Marvelettes - 1970
* Lorrie Morgan - 1983

5.               a. Carson and Gaile. (Somethin’ Stupid) Also written "Something Stupid", this song was written by C. Carson Parks. It was originally recorded in 1966 by Parks and his wife Gaile Foote, as “Carson and Gaile.” The Sinatras’ single spent four weeks at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and nine weeks atop the easy listening (now called the adult contemporary) chart, becoming Frank's second gold single.
* Frank and Nancy Sinatra - 1967
* Ali Campbell and (his 7-year-old daughter) Kibibi Campbell - 1995
* Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman - 2001

6.               a. Peggy Lee. (Everybody Loves Somebody) The song was written in 1947 by Irving Taylor and pianist Ken Lane and made famous by Dean Martin who recorded and released his version in 1964. The song was first recorded by Peggy Lee in 1947. Two weeks later Frank Sinatra recorded the song, but it wasn’t released and issued until mid- 1948. Dean Martin’s version knocked The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" off the No. 1 slot on the Billboard chart.
* Frank Sinatra - 1947
* Dean Martin - 1964
* Ray Gelato - 2004

7.               a. The Turtles. (Happy Together) It was written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon and recorded by the American rock band The Turtles in 1967.
* Mel Tormé - 1969
* The Mothers of Invention - 1971
* The Ventures - 1967 (Instrumental version)

8.               c. Free. (All Right Now) This is a song by the English rock band Free, released on their third studio album in 1970. It was a #1 hit in over 20 countries and it accumulated over 1,000,000 radio plays in the U.S. by 1990.
* Mike Oldfield - 1980
* Rod Stewart - 1984
* Pepsi & Shirlie - 1987

9.               b. Kelly Gordon. (He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother) This ballad was written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for The Hollies later that year. Bob Russell was dying of lymphoma, and he met Bobby Scott only three times, yet they managed to collaborate on writing the song.
* The Hollies - 1969
* Neil Diamond - 1970
* Bill Medley - 1988

10.         a. & b. Smokey Roberds (We've Only Just Begun) Roberds recorded the song in 1970, using the stage name "Freddie Allen." The single did not get significant airplay, but Paul Williams sang a version for a TV commercial, that Richard Carpenter saw, guessed correctly that Williams was the singer (they were both under contract with A&M Records), and selected the song for The Carpenters’ third album, titled “Carpenters.” Both Karen and Richard Carpenter always considered this song as their signature song. All the above recordings were made in 1970.

11.         a. B. J. Thomas. (Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head) The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” There have been many cover recordings of this song over the years, and Peggy Lee (on her album “Bridge Over Troubled Water”), Robert Goulet, and Dionne Warwick (on her album “I'll Never Fall in Love Again”) all made their recordings in 1970.

12.         d. Roger Miller. (Me and Bobby McGee) Written by Kris Kristofferson and originally recorded by Roger Miller in May 1969, Kenny Rogers recorded it a month later, and Kristofferson recorded his own version of the song on his debut album “Kristofferson”, released in June 1970. The most successful version was recorded by Janis Joplin only a few days before her death in October 1970. Her recording is widely regarded as one of the greatest cover songs of all time.

13.         b. Bonnie Dobson. (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face) This is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl (real name James Henry Miller) for Peggy Seeger, who later became his third wife. The two of them sang the song when they performed together in folk clubs around Britain. The earliest recording of the song was in 1960 by Bonnie Dobson, released in 1961, but it only entered mainstream pop the following year when it was released by the Kingston Trio. But the most successful and popular version was by Roberta Flack in 1972, becoming a major international hit, winning Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

14.         a. Johnny Nash. (I Can See Clearly Now) The song was written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash in 1972. It reached first place on charts in the USA, Canada, and South Africa. Among many others, the song was also covered by Ray Charles and the Irish band Hothouse Flowers.
* Lee Towers - 1982
* Jimmy Cliff - 1993
* Willie Nelson - 1999

15.         d. Barbra Streisand. (The Way We Were) The song was written for Streisand by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Marvin Hamlisch, for her fifteenth studio album and film of the same name in 1973. In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and finished in eighth place on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Songs list of top tunes in American cinema in 2004. Gladys Knight & the Pips also recorded a cover of "The Way We Were" as part of a blend with the song "Try to Remember," released in 1974.
* Andy Williams - 1974
* Doris Day - 1975
* Bing Crosby - 1976