In the Beginning - 1960s Song Lyrics Quiz

Answer: The Beatles

"I Saw Her Standing There", was the B-side of the Beatles first U.S. number one, "I Want to Hold Your Hand". While the A-side was far more successful, sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks beginning in February of 1964, the B-side did manage to reach number 14 on the pop chart.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "I Saw Her Standing There" at number 139 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Answer: Tommy James and the Shondells

The beautiful song "Crystal Blue Persuasion", was one of Tommy James and the Shondells' biggest hits, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. At the time of the songs release, some people thought that "Crystal Blue Persuasion" referred to the drug "crystal meth", but not according to James.

In an interview with Songfacts he said: "It's out of the Bible. The imagery was right out of Chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation, about the lake of crystal, 'Crystal Blue Persuasion', although those words aren't used together, it was what the image meant to me."

Answer: Bob Dylan

These are the opening lines to the Bob Dylan classic "Like a Rolling Stone", one of Dylan's first songs to feature electric instruments. He premiered the tune at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, but the crowd wasn't very receptive, booing Dylan for turning his back on traditional folk music and "plugging in". Despite the backlash and the song's excessive length, clocking in at a whopping six minutes and 31 seconds, it was one of Dylan's highest charting singles, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.

Answer: Strawberry Alarm Clock

Strawberry Alarm Clock had their first and only number one single with the psychedelic rock song "Incense and Peppermints, which reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in November of 1967. The song was initially released as a B-side in April of 1967, but due to the extensive airplay it was receiving "Incense and Peppermints" was re-released as an A-side in May, and ultimately became the groups biggest hit. Unable to match the success of their signature song, Strawberry Alarm Clock decided to call it quits in 1971.

Answer: The Kinks

"All Day and All of the Night", which was written by band member Ray Davies, was The Kinks second U.S. top ten single, and was the follow-up to their breakthrough hit "You Really Got Me". The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965, and was also a big hit on the other side of the pond, reaching number two on the U.K. Singles Chart.

There was a bit of controversy in 1968 involving The Doors smash hit "Hello, I Love You", which sounded strangely similar to "All Day and All of the Night". Davies' publishing company wanted him to sue The Doors for plagiarism, but ultimately Davies decided against it.

Answer: The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys scored their second U.S. number one with the song "Help Me, Rhonda", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. Originally titled "Help Me, Ronda", it was included on the groups eighth studio album "The Beach Boys Today!", and was initially considered an album cut, but when the track began to receive considerable radio airplay, the band re-recorded the tune and released it as a single in April of 1965. "Help Me, Rhonda" also featured the debut of rhythm guitarist Al Jardine as lead vocalist, one of only a handful of times he was given that honor.

Answer: The Box Tops

Four years after they formed in 1963, The Box Tops had their biggest chart success with "The Letter", which spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. At only one minute and 58 seconds in length, the song also holds the distinction of being one of the shortest songs to ever top the Hot 100. "The Letter" has been covered by numerous artists, including a version by Joe Cocker, which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970, and even a disco version by singer Deborah Washington, which reached number 13 on the Billboard dance chart in 1978.

Answer: Simon and Garfunkel

These are the very bleak opening lines to the Paul Simon penned tune "I Am a Rock" The song first appeared on Simon's first solo studio album "The Paul Simon Songbook", which was released in August of 1965, and only in the United Kingdom, where the album and the single failed to chart. Simon re-recorded the song, this time with partner Art Garfunkel, and included it on their 1966 LP "The Sounds of Silence". Due to the success of the album and especially the title track, the duo decided to released "I Am a Rock" as a single, and it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.

Answer: Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night's version of "Easy to Be Hard", reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969, becoming the second of 11 top ten singles the band would have on the U.S. pop chart between 1969 and 1974. "Easy to Be Hard" was written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado and Gerome Ragni and first appeared in the rock musical "Hair". Versions of three other songs from the play, also became top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. "Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver, reached number three, "Hair" by The Cowsills, peaked at number two, and the medley "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by The 5th Dimension, spent six weeks at number one.

Answer: The Cowsills

The Cowsills had their biggest hit to date when "The Rain, The Park & Other Things" reached the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in December of 1967. Because of the rather unusual name of the song and the fact that the title doesn't appear anywhere in the lyrics, many people simply refer to it as "The Flower Girl" The Cowsills were the inspiration for the popular musical-sitcom "The Partridge Family", which ran for four seasons on ABC. Three members of the group Bob, Paul and Susan Cowsill are still active and performing across U.S.