No. 1 Hits of the 70s Vol.20 Quiz | No. 1 Hits

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This 1967 release by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles did not hit at first, but re-surfaced in 1970 and became a number one hit. Which tune was it?

Answer: The Tears of a Clown

"The Tears of a Clown" was originally released in 1967 on an album called "Make It Happen" but wasn't released as a single at that time. It was released in the U.K. in 1970 and went to number one on the charts. It was then released in the U.S. and shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts for a two week stay in December that year. Robinson had planned to leave the group for a solo career, but the success of this song caused him to remain with the group until 1972.

2. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" was a 1972 release for The Undisputed Truth in early 1972. It didn't get to number one. Later the same year, another Motown group had more success with it. Who was the more successful group?

Answer: The Temptations

A group called 'The Undisputed Truth' were the first to release this song co-written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong under the Motown label in early 1972. The song peaked at a weak number 63 placing on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song was reworked and given to The Temptations as a 12 minute long recording and ended up at the top of the charts for a week in December that year.

Their version ended up winning three Grammy Awards, and is listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's compilation of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" at number 168.

3. Where was Gladys Knight going in her 1973 classic tune?

Answer: Georgia

Gladys Knight and the pips took "Midnight Train to GEORGIA" to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts for a two week stay in the fall of 1973. The song was off an album released the same year called "Imagination". The song also won a 1974 Grammy Award, and is listed on Billboard Magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" at number 432.

4. 1974 saw a fictional shootout become the focus for a number one hit. The artist was Paper Lace. The song title was___?

Answer: The Night Chicago Died

"The Night Chicago Died" was brought to us by Paper Lace, a British group that had some success in the U.K. in the 1970s. They were the group that originally released "Billy Don't Be Hero" which went to the top of the charts in the U.K. In the U.S. it was quickly covered by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods, so Paper Lace's version didn't get much airplay.

They got their revenge with "The Night Chicago Died" when the tune reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts for a week in the summer of 1974.

5. Paul Anka reached the top of the charts with this 1974 hit "(You're) Having My Baby". The song was recorded as a duet. Who was the female half of the duet?

Answer: Odia Coates

It was Odia Coates, a virtually unknown singer that Anka had met on tour, who sang with him on the tune "(You're) Having My Baby", which three weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts in the summer of 1974. This was Anka's first number one tune in 15 years, the last being "Lonely Boy" in 1959.
Although the song was very successful commercially, it has often been voted as one of the worst songs of all time in a number of polls.

6. "Well I tried to make it Sunday, but I got so damn depressed, that I set my sights on Monday and I got myself undressed..." begins this tune recorded by whom?

Answer: America

It was America, and these lyrics begin the tune "Sister Golden Hair" which became the groups' second number one tune when it reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts in the summer of 1975 for a one week stay. The song came from the album called "Hearts".

7. This song was a breakthrough hit for a husband and wife duo in 1975. It was written by one of the most prolific songwriters of early rock and roll, Neil Sedaka. In fact, at the end of the song, they even acknowledge him in the lyrics. What song could this be?

Answer: Love Will Keep Us Together

"Love Will Keep Us Together" was written by Neil Sedaka along with his longtime collaborator Howard Greenfield. The tune was one of a number they wrote together during this time, and it was recorded by The Captain (Daryl Dragon) and (Toni) Tennille. The song shot to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts for four weeks in the summer of 1975 and was the first hit for the duo.

It became the top U.S. single for the year, and was awarded a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

8. "Play That Funky Music" was a 1976 hit tune for which of these groups?

Answer: Wild Cherry

"Play That Funky Music" was a 1976 tune which hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts for three weeks in September that year. It was the group's only hit single. Incidentally, the song was covered by Vanilla Ice in 1991.

9. This singer/songwriter scored an accidental big hit in 1977 with the song "Undercover Angel", although he had written hit songs for a number of other artists. Can you name him?

Answer: Alan O'Day

Alan O'Day had been a successful songwriter for some time. He had written "Rock and Roll Heaven" for The Righteous Brothers and "Angie Baby" for Helen Reddy, as well as a number of other tunes. The people in charge at his record label decided to form a subsidiary label for their writers who were also performers.

It was out of this idea, that O'Day's song became a number one Billboard Hot 100 hit in the U.S., hitting the top of the charts for a week during the summer of in 1977. O'Day never had another big hit for himself, but in the 1980s, started writing music for Jim Henson's "Muppet Babies" cartoon, and eventually wrote over 100 songs for that show.

10. The Commodores had a big hit with "Still" in 1979. What was significant about it that made it different from the rest of their hits?

Answer: It was their last number one hit before Lionel Ritchie left the group

"Still" became a 1979 number one charting hit for The Commodores when it hit the top spot for a week in the autumn of that year and became the second and final number one hit in their history. The group had scored previously with "Three Times a Lady" in 1978. "Still" only got as high as number four in the U.K. Ritchie left the group in 1981 to begin a solo career.

After his departure, the group could only muster one more Top 40 U.S. hit, "Nightshift" in 1985.

Source: Author fredsixties

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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No. 1 Hits of the 70s Vol.20 Trivia Quiz

This is the yet another entry in the 1970s series which highlights song that were number one on the U.S. Billboard charts during the decade. You may need to give the title or the artist. There may be clues to help you along. Good luck.

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